Thursday, December 30, 2010
Christmas break
So, Christmas break is coming to an end. It's been a lot of fun having two full weeks off again this year. We spent our Christmas here in Colorado again. On Christmas day we were at my brother's house with our niece and brand new nephew. It was a lot of fun seeing our niece open all her presents. We got some really great things too. Plus we're putting money away for plane tickets to head back east, which is always nice to do. My brother flies in tomorrow to spend some time out here (although it's really to see the new baby) :) . He was supposed to be able to come in a lot earlier, but weather (a blizzard) in RI delayed his trip to NC and then from NC. Strange, I know! Other than that, our lives are pretty much just keeping busy and staying normal (at least what we think is normal) haha! Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and have a great New Year.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday night
Not much is new here. We have left Sydney completely out of her cage and able to roam the whole house for the past four days. She has done GREAT! She hasn't chewed anything, or done anything bad. I am so proud of her! This weekend is a three-day weekend, which is really nice to have that extra day to get stuff done. I have a lot of errands to do.
I can't believe we are already into November. It's pretty crazy! Once October goes by with the school year, November and December fly by. Artie and I are staying home for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year again. I like that we have started our own traditions, but I know it's hard to be away from family. We have a new niece or nephew coming soon! I can't wait to meet him or her.
Other than that, life if normal... school, grad school, Sydney. I am taking a little bit off from running, so that I can hopefully get my knee back to normal and not have pain anymore. I am doing another marathon in May... except this time I'm doing it the relay way! It should be fun! 5 of us at school are going to do it. It means that I will only have to run about 7 miles of the race. :) Kinda a sweet deal! I hope our team does well though! My goal is to do the Georgetown to Idaho Spring half marathon again in August. It was just so much fun!
So here are my goals for the next year or two:
1) Run another half marathon (maybe 2)
2) Get home this summer - NY and RI and NH (hopefully)
3) Visit with people I haven't seen in a while (and meet their children who I haven't met)
4) Take at least one more grad school course this school year
5) Take two courses over the summer
6) Finish my master's by the end of next summer (not this upcoming one)
7) Move (no, not out of state...we're happy here)
8) Go skiing this winter (at least 3 times)
9) Enjoy every day, and know that it is a gift from God!
10) Trust in Him!
11) Trust is His timing! (it is perfect, even though I sometimes want to rush through things and get to other things)
That's about it for right now! Thanks for reading!
I can't believe we are already into November. It's pretty crazy! Once October goes by with the school year, November and December fly by. Artie and I are staying home for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year again. I like that we have started our own traditions, but I know it's hard to be away from family. We have a new niece or nephew coming soon! I can't wait to meet him or her.
Other than that, life if normal... school, grad school, Sydney. I am taking a little bit off from running, so that I can hopefully get my knee back to normal and not have pain anymore. I am doing another marathon in May... except this time I'm doing it the relay way! It should be fun! 5 of us at school are going to do it. It means that I will only have to run about 7 miles of the race. :) Kinda a sweet deal! I hope our team does well though! My goal is to do the Georgetown to Idaho Spring half marathon again in August. It was just so much fun!
So here are my goals for the next year or two:
1) Run another half marathon (maybe 2)
2) Get home this summer - NY and RI and NH (hopefully)
3) Visit with people I haven't seen in a while (and meet their children who I haven't met)
4) Take at least one more grad school course this school year
5) Take two courses over the summer
6) Finish my master's by the end of next summer (not this upcoming one)
7) Move (no, not out of state...we're happy here)
8) Go skiing this winter (at least 3 times)
9) Enjoy every day, and know that it is a gift from God!
10) Trust in Him!
11) Trust is His timing! (it is perfect, even though I sometimes want to rush through things and get to other things)
That's about it for right now! Thanks for reading!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
So last weekend I ran my first ever marathon. My brother ran with me and we finished with a time of 4 hours 7 minutes and 28 seconds. It was actually a blast minus a couple of miles toward the end. Artie and Meggan were able to see us about 7 times, which was really cool. I also had a few friends from my lifegroup who came out to see me run. We ran all over the city of Denver.
Although it was a long run, took a lot out of me, and I'm still sore... it was a goal that I set for myself a long time ago that I needed to accomplish this before I'm 30. I did it!!! It was so satisfying finishing. When I crossed the finish line there were so many emotions running through me that I didn't know what to do. But, I did get some really nasty blood blisters on my feet. The one on my left foot actually popped and blood was seeping through my shoe. I felt it pop around mile 16 or 18... by that time, they're all the same :) haha. I never said anything to my brother though and we kept up a nice pace.
For the first half marathon we ran anywhere between an 8:30 and an 8:45 pace and then when we hit mile 13 until mile 22 we ran about a 9:15-9:30 mile pace. Then I HIT THE WALL... It is absolutely insane when you hit the wall. My body just didn't want to move, run, or stop. (how does that happen?) I didn't stop though, not even while I was drinking water or cytomax. Some of it got all over me a few times. Although I felt so great running a marathon, was so proud of myself, and didn't beat 4 hours, I am not sure if I will ever do another one. Maybe it's one of those things that I need to forget about the pain and then maybe I can think about it again. The training was a lot though. It was great during the summer when I had all the time in the world to run, it was gorgeous out, and I could just lay out at the pool when I was finished. Once school started back up it became harder and harder to train. At the beginning of the year I could get up around 5:20 and be running by 5:35 and it was just beginning to get light. But then as the year went on (and fall started) it was not as light out anymore. I had a difficult time running before school in the dark, #1 because it was dark, #2 because it was dark, and #3 because I don't feel 100% safe on the path I run on, let alone while in the dark.
I would love to do some more rock 'n roll events. There weren't as many bands as I thought there'd be, but it was still a lot of fun to hear quick bits of songs as I was running. I am an "ou-natural" runner and don't use an i-pod or any other form of music, so it was a change of pace. There is a half marathon in Providence next August that I'm considering, but it all depends on whether or not we can go there, when school starts, and so much more. Half marathons are much easier to train for and much easier to enjoy on the legs.
I'm just trying to figure out what my next step or goal in life should be. It's a little difficult when I was running for about 10 weeks, then full-on training for 18 weeks, and now that's over. I almost don't know what to do with myself.
My sister-in-law is having a baby in about 5 weeks, and I can't wait. Another niece or a nephew, we don't know! I love when people make it a surprise.
I have just finished up my first class in my master's career today. I am starting my next class tomorrow. There's a lot of work to do with it all, but my school is paying for the first three classes and so that means I'd only need to pay for 9 more courses to complete my master's. And I get to pay the same discounted amount that my school is paying for the first three as long as I stay in my school district and don't take too much time off after the first three classes. I'm kinda excited to obtain it. I never thought I'd want to get my master's, but now that I've started I am really excited! I hope I can take at least 1 course at the end of the school year, at least 2 courses over the summer, and then hopefully take 4 during the course of the next school year, then I'd only need 2 more the following summer.
Well, that's about all for now. I seem to not write a lot then come one a write a huge long blog. haha, oh well.
Although it was a long run, took a lot out of me, and I'm still sore... it was a goal that I set for myself a long time ago that I needed to accomplish this before I'm 30. I did it!!! It was so satisfying finishing. When I crossed the finish line there were so many emotions running through me that I didn't know what to do. But, I did get some really nasty blood blisters on my feet. The one on my left foot actually popped and blood was seeping through my shoe. I felt it pop around mile 16 or 18... by that time, they're all the same :) haha. I never said anything to my brother though and we kept up a nice pace.
For the first half marathon we ran anywhere between an 8:30 and an 8:45 pace and then when we hit mile 13 until mile 22 we ran about a 9:15-9:30 mile pace. Then I HIT THE WALL... It is absolutely insane when you hit the wall. My body just didn't want to move, run, or stop. (how does that happen?) I didn't stop though, not even while I was drinking water or cytomax. Some of it got all over me a few times. Although I felt so great running a marathon, was so proud of myself, and didn't beat 4 hours, I am not sure if I will ever do another one. Maybe it's one of those things that I need to forget about the pain and then maybe I can think about it again. The training was a lot though. It was great during the summer when I had all the time in the world to run, it was gorgeous out, and I could just lay out at the pool when I was finished. Once school started back up it became harder and harder to train. At the beginning of the year I could get up around 5:20 and be running by 5:35 and it was just beginning to get light. But then as the year went on (and fall started) it was not as light out anymore. I had a difficult time running before school in the dark, #1 because it was dark, #2 because it was dark, and #3 because I don't feel 100% safe on the path I run on, let alone while in the dark.
I would love to do some more rock 'n roll events. There weren't as many bands as I thought there'd be, but it was still a lot of fun to hear quick bits of songs as I was running. I am an "ou-natural" runner and don't use an i-pod or any other form of music, so it was a change of pace. There is a half marathon in Providence next August that I'm considering, but it all depends on whether or not we can go there, when school starts, and so much more. Half marathons are much easier to train for and much easier to enjoy on the legs.
I'm just trying to figure out what my next step or goal in life should be. It's a little difficult when I was running for about 10 weeks, then full-on training for 18 weeks, and now that's over. I almost don't know what to do with myself.
My sister-in-law is having a baby in about 5 weeks, and I can't wait. Another niece or a nephew, we don't know! I love when people make it a surprise.
I have just finished up my first class in my master's career today. I am starting my next class tomorrow. There's a lot of work to do with it all, but my school is paying for the first three classes and so that means I'd only need to pay for 9 more courses to complete my master's. And I get to pay the same discounted amount that my school is paying for the first three as long as I stay in my school district and don't take too much time off after the first three classes. I'm kinda excited to obtain it. I never thought I'd want to get my master's, but now that I've started I am really excited! I hope I can take at least 1 course at the end of the school year, at least 2 courses over the summer, and then hopefully take 4 during the course of the next school year, then I'd only need 2 more the following summer.
Well, that's about all for now. I seem to not write a lot then come one a write a huge long blog. haha, oh well.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Stuff
This past weekend I ran in my first half marathon. It was actually a ton of fun! I know that sounds really strange and that you might be making a weird face at the computer right now thinking, "how can running 13.1 miles be fun?", but it was a blast. Most of the time I was running without anyone really right next to me, so I just had a lot of thinking time and I just was happy that I was able to finish. I actually had never run more than 12 miles, so it was pretty nice to know that I could do that. (Well, I'd better be able to because I am signed up for the full marathon...26.2 miles in October).
The race that I did was Georgetown to Idaho Springs (straight shot) and it was rolling hills, but heading down. We started at 8,500 ft. above sea level and ended around 7,500. It was awesome. Artie and I parked the car in Idaho Springs and I took the bus up to Georgetown while Artie rode his bike up to Georgetown. (Good for Artie because it was going uphill... I love him). He actually made it about 2 minutes before the race began. On a total side note the line for the port-a-potty was about 35 minutes long. I got in line thinking I'd have plenty of time before the race began and literally I was out of line about 3 minutes before the race began. (I passed one of the ladies while running that was waiting right behind me for the port-a-potty, and I said, "we made it!" It was funny.)
I started out the first two miles slower for a few different reasons. One of the reasons was because when you start in a race where there are 5,000 runners, some are going fast, some slow so you feel like you're flying when you go by the slow people and feel like you're going slow when people pass you. (sorry that was totally a run-on.) But I also have had knee problems that past two weeks and didn't want to injure it more. Luckily it didn't hurt at all during the entire race. Every two miles were marked and I kept thinking , "wow, we're already here." About a quarter of a mile left and I started picking up my pace. When I had about 100 yards to go I was able to give it a full fledged sprint. It was so great to feel that good at the end of the race. My chip time was 1 hour 54 minutes 25 seconds. About 2 minutes slower from the gun time (which is normal since the gun goes and then you don't cross the start line until a couple minutes later).
I was really happy that I finished it and that I beat 2 hours. It looks like I am on pace for running my marathon in 3 hours 30 minutes. Especially since I didn't want to hurt my knee, so I took it a little slower. Artie rode his bike down (so he rode 26.2 that day). But it was nice when he came up and would give me a drink (they did have water/gatorade stations too though) and he was able to take some photos and be there to support me. It was really nice of him. I love that my husband is so supportive of me and my challenges that I put for myself. I hope that I can be as supportive, if not more, of him when he has a goal/challenge that he sets for himself. Okay, okay, I am getting a little sappy, but I just love that I have such a wonderful husband.
Well, that's about all for now. I need to go work on some lesson plans for school. Tomorrow is the first day with all the kids. I've had groups of kids for the past three school days though. So at least I know all my students now. It looks like I should have a good class this year. Hopefully!
The race that I did was Georgetown to Idaho Springs (straight shot) and it was rolling hills, but heading down. We started at 8,500 ft. above sea level and ended around 7,500. It was awesome. Artie and I parked the car in Idaho Springs and I took the bus up to Georgetown while Artie rode his bike up to Georgetown. (Good for Artie because it was going uphill... I love him). He actually made it about 2 minutes before the race began. On a total side note the line for the port-a-potty was about 35 minutes long. I got in line thinking I'd have plenty of time before the race began and literally I was out of line about 3 minutes before the race began. (I passed one of the ladies while running that was waiting right behind me for the port-a-potty, and I said, "we made it!" It was funny.)
I started out the first two miles slower for a few different reasons. One of the reasons was because when you start in a race where there are 5,000 runners, some are going fast, some slow so you feel like you're flying when you go by the slow people and feel like you're going slow when people pass you. (sorry that was totally a run-on.) But I also have had knee problems that past two weeks and didn't want to injure it more. Luckily it didn't hurt at all during the entire race. Every two miles were marked and I kept thinking , "wow, we're already here." About a quarter of a mile left and I started picking up my pace. When I had about 100 yards to go I was able to give it a full fledged sprint. It was so great to feel that good at the end of the race. My chip time was 1 hour 54 minutes 25 seconds. About 2 minutes slower from the gun time (which is normal since the gun goes and then you don't cross the start line until a couple minutes later).
I was really happy that I finished it and that I beat 2 hours. It looks like I am on pace for running my marathon in 3 hours 30 minutes. Especially since I didn't want to hurt my knee, so I took it a little slower. Artie rode his bike down (so he rode 26.2 that day). But it was nice when he came up and would give me a drink (they did have water/gatorade stations too though) and he was able to take some photos and be there to support me. It was really nice of him. I love that my husband is so supportive of me and my challenges that I put for myself. I hope that I can be as supportive, if not more, of him when he has a goal/challenge that he sets for himself. Okay, okay, I am getting a little sappy, but I just love that I have such a wonderful husband.
Well, that's about all for now. I need to go work on some lesson plans for school. Tomorrow is the first day with all the kids. I've had groups of kids for the past three school days though. So at least I know all my students now. It looks like I should have a good class this year. Hopefully!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Artie and I just got back from our 5 day camping trip. It was a lot of fun, but again another adventure. It rained every single day we were there. On the first day, Friday, we actually got a little bit of time down at the beach. The water was chilly, but felt really nice to go in. We set up camp and enjoyed a night of rain (with a small fire). The next day we woke up and it looked really nasty out. So we ventured into Telluride. It is a cool little town. We walked around and then headed back to camp for another night of rain. This time we got our s'mores in before the rain got us though. Sunday we tried to catch some crawdads, but they weren't in the mood to be caught. We hung out at the reservoir for a little bit and then had another storm come in on us. Monday we were pretty much sick of the rain by then, so we headed into the town of Ouray. Again, cute old mining town. We stopped at this one pub that had all sorts of games, so we played shuffle board and then got to have Sydney sit with us outside. Then it looked like the sun was coming out so we headed to the hot springs. We stayed there for less than an hour. Just a little too much let's say, then we headed back and got 2 hours on the beach. Had a roaring fire that night and actually saw some stars!!!! (who would have thought we would have been so excited about that?!) Then we got hit with basically two thunderstorms coming our way, each from a different direction. It rained so much and so loud that I was actually scared. Our tent mostly held up. Just found a little leak. But other than that it was okay. Headed home Tuesday and got some really pretty shots. Okay, so the pictures aren't posting for some reason, so I will post some later.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Just a little recap as to what's been going on in our lives: The school year finished up at the end of May. I signed up to run my first marathon in October. And have started the training for it. (I see coyotes most every morning hunting prairie dogs, I see snakes, bunnies, and tons of birds) I started teaching summer school, and I am in the 2nd week of it. I am going to start taking classes again in August. (I kind of have to because these three classes are required for my school system.) I have decided that I am going to get my master's after I've finished up these three classes. Artie and I went on our first camping trip (while we have lived out here). It was certainly one that we will never forget. It was raining, well pouring, most of the time, and freezing cold with the crazy winds. And then it snowed on us. We are planning our three 14er hikes for the summer. Our puppy is doing great. She is getting spayed this Friday. Artie's parents were out here, and we had a blast. We did so much with them. It was go go go most of the time :). My car was hit by someone driving a rental car (he was from Thailand, didn't have insurance, hadn't bought the insurance from the rental agency, and barely spoke English, so I had to get the cops involved. Then he gave a fake phone number on the contact information sheet that the cops gave to me, so I couldn't get in touch with him.) Needless to say my car is in the shop right now. My car had over $2000 worth of damage. The rental company is paying for the entire thing, and I have a rental car right now.
I think that is pretty much everything that's been going on lately in our lives. We're just keeping busy all the time, being as adventurous as we can, and still loving every minute out here in CO.
I think that is pretty much everything that's been going on lately in our lives. We're just keeping busy all the time, being as adventurous as we can, and still loving every minute out here in CO.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Spring break began this week, and I'm headed home to RI to clean out my parent's basement. There is stuff there from college, and when we moved out here, it was so rushed and quick that I just didn't have time to do anything. I literally had less than 48 hours to clean out my classroom, clean up our apartment, get stuff that I wanted from my parent's house to our apartment. It was insane!! Since I didn't get a chance to even say goodbye to people, I'm really hoping that I can at least get a chance to say "hi, bye" to some people while I'm home. I can't wait to get an Awful Awful, hopefully get my hair cut, and run some of my old routes. (I probably shouldn't put Awful Awfuls and running the same sentence, but oh well!)
Our puppy went for her last round of shots today at the vets. She did a good job too! Now she's free to play with other dogs at parks and stuff. We took her for a nice long walk this morning to reward her. It's a gorgeous day outside today, so I'm going to get off my computer, go for a run, sit in the sun, and read a book. Oh yeah, I have to pack too! :)
Our puppy went for her last round of shots today at the vets. She did a good job too! Now she's free to play with other dogs at parks and stuff. We took her for a nice long walk this morning to reward her. It's a gorgeous day outside today, so I'm going to get off my computer, go for a run, sit in the sun, and read a book. Oh yeah, I have to pack too! :)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Whoops, been a long time!
So somebody mentioned that this is totally outdated... I know I know... Things have gotten busy, and my life hasn't spared enough time for me to sit down and type my thoughts... Oh well... Things here are great though! Artie started as a Realtor and he is doing an excellent job! I am continuing to enjoy my school and there is always something new, fun, or interesting that I learn each day. We got a puppy! And life seems to being moving in the right direction for us right now! That's about all the new things in our lives, but I will try to keep up with this post!
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