Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Shamrock half
Looking back on March of 2010, I realized I hadn't written about the half marathon this year. Not that it's memorable or that I did outstanding but next year, I'll read this again and want to remember.
The 13 mile race usually translates into a weekend away with our family, a couple of our friends and their families, a hotel, a great dinner, lots of laughs, and oh yea, the run. This year seemed completely different for me.
The same:
1. There was a hotel room.
2. There were great friends.
3. There was a great dinner.
4. There were some good laughs.
Different:
1. Some of our friends weren't able to go this year.
2. You had to run the entire 13.1 this year because the relay was taken away due to construction in downtown Sacramento.
3. I went alone. Jeffrey wasn't feeling well, the weather was cold and windy with a great possibility of rain, and for the 4 of them to wait for me to finish while standing in bad weather just didn't seem like a good time for anyone.
After the run, I really started to feel bad. I always feel that I push my body to the limit sometimes but for the first time, I felt like my body was pushing back. Age? Not training? Low blood sugar? No sleep due to bachelorette party directly across the hall? No breakfast? Who knows?
What I do know is I texted Jeffrey at mile 11 and told him I was never going to do another half marathon. I felt beaten!
My goal was to beat my first half marathon time. I told myself where I needed to be at each mile marker in order to keep myself on track.
At mile 9 I was 5 minutes ahead
mile 10, 3 minutes ahead
mile 11, 1 minute ahead facing an uphill
mile 12, 2 minutes behind
at the finish, a whole 4 minutes behind my goal.
Overall, not a good race for me but at least I finished. SEVERAL times during the run, I had to talk myself out of just walking back to the hotel. "NO, keep going and finish this crazy thing you started." "This is your last one, just finish it!"
Well, finish I did. Although I swore I was done, the next day while resting on the couch, I researched half marathons and tried to find another one.
I now have a new goal....I gotta beat my original time.
Better start training :-)
The 13 mile race usually translates into a weekend away with our family, a couple of our friends and their families, a hotel, a great dinner, lots of laughs, and oh yea, the run. This year seemed completely different for me.
The same:
1. There was a hotel room.
2. There were great friends.
3. There was a great dinner.
4. There were some good laughs.
Different:
1. Some of our friends weren't able to go this year.
2. You had to run the entire 13.1 this year because the relay was taken away due to construction in downtown Sacramento.
3. I went alone. Jeffrey wasn't feeling well, the weather was cold and windy with a great possibility of rain, and for the 4 of them to wait for me to finish while standing in bad weather just didn't seem like a good time for anyone.
After the run, I really started to feel bad. I always feel that I push my body to the limit sometimes but for the first time, I felt like my body was pushing back. Age? Not training? Low blood sugar? No sleep due to bachelorette party directly across the hall? No breakfast? Who knows?
What I do know is I texted Jeffrey at mile 11 and told him I was never going to do another half marathon. I felt beaten!
My goal was to beat my first half marathon time. I told myself where I needed to be at each mile marker in order to keep myself on track.
At mile 9 I was 5 minutes ahead
mile 10, 3 minutes ahead
mile 11, 1 minute ahead facing an uphill
mile 12, 2 minutes behind
at the finish, a whole 4 minutes behind my goal.
Overall, not a good race for me but at least I finished. SEVERAL times during the run, I had to talk myself out of just walking back to the hotel. "NO, keep going and finish this crazy thing you started." "This is your last one, just finish it!"
Well, finish I did. Although I swore I was done, the next day while resting on the couch, I researched half marathons and tried to find another one.
I now have a new goal....I gotta beat my original time.
Better start training :-)
Isabella, the Real Original
Sat morning was spent with all 5 of us treading down to the post office to get Isabella her first passport. The plan was for all five of us to get them done but with each child being $110, Jeffrey being $135, and mine being renewed for $110, we decided to space them out a little bit. Since Isabella will be the first child to go on a trip, she gets hers done first.
Bella has been invited to go with Steve and Carol (Jeff's Mom and Dad) on vacation this summer to Washington state and visit her Aunts, Uncle and cousin. She has a few months to think it over although right now she is super excited. Getting her passport photo and the passport itself, she wanted to tell everyone where she was going. Knowing Isabella, the excitement won't diminish!
At any rate, I filled out all of the paperwork and there we stood handing over a check and her birth certificate. When I realized that I wasn't getting the birth certificate back, a moment of panic overcame me. After the govt checks everything out they will return it by mail but I didn't want to mail it away and risk the possibility of not getting the original back.
It was then that real and true PANIC hit me (along with a slight outer body moment). If I'm feeling this way over a piece of paper, how will I feel when Isabella (the real original) goes?
OMGoodness, she's going on a trip!
OMGoodness, she's going on a trip without me!
OMGoodness, she's going on a trip without me and leaving the country!
Before I let it my emotions get the best of me I reminded myself that she'll be with her Grandparents and the crazy boat that is my mind, safely came back into harbor. The sanity rope that had all of my crazy thoughts was reeled back in and my mind was returned back to the room where Isabella was asking the passport lady if she had processed Grandma and Papa's passports too.
She is excited.
I'm excited for her.
It will be a fabulous trip for everyone.
And where it will take 4-6 weeks for the passport to come in the mail, Isabella will only be gone for 2.
Bella has been invited to go with Steve and Carol (Jeff's Mom and Dad) on vacation this summer to Washington state and visit her Aunts, Uncle and cousin. She has a few months to think it over although right now she is super excited. Getting her passport photo and the passport itself, she wanted to tell everyone where she was going. Knowing Isabella, the excitement won't diminish!
At any rate, I filled out all of the paperwork and there we stood handing over a check and her birth certificate. When I realized that I wasn't getting the birth certificate back, a moment of panic overcame me. After the govt checks everything out they will return it by mail but I didn't want to mail it away and risk the possibility of not getting the original back.
It was then that real and true PANIC hit me (along with a slight outer body moment). If I'm feeling this way over a piece of paper, how will I feel when Isabella (the real original) goes?
OMGoodness, she's going on a trip!
OMGoodness, she's going on a trip without me!
OMGoodness, she's going on a trip without me and leaving the country!
Before I let it my emotions get the best of me I reminded myself that she'll be with her Grandparents and the crazy boat that is my mind, safely came back into harbor. The sanity rope that had all of my crazy thoughts was reeled back in and my mind was returned back to the room where Isabella was asking the passport lady if she had processed Grandma and Papa's passports too.
She is excited.
I'm excited for her.
It will be a fabulous trip for everyone.
And where it will take 4-6 weeks for the passport to come in the mail, Isabella will only be gone for 2.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
St. Patty's Day
Some St. Patty's Day fun!!!
The O'Butticci's.....
The kids with Grandma and Papa....
Nicholas the leprechan.....
Isabella the Leprechan....
Gabriella the Leprechan.....
Waiting on their green drinks....
Happy St. Patrick's Day......
The O'Butticci's.....
The kids with Grandma and Papa....
Nicholas the leprechan.....
Isabella the Leprechan....
Gabriella the Leprechan.....
Waiting on their green drinks....
Happy St. Patrick's Day......
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Day 12
I remember this day so vividly! I was going to document the fact that, in our family, my husband and all three children have blue eyes and I am the only one with green eyes.
After their baths, I started taking pictures of the girls. My middle child, Isabella aka Rubber Face (my dad calls her that), called my name and as I turned around, this is what she looked like! Great silly picture of her eyes :-)
I laugh each and every time I see this picture!!!
After their baths, I started taking pictures of the girls. My middle child, Isabella aka Rubber Face (my dad calls her that), called my name and as I turned around, this is what she looked like! Great silly picture of her eyes :-)
I laugh each and every time I see this picture!!!
Day 11
Now that the month of February is over, I guess the Joy of Love assignments are over. I, however, kept all of the e-mails and am going to continue the assignment since I had so much fun!
Day 11:
DREAMS
At the time of Feb 11, I fell behind because all three children got sick. Not all at the same time, mind you, but another child came down with the illness as soon as I got the other one better. Fever of 5 days, coughs, antibiotics, days home from school, etc. All I could dream of at that point was for everyone to be healthy again!
It took a few weeks but the kids got healthy and I regained some sanity :-)
Day 11:
DREAMS
At the time of Feb 11, I fell behind because all three children got sick. Not all at the same time, mind you, but another child came down with the illness as soon as I got the other one better. Fever of 5 days, coughs, antibiotics, days home from school, etc. All I could dream of at that point was for everyone to be healthy again!
It took a few weeks but the kids got healthy and I regained some sanity :-)
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