Pinkalicious Inspired

Before I left to go home (old home) to California and right after our trip to Florida, I was hired by a great girl to do some fun things for her daughter’s 2nd birthday party.  Whew, talk about squeezing in some extra work. Let’s just say that my balancing act was riding on the thinnest line. But oh how cute it all turned out.

I made her custom cupcake toppers, a birthday banner, tutu, hair bows, and a door hanger.

She had the brilliant idea of doing a Pinkalicious Theme with it personalized for her daughter “E”. I loved that she knew exactly what she wanted and what she had in mind.  I can’t wait to see the photos of the actual party she made!

Thanks for the inspiration R, it was a fun project for me.

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Marathon

Marine Corps Marathon DC–2010

Yep, I signed up for it. And you know what? I am super excited and super motivated.  I signed up through Team in Training, otherwise known as TNT. I did an event with TNT 6 years ago. It was amazing. I did the Memphis in May Triathlon. I sucked at that Triathlon but I did it. I sucked so much that I was out to prove something to myself so I signed up for another one shortly after… the NYC Triathlon.

I shaved 45 minutes off of my time.

The point is that TNT motivated me.  It got me started.

And ever since then I have been wanting to do another event—a marathon. And now I am doing it!

Why did I wait so long?  Well, good question.  Right after my triathlons I got married and the second I got married I wanted to get pregnant.  I thought that while I was trying to conceive it wouldn’t be a good idea to excercise too rigourously…..so I didn’t. 3 years later–I had my Princess. And 14 months after that along came Firecracker.

6 years have now gone by without exercise. I could have done a ton of events but I didn’t.

I was too scared. Always had an excuse not to.

Sure I have been playing tennis since then and that helps but nothing beyond that.

So why now?  Well we are trying for baby # 3. And we are excited about that. But 6 months into it and nothing. And we are also fine with that. We are going to keep trying but something else also clicked in me. I received another TNT mailer. And I thought this is it. The time is now. The timing is right. The temperature is right. The kids are at the right age.  I would love nothing more than get pregnant with a third child. But I am also so very, whole-heartedly content with the 2 beautiful daughters we have in our lives.

I say it all the time. I would be happy either way with whatever God blesses us with.

BUT, I am not going to sit around and wait, and wait, and wait. I am going to follow through with things I want to do.

And a marathon is something I have always wanted to do.

But why a marathon?  I don’t have a good reason. Especially since I HATE to run. It’s just been on my bucket list. I have a long bucket list. I will share with you one day.  It’s something I want to do. Need to do.

I want to prove that I can do it. Or maybe I want to brag/blag about doing it. I don’t know.

Or maybe it’s because I feel yukky about myself and it’s the only way I will lose weight.  Like I still look pregnant. The bulky, bloated, middle belly fat. And no I am not being hard on myself. I am being realistic.

I see people’s eyes when they look at me.  They always seem to travel down and stare at the belly.

Some women get boob stares, I get belly stares.

‘Hmmm..is she pregnant? She kind of looks it but I don’t think she is?’

NO, I am not. I just have leftover belly fat. And thanks for not asking.

Poor posture, lack of fitness, PCOS, pre diabetes, the horrible soft drinks I consume for my energy. They all contribute to it.

So I am doing the marathon to lose it. To be healthier.

To look better, to feel better, to be a healthier mom for my girls and a healthier wife for my honey-do.

And no….a gym won’t cut it. You see I grew up playing sports. I exercised with a ball in hand. For fun.  I can’t stand working out at a gym.  And yes the marathon running will be boring but it will be more than that. It will be a challenge. A challenge to myself. To prove I can do it. BUT, I would never be able to do it alone. I am honest enough with myself to admit that.  I have to have another reason.That’s where TNT comes in. They GIVE you a reason.  And you can read about it here, here, and here. So many reasons. They also are a super organization. Highly motivated for their cause. They are extremely organized, work with you to train and get er’ done. They work with you to raise the money. They send out weekly emails. They inspire, they hound, they motivate.  It’s a beautiful thing.

You meet other amazing people trying for the same goals for their own reasons. And you make lasting friendships.

I still have a great connection with my original TNT mentor. He inspires me on a regular basis.  Thanks M.S. for that.

So why am I telling you all of this?

Because I need your support. I need help in raising the funds for these people.

For their families, for their friends, for the organization.

So go and help. Please.

My Fundraising Site–click to enter.

I promise to keep you all updated. I promise to share in pictures, in words, in my grumpiness, and my happiness.

And hopefully in return it will inspire someone else.

(ps–our Saturday run group met at Liberty State Park. Yes, I am dorky enough to take pictures of myself. At least I can admit it.)

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Adventures in Gardening: Week 5 & Challenges

We are still in full swing of participating in our 2 challenges.

For my Virgin Harvest Challenge…..I am a little bummed that my attempt at starting seeds indoors went down in flames but I am still optimistic about all of my outdoor seed starts. They are thriving!

I plan on starting some more seeds indoors just for experiment since the length of time in our growing season is so short. But I figure the practice will be good for next year’s starts. I think the main issue I had was the fiber pots. I think it was impossible to keep them moist enough and I was constantly worrying about overwatering my little seedlings.  I used a good quality seed start mix and also used heat mats for germination.  Any suggestions?  My next attempt will be in the recycled pots from all of my transplants. I was trying to avoid transplanting but if I want some  summer veggies on the table, I have to go for it.

The good news is that we planted 2 fruit trees which was also a part of my Virgin Harvest Goal!

One peach tree and one apple tree. Hopefully we will see some harvest from these at the end of the growing season.

The girls are continuing in their garden challenge.

Inadvertent Farmer

They have been busy planting in their personal containers and of course watering is always the best part.

I love how big sister is helping out her little sister!

I have even let them help me out in my bed…..radishes, beans, and okra!

It’s been so much fun for me in sharing this with them.  I think they might be having some fun too!

This weekend we are expanding the garden and adding our chicken coop!

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weekend getaway

We are currently enjoying some fun in the sun in Orlando. Here is a look a back at some fun we had last month!

Honey-Do had a big milestone in April. I decided to surprise him with a weekend getaway! In the end I wasn’t able to surprise him with the fact that we were actually going away to do something, but I did manage to keep the destination and the itinerary under wraps. He hates surprises but I think he was pretty happy as the trip unfolded.

We headed to New Paltz, NY. Our first stop was straight to our B & B. I fell in love the second I turned on to the B & B’s road. It was gorgeous with ponds in both the front and backyards, green grass all around, and mountains towering in the North. Exactly our kind of place. Not to mention that it was new, updated, clean, and the Innkeepers were so welcoming!

For the first night we had dinner reservations at the Culinary Institute of America in New Hyde. I really wanted to taste their very casual–farm to table, student run restaurant. It wasn’t the best meal we have had but the experience was so worth it.

The next morning we slept in, actually we didn’t but it was nice not to have to rush out bed.  We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at the Inn and then we headed out for a bike ride across the Hudson River.

The long bike ride was something we hadn’t done since before the babies came along. It was really nice. Nice to be together doing some of the old things we loved.  We look forward to getting the girls out on these bike rides with us.

After our bike ride we hit the 80 mile Shawagunk Wine Trail: Pasta Primo Vino Tour. Although we didn’t make it to all of the wineries, we enjoyed most of them. The country side was beautiful. It was our first ever wine tasting tour.  The wine was refreshing and the pasta yummy but the best part was enjoying the views from the mountainsides.

This was our kind of trip. The kind of things we enjoy doing. We missed our girls so much but it was so nice to get away. As a couple. Relaxing, talking, just enjoying the moment.  Happy birthday Honey-Do. I love you and look forward to many more.

ps—I am a little late with some of my posts but I hope you will still enjoy them. My excuse–life in the fastlane of toddlers. 🙂

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