Justin and Kristin

The Chilly Half

After our last half marathon Justin has been on a mission - Beat his last half marathon time (I teased him that really he just wanted to beat MY last half marathon time, but he adamantly denies that). 

He trained pretty hard for this and went out and did amazing! The weather was great for him and the girls and I had a crazy fun time chasing him from spot to spot to cheer him on!

 

Though a lot of the autumn leaves had fallen it was still a beautiful course through Newton, MA.

 

He was going so fast I nearly missed him at a few points. And unfortunetly my running gloves became a casualty of war in the hustle and bustle of getting three kids in and out of the van.

 

Apparently there was a stretch of some serious hills on this run (I should really just make Justin write about his experience himself - ah well). This is just after the last of it aorund mile 8 or 9. He's still looking good, though he said at this point he was starting to really fatigue.

 

And then he came SPRINTING into the finish line! He said he was bound and determined to pass some dude he'd been following the entire race!

And he did it! He beat his last half marathon time...and *gulp* mine as well.

I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Way to go  on a new PR Justin!!

 

On a side note: I was a bit worried that I would get out there watching him race and wish I were doing the race as well. But nah, I was good. I guess it was a true sign that the "break" I'm taking from serious running/training/racing is much needed (and now my family and close friends can start laughing as they know what milage a "break" looks like for me still! But hey it's still a mental break of sorts right?!)

Thankful for...

So many people have been doing this whole daily thankful thing this month. I knew that would only be setting me up for failure. There's no way I would have been able to post daily with all that has been going on this month. But don't worry, I've still been thinking about what I'm thankful for! Attitude of gratitude and all that...

Last week I was at a Thanksgiving themed church activity.  They took a moment to let individuals share what they are grateful for. As I listened, I agreed with many of the things that people shared and am also grateful for all those things - you know. The "normal" things - family, health, the savior, freedom, Nutella (particularly agree with that one! :) ) but as I sat there I contemplated a bit more, and asked myself deep down, what am I the most grateful for at this moment based on the past year that I've experienced?

I realized that I am most grateful that I know who I am. Truly who I am.

I am who I am no matter what happens to me, no matter what experience or person may let me down, no matter if health or even life fails me in some way. I'm ok through it all because I know who I am. I am not someone that is dependent on fleeting self-esteem, or outside sources to make me feel good about myself or worthwhile. No matter what comes my way I always have myself and who I am. I am grateful that this knowledge grounds me, sustains me, and brings peace to my life.  I know too many people that don't know who they truly are; who allow anything and everything outside of themselves and their control to decide how they feel about themselves. That can be a sad, confusing, chaotic and lonely place.

I'm so grateful for the teachings and experiences that have helped me to develop, recognize, and embrace who I am: A passionate, powerful, and loving woman. A child of God. A wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend.

I have worth, infinite and unchanging. Knowing this is what I am most grateful for in my life.

 May you know who you are and love who are! Happy Thanksgiving!

A Week of Wendy

What does it mean to have a week of Wendy?

For my kids it means fun and silliness and a great play companion, WAY more cool than their dumb ol' mom!

For me it means constant adult interaction, a great excuse to get out of the house, and being able to spend time with the one person besides my husband who completely "gets" me.

For Wendy it means getting to experience the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of New England in the fall. 

Here's just some of the fun things we did:

 

Walden Pond

where the girls spent most of their time throwing rocks into the water.

 

Harvard:

 

Regina Pizzeria for the best pizza ever!

 

The Freedom Trail

which ended with delicious Boston Cream Fried Dough one day, and a canoli the next!

 

Wellesley College

 

Then Wendy and I took a girls get-away weekend to NYC.

We got to see my brother, Nick.

 

Hang out in The Big City

 

See Wicked on Broadway

 

 

And some crazy weird, unexplainable show called Fuerza Bruta, which can only be compared to a strange dream.

Oh and did I mention that not only does a see-through stage hang above you filled with water and dancers, but it POURS rain on the audience at the end? (Sorry spoiler alert!)

We were DRENCHED!!! So much fun! So wildly unique!

 

 

We had delicious food the entire weekend with Nick

 

Central Park

and happened upon the NYC marathon.

What surprised me most was that my brother could NOT tear himself away from it. He just HAD to keep watching - at the sacrifice of our chocolate shake - which I was totally ok with! It was fun to see someone in my family "get it" with the whole marathon thing!

 

Then back in Boston we got to enjoy the North End and the South End of downtown Boston

and a fabulous picnic and afternoon at the Boston Public Garden

Justin even got to join us for a bit during the day. I wish he could have joined us for even more of the fun!

 

What a great visit. It was fun to have Wendy in town. We missed her when she left and hope it's not too long before she can visit again.

 It's wonderful to have friends where you both feel that you can totally be yourself with each other;  silly, mellow, talkative, vulnerable, and everything in between. No judgment, no awkwardness; nothing but just pure friendship. What a refreshing feeling! 

Thanks Wendy for being just that kind of friend!

We LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!!

Halloween - The Best Holiday Ever

The Nor Easter storm got in the way of a few Halloween festivites this year. First off, they canceled the ward trunk-or-treat activity - Bahumbug!! If it were up to me I would have still had it, at least put us in the church. Come on! The snow didn't really start falling until the event would have been over anyway. But hey, I'm willing to go to much greater lengths, than most, for the sake of the best holiday ever!

We were going to be ghosts. That was the plan. All the way up to my trip to JoAnns for fabric, a week before Halloween. Walking into the store Sage decided to throw a fit and DEMAND that she be able to dress up like a witch. I thought Cadecne would have my back with the ghost thing, but alas I was betrayed! I succomb to the pressure, but only beacuse it could have been worse. She could have been demanding to be a princess - which we all know I would have NEVER given in to! :) 

So witches it was!

The storm and cold weather also got in the way of me taking some "official" photo documentation of our Halloween costumes this year. Ah shucks. We did layer up our clothes and go trick-or-treating and I snagged some in the dark while we were out at least.

The girls once again LOVED trick-or-treating! Who can blame them though right? We started the night with some friends,

and then ended up back at our neighborhood just to top us off! If it weren't for the cold I may have let them go all night! :) 

Sage said her favorite thing about Halloween was going trick-or-treating to new houses.

Cadence said her favorite thing was making pumpkins.

 

Nouvelle doesn't look happy in this picture, but it was just cause we were forcing her to wear this hat. Trust me. She was so into this it was ridiculous! I couldn't believe how she caught on to the whole run up to a door, knock, say "trick-or-treat" and getting candy thing! Maybe having two older examples helped, but I'm just going to tell myself it's because she is as into the greatest holiday as I am! :)

A Devil of a Chase

or more accurately The Devil's Chase 6.66

Two years ago we ran this race while I was pregnant with Nouvelle and we had a blast! We thought we would have a redo where she could fully enjoy the sights and sounds of this race. We figured this would be one of the last races that we could run with the girls in the jogging strollers since Sage is outgrowing ours! 

So following along with tradition we all got dressed up as devils and braved the 30 degree weather.

I have to say I was completely excited to have a race to run solely for enjoyment. And I did. I completely enjoyed every single second of this race. I think I smiled the entire time.

The only complaint I had was that we had to start in the VERY back (because of our strollers - which weren't "technically" allowed). It was rough getting through all the crowds of runners. The first year we ran it there were only something like 500 runners. This year there were over 1200! And boy do some of those people run a 10k slow! But none-the-less, it made for an adventurous run and girls loved the crazy dodging in and out of people, up on side walks, 4-wheeling onto the grass, the "competitive" banter between me and Justin, all the amazing devil costumes as well as a few random others.

I enjoyed the sights and scenery of Salem in the Fall, the quaint town, the cheering crowds out in front of their homes (watching the "crazy" runners make their way through the small streets in the freezing cold), running "just for fun", being with Justin and our girls, and cinnamon doughnuts waiting at the finish! I think this is one of my favorite races venues ever. I love the course, I love the sights, and the enthusiasm and vibe of this race.

I'm totally up for it again next year. I wonder if Sage could run it with me instead of pushing her the entire way!? Ok maybe not for a few more years.