Wordless Wednesday....almost

Sometimes the best thing is to splash right through the puddles...and laugh!

1 Victory for the Potty!

Well tonight was a big night at the Fancy Nancy house...Little Miss Emma went pee in the potty! Yes you heard it here first...well after we called Daddy, Grammy, and Grammy to spread the news!

The other day she got into the bath and stood there and said, "Gotta go!" Well me not being in tune with the potty lingo I hesitated only to watch her go in the tub....Ugh so close! I thanked her for letting me know and while we were waiting for the HUGE tub to drain and fill up again, we practiced sitting on the potty. She had a huge smile across her face!! Well today we were proactive and sat on the potty before the bath...and BINGO! We jumped up and down and clapped and cheered like we had just won a marathon! She screamed "Yay Emma!" while I tearfully told her how proud I was.

It is bittersweet...it's the beginning of her going on to being a big girl and I'm not so certain I'm ready for that. I'm so sure she's not waiting for me though! If she's anything like I was she'll be teaching herself to do things years before she will learn them in school! She's says her ABCs and counts the stairs as she goes up...and she is just starting to look like a big girl! Those moments when things were hard and sleep was hard to come by I made a conscious effort not to say, "I can't wait until..." because I can wait. I can wait while I soak in each and every milestone and moment I can. I LOVE being a Mom and I just thank God for allowing me to be her Mom! Now if He could just freeze time a little so I can soak it in a little more!

Showing off her teeth...I mean how can you not smile!?

Quote Day!

Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve.

Mary Kay Ash, Founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc.

Get Your Groupon!

A quick post today since I am in RI visiting my family here with Em....missing the hubs of course! Tomorrow I am going out on a long run and am half hoping to avoid the Amica 19.7 triathlon happening here and half hoping I get caught up in it so I can use some of their adrenaline! The half in Harwich is next weekend so I need this one to be a good run so I feel like I still have my mojo...remember I have a goal to reach! Also there are three Biggest Loser former contestants doing the tri here tomorrow. One is a guy I used to be friends with in high school. Very cool!

Well today Groupon came through! The one for Providence had half price registration for all the races associated with the Amica marathon in October here in Newport! SCORE!!! I was toying with the idea of running it just for fun. I still have to talk with the hubs about doing it but it is nice to see Groupon making this deal for everyone! So it was $15 for the 5k, $30 for the half, and $50 for the marathon! What a bargain!!

Have a happy night....TGIF!!!

Three Things Thursday

I have decided to write about three things that I have figured out this week about my new life here...some good and some downright annoying!

1. People here drive SO. FRIGGIN. SLOW!!! I mean I have about a half hour to go pick up Em from daycare and it has never failed that I get stuck behind someone that has decided that it's ok to drive 45mph in the outside lane on the highway....45??? Here is a hint...MOVE OVER! It is something I don't understand but every time I tell someone about it that is from here they giggle and say, "You're not in the city anymore. You'll get used to it." I'm not sure I'll get used to this one!

2. Being crunched for time makes me faster. Today I was able to get in some speed work and hills because my mother-in-law offered to watch Em. It was so much faster than if I was pushing 30lbs extra! These past few runs have given me more confidence about my running which I hope will help me next weekend in my half...PR please!

3. Being organized will save a motherload of time in the morning! I have tried to get everything set to go before I go to bed at night. I am able to fit in a 20 minute workout, shower, and get Em ready in about an hour. It takes a little time at night but it is so worth it!

I hope you all enjoy your Thursday night....Grey's is back!!!

Time to Smell the Fall!

This evening I got some disturbing news about a childhood friend of mine. She had just celebrated her 5th wedding anniversary which is something I know from Facebook but also because the last time I saw her was at a bridal shower that we attended together 6 years ago. Over the summer I had come across a picture from kindergarten that we were both in...she was dressed as a pig and I was a flower.

Well she is now fighting for her life after a brain hemorrhage. Wow! Just like that her life and the life of all those who love her has changed forever. It really made me think about my post yesterday about stressing about fitting in miles and worrying about a few pounds that have made there way back onto my waist. I know it is so cliche but we are only blessed with a certain amount of time here and it is really how we spend it that counts. I have been saying this for years but I really need to streamline my life so that my actions reflect the desires of my heart. I want my life to show how much I love my family and the Lord. I know I need to make decisions to make each day full of life and not just full of stuff! The pounds will come and go (hopefully go more than come) and the miles will be run...but Em is only 1 for a few more months and the Fall is here for a short time so let's enjoy...run through the leaves...breathe in the air...and live!

Oh and I had an extra cookie today....just cuz!

SQUEEZE....Trying to Fit it All

Well I was off the internet for a bit because we just got it all set up in our new house this weekend. Although I was going a little batty with all the quiet of the house, I was able to get some reading done! It's amazing how much time I spent watching TV! However, Glee is back today so all bets are off!!

This week and last I have been pretty discouraging for running. I am putting up great times but I am having a lot of trouble fitting in the miles. I am currently down here by myself during the week so I have to bring Em with me on all my runs. Poor girl has been going through a lot of change and has been a little difficult sitting for long. Last week I got in 25 and I'm hoping to get in the same this week. I am just getting nervous for the half marathon next weekend and even more for weight loss. I had done such a great job this summer getting down to my "wedding weight" and I'm nervous to go back!

Any suggestions for how to fit it all in? Please busy moms....help!

I know that once my hubby joins me here it will be a little easier. I'll be able to join a gym and get in runs when he gets home at times but I don't want to waste these few weeks!

On a happy note, Em and I are having fun exploring our new home! We found a great library and two new parks, one of which is just over 2 miles away which means we can run there! She has adjusted great to her new home daycare which makes me SOOOOO happy! We are trying to get acclimated during the week and have fun family time on the weekends!

Well I'm off to watch the rest of Glee!

Three Things Thursday

Today I ventured out to follow the half marathon route for the race. I had my map in hand and was good to go. I was also choosing to ignore the giant rain clouds that were looming! This run led me to today's 3 things...

1. If you are going to plan on following a race map, you might want to make sure you can read the map and know roughly where the heck you are going. Picture this...lost girl on corner squinting at map who then has to ask the moms waiting for their kids at a bus stop where the heck she is!!! They helped and I was able to run at least half of the route. The other half I made up!

2. Those with vivid imaginations should NEVER NEVER NEVER run on rail trails. I turned my music off and paid very close attention to the woods. I was convinced someone was waiting there for me to abduct me! Needless to say I will not be doing that again alone. Harwich is a very quiet and safe town but my mind is just too crazy! This leads me to #3...

3. I run faster when I am A) scared and B) lost as all heck. I kept a good pace the whole time and averaged a 8:30 min pace...which leads me to the question of the day...

Is it a PR when it doesn't happen during a race?

Today I officially got the monkey off my back and broke my 2 hour goal!!! I was dancing around on the corner looking very silly...but hey they would dance too if they only knew! Good thing the superintendent walked out of her office a few minutes later or else she would be reconsidering her new hire who was doing the dance of joy outside the administration building! I leave you with the picture to prove it!

Day 1 down...180 to go!

Today was the first day of school with kids...however I was holed up in my office so I rarely saw any. I spent the second day in a row with my assistant trying to carve out a schedule so that I can spend the rest of my week at the middle and high school. It takes a lot of listening and digesting when you go to a new district, especially one so different. To explain things, I taught ELL (English Language Learners) students in a inner city school for 9 years. Because it was such a HUGE population of ELL students it was like a pretty well oiled machine. Now I am doing the same in a very quiet, affluent town where I am needing to invent the machine! There is a MUCH smaller number of kids just a lot of different thinking (to be politically correct). Once I get my schedule down I will be able to think!

Today was very frustrating for me and my poor, loving hubby caught the brunt of it! Sorry babe! I am in a new home, new people everywhere, no family here, and no clue where I am. I am trying to keep a positive outlook but today's day went long until 4:30 and I just felt so overwhelmed! I am desperately searching for a daycare for Emma so she can be here. My heart breaks not being able to be with her!

I was going to try to get in my long run this week today since we are hopefully moving most of my stuff this weekend but I was a mess after school. Tomorrow HAS to be the day! The good part is that I will get out early and my next half is in the same town. I am looking forward to running the route and seeing more of the town besides the schools! The only downfall is that Miss Jill will not be with me. Maybe I can pin her pic on my shirt!

I am thinking positively that tomorrow will be a GREAT day!!!

Wait...What? It's Labor Day?!

Let me begin by apologizing for the long absence. I have written many a posts in my mind but when I sat down to write nothing would come out. The fact of the matter is that I am so type-A that my picture should really be next to the phrase in some psych journal and August came in like a hurricane, Danielle or Earle take your pick, and left my life a whirlwind of disruption. It has been very hard this month to have so much out of control and up in the air....we're talking rocking myself in the corner hard...but I am going to continue to rest on the Lord and know that His plans are perfect even though they don't fit into the plan book that I have, color-coded and all!

In June my husband found out that a transfer that he put in for at work went through meaning that we had the opportunity to move to Cape Cod, something that would put us much closer to family...like down the street closer to some! The only issue was that I couldn't find a job and many school systems wouldn't even call me back. Then I threw up one more "hail Mary" pass to a town on Cape called Harwich and well two weeks ago they called me back. Now let me paint this picture for you...I went to the interview with the mindset of "There is no way in H-E-double hockey sticks that I am taking this job! It is only 2 weeks before the start of the school year, we have no where to live, and no one to watch Emma....oh and I have NO CLUE where I am most of the time!" I left the interview and one of the people literally ran after me to give me the job on the spot...salary I wanted...slam dunk of a job. The very next day we found a great house just 2 miles from my in laws and about 200ft from my Aunt and Uncle. And here I am typing away no longer a resident of the North Shore of Boston but a Cape Codder...something this Newport girl never thought she would say.

While my type-A self is screaming at the top of her lungs and needing a corner to rock in, the rest of me is surprisingly calm. I am amazed that among all of this I have managed to get in about 124 miles in August. This could be a reason why I am so calm. I just feel a peace though that this is where we have been called to go, we listened, and I just trust that blessings beyond what I know are going to follow.

I would be silly if I didn't acknowledge the fact that I am going to miss my North Shore friends like CRAZY!!! My two friends Carrie and Jill have been amazing and I couldn't have imagined my life without them! They have always been there to help no matter what I needed! I will miss them but promise to cut them at their knees if they don't come and visit! Jill has been such a blessing as my running buddy too! She is a major reason why my total is up to 124 miles this month and my blood pressure has remained low! I am not going to even attempt to find another Jill because she is going to be visiting often....or at least she better!!! I thank God for putting these two in my life!!!

So now that things are getting more settled, I promise to blog more....I really do! Here's to new chapters....new adventures....and new blessings!