Yay Kara!

Seriously though...could she be any cuter?!

I promise that I am not dead...although some days I felt that I was going to die...I have been super busy finishing up school but I am proud to say that I finished!!! Here is the picture to prove it!gotta love all the fancy stuff...two cords, a hood, a shawl, and a funny velvet hat!

This weekend I have my second half marathon in the three race series. I didn't know if I would be ready for this one since I decided to do it just 4 weeks ago! With all that I needed to do to finish up my CAGS I didn't know if mentally I could put that pressure on myself. Fortunately My buddy Jill and I have kept up with our long runs so it wasn't bad. I just had to add in some speed work. I am still hoping for my sub-two hour record but I know that I have to be realistic. My goal has been lately is to fall in love with running again. It has been my obsession for a while as an effort to distract from other stressers. Now it is time to find the joy again...

Does this ever happen to anyone else?

What else have I been doing besides blogging....hanging with this girly...I just love being her mommy!

My Mom....my hero!

Don't you just want to squeeze her? I promise to post more about me and running tomorrow but tonight I want to tell you about how blessed I am to call this woman Mom! I know I have spoken about my Mom before...probably last Mother's Day but I could talk about her every day and still be amazed by her! She is 100% for her family and it shows! She knows just what to say and do to make me feel like I am supported no matter what I do! I get my daily pep talk from her every morning on my way to school! I can't imagine starting my day any differently! My Mom is my biggest cheerleader and a source of guidance that I could not live without!

But her efforts don't just sit with my sister and I...to know my Mom is to love her. She brings everyone into "the fold" every day! She practically grabs people off the street every Thanksgiving because she wants to make sure that everyone has a place to go...even the lady who no one can stand! She always put a note in my lunch box for school to encourage me and in high school she used to include ones for my friends too! She has shown me how to love people the way that we all should...with an open mind and heart! Life has not always been a walk in the park for my Mom but you would be hard pressed to hear her complain...ever!

She lives for her family and pours out love every day! I could go on and on forever about just how amazing my Mom is...at the end of the day she is my friend, my Mom, and my hero! Emma and her cousins are blessed to have her for a grandmother and we are all blessed to have her in our lives! I pray each day that I can be as good as a mom as she has been to me!

I love you Mom!!! Happy Mother's Day!

1 more day......

It's this time of year that I really feel for you non-teachers because it is just one more day until VACATION!!!! I am not going anywhere tropical or even all that warm but considering I spent my last vacation doing this:
anything is better! Actually I am going to be heading down to visit my family with Emma for most of the week so as expected I am super psyched. I have my last meeting for my research tomorrow so the laptop will be staying home this trip! Just a lot of playing, visiting, and running! 1 more day!!!!! Yahoo!

Bikini Challenge Week 1

Ok so 1/2 a pound....ugh! I will say that I haven't been as good as I should but I guess it is frustrating how good I actually need to be! So I had myself a cookie when I got home and tomorrow is a new day!

I still have a TON of work to do this week since my last meeting for my CAGS research is on Friday but then it is a sprint to the finish....that's right GRADUATION!!!! Booya! It has been a journey filled with ups and downs but that is a post for another day!

Just a few more days until Marathon Monday...gotta love living in Boston...it's so exciting!

Bikini Body Challenge

Ok so today was the official weigh-in for the contest at the gym....I don't even want to go there with regards to what I ate today. Let's just say my body will be happy to get back on track!

I have to be honest and say I am mortified to reveal my weight on here but.....honesty is the best policy! I am going to post some before pictures tomorrow since the hubs is out on a call tonight. My weight it 145.4....ugh but I am going to celebrate the fact that that number is lower than before I got pregnant and also 60lbs lower than when I had her....yeah do the math I was ginormous! The contest is 8 weeks long and I hope to come close to losing 10lbs...don't worry Mom I'll be safe! I lost 5lbs just by cutting the sugar through Lent so it can be done!

Tomorrow starts the fun so jelly beans for dinner!!!!

Blogging Funk

I have been trying to figure out what is going on with me lately and why I haven't been keeping up with my dear blog! Let the record show that I write a blog posts in my mind daily but they never make it here! I have come to the conclusion that it is probably due to the fact that I am finishing up my CAGS degree and in turn writing SOOOO many papers. A few weekends ago I locked myself in my parent's B&B and worked on projects for 2 days straight! It is coming to an end and in May I will be walking across the stage but I need to take the baby steps to get there! I have also made a difficult decision to not continue just now to a doctoral program. I have had a lot of personal stuff going on and I think that I just need to devote my time and energy to other places, like dating my hubby! Plus little Miss Emma is getting bigger by the second!

On a more positive note the weather here has been awesome lately and so Em and I have been out and about every day after school! I am kicking myself for not getting my jogging stroller fixed earlier...New England weather can change on a dime and a New Englander must always be ready! This weekend Em and I went down to my parent's house in RI. She had so much fun running around their yard and chasing her cousins everywhere squealing with excitement! Then my hubby met us down there for some Easter fun and egg hunt! Plus Easter was the end of my fast from sugar and boy did I overdo it! Can we say BELLY ACHE!!!!

I went for a run while I was there too which is probably one of my favorite things to do there! I absolutely love running there! I went on a slightly different route but failed to take into account all the rain that they got last week...oops! What was intended to be a 6 mile run turned into a 10 mile run! I was really having a great time though and I knew that Em was having fun with her cousins so it was easy to be away! It was a great weekend and it was definitely hard to go back to work!

Tomorrow starts another contest at the gym. You all know how I love me a contest so it is on like Donkey Kong!!! Back to no sugar and even more!!!! I will make sure I keep track of all of this and include my weekly stats! The prize is a $100 gift cert to Nordstrom! Di buys your bathing suit!!!! Bring it!!!

Race Report (Long version)....long overdue!

I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to post about the race or anything else for that matter! I have been so busy lately that the only way I can really describe it is that I feel like my life is swallowing me whole! The end of March is promising free time and time to relax and get back to the things I love!

So here is the down and dirty on the half-marathon. This picture was taken at the expo...there a wicked cute one we took at the starting line but Emma must have deleated it...she loves to look at the pictures on my phone.
We got to Hyannis in plenty of time and I even got to buy a new hat that I have been stalking...I mean checking out online forever. It is from Bondiband and I have to say that I LOVE it! You should check it out! It is a warm wicking hat that has a hole for your pony tail. Key for someone who has crazy thick hair like me! I have borrowed a bunch of my friend's clothes including this white jacket in hopes that it would make me as fast as her...above all else at least I would look fast! The expo was just a few stands but some fun stuff. The only drawback was that there were so many people and definitely not enough room to walk. There was a marathon, half-marathon, marathon relay, and 10K. Lots of people!

The weather was great running weather here in New England...mid 30s and slightly overcast. I'll take it considering it was slated to rain/snow. We headed to the starting line and got ourselves in our pacing area. BIG MISTAKE! After being set and ready for about 15 minutes in our place the rest of the runners began to line up making things....well lets just say I'm very thankful not to be claustrophobic because if I was then having a giant man practically on top of me would have sent me over the edge. Then they decided to line up the elite runners literally pushing everyone back...several times! This made for not only a dangerous atmosphere but a sketchy start since many people were tripping.

Mile 1-2 Jill and I kept a 9:30 pace. Jill had a plan to start slow so that we would have more for the end which has always been my problem.
Mile 3....I just couldn't do it...I kept hearing that phrase from Top Gun, " I have a need for speed!" I started picking up my pace...I just can't hold back for some reason! I need a leash!
Miles 3-11...I am feeling like a million bucks! I've got my music pumping...taking in the scenery of beaches and huge houses...life is great but I'm not positive where I am exactly because the mile markers are for the marathon course and not the half...annoying not to really know my pace but am thinking I could finish in about 1 hour 55 minutes if I can keep it up. Starting to think about picking up the pace when I hit mile 12 to really make sure I reach my goal. Visualizing like you all told me crossing the line and throwing up my arms in victory.
Mile 11.5....holy hell who put that brick wall smack dab in front of me? My legs went weak...vision went blurry...stomach ready to empty! I decided to slow down reluctantly and walk for a second to let it pass. My friend Jill caught up with me and just seeing her I almost cried. Why is this happening? I was feeling awesome!
Miles 12-13...If I make it under 2 hours 30 minutes I will be happy...crushed...
Mile 13-13.1...I see the finish line ahead and see 5 women that I must pass...sprint ahead and beat them but burst into tears when I see my time...2 hours 3 minutes...No goal today. By the way the finish line pictures are interesting...definitely not going to purchase those babies!

I know I will have another chance but I really had a good feeling about this one! It was a great course and nice race but it just wasn't in the cards for me. I have about 7 more pounds to go and maybe that too will make me faster. That would equal my wedding weight. Considering my stress level lately and lack of sleep I am not surprised I didn't have enough in the tank but UGH...I was visualizing and I looked great crossing that finish line in under 2 hours!

Sorry for being such a loser blogger...will work on that!