If I can't convince you - - I'll at least confuse you.

"Mother" - Ashanti

2012-02-06T09:34:00.001-08:00

one day late

and

4.4 million dollars short.

Happy. [70th] Birthday. To. MY. Mom.

Mom.
Nana.
Nurse.
Psychologist.
Chef.

f r i e n d.

Here are only a few of the reasons I freaking adore you Mom.

* I love that you check on me. Every day.
* I love this photo - one of my 5 favorites.

[love that you are relaxing with me & I really would like that wood paneling.]
* I love that you were there when Peanut was born.
* I love that you and Madeline were friends - because it gave me my first best friend at birth.

[but honestly, what did you feed me? I'm a freaking giant]
* I love that you are funny.
* I love that you always encourage me.

* supportive - like in everything. I know you'll hate this photo because you've lost some mad poundage since then but . . . . I love that you drove to Tucson to see my legs cramp up . . .

[note, Dad's awesome sunglasses]

* I love that just you and I Farmer Fanny, went to Puerto Vallarta

* I love this stealth looking photo of you.

[ya, my time has expired, I dare you to give me a ticket.]
* I love the relationship you have with Peanut.
* I love how many photos I have of you and her together.

* I love that you were an amazing [are still are an amazing] cook.

[love the top of the head kiss]
* I love what an awesome grandma you are . . . I mean seriously . . what other grandma does this . . ? . . .

* I love this photo of you and I [yes, I even love my smile lines]. But we should probably work on NON-race day photos of you and I together.

* I'm thankful that after this happy photo - they didn't get the "after" photo where I shoved it in your face and you got ummmmm, not so happy at me.

* Thank you for doing 90% of what it took to make the 24 hour run a HUGE success. *DISCLAIMER - I HATE and LOVE this photo*

Hate: because seriously, I look beyond horrible.
Love: because I remember exactly what I had said to you and Shar 20 seconds earlier.

* Thank you for the hot breakfast every school day. Yes, EVERY.
* Thank you for taking me to aerobics with you. For without you I'd have never known canned green beans and beets ever could have been used as weights.
* Thank you for traveling with me for Junior Olympic [Austin, Vegas, Tampa . . ]
* Thank you for letting me hold your hand when nothing else would ever / could ever take it's place.
* Thank you for having my back - when sometimes - others didn't.
* Thank you for having another child. I know the story well. I'm super glad "emily" came. [my brother and sisters???? well, I know they are learning to love me.] ;)

Happy 70th to you MY Mom.
I adore you.

With all the freaking love I've got,
Emz

"220" - t.A.T.u. [and winner, winner, winner]

2012-02-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

So it's WAD.

Wacky Ankle Distress?
Worry And Die?
Wonky Achilles Disco?
Weird Ache Damage?
Want A Drink?

Nooooooooooooooo...........

winner
announcement
day

So here's the math [I suck at math so feel free to check it].

7 outdoor marathons:

Phoenix
Surprise
Glendale
Boston
Seattle
Pocatello
Vegas

= 183.4

Plus the 10k with Peanut

= 189.6

Plus my 9 mile run where...it sucked & I almost died. [ok, ok, I didn't]

= 198.6

Plus 3 miles run with Peanut at run club

= 201.6

Plus three separate 5 mile hill runs

= 216.6

Plus four miles, one random day in November, when I had lost my brain.

= 220.6

So out of 3,204.44 miles in 2011 . . . .

220.6 were run outside.

Which makes the winner . . .

Holy. crap.

two people said 227. Which was the closest answer.

So I went down the the time the answers were submitted . . .

And

Jenna Z -- ding ding ding YOU win!!

Dancing runner - - please also send me your address and I've got a few pretty sweet things to send you too!

please email me at runemzrun [at] gmail [dot] com

Now for my Friday question . . . .

** How many miles to you run to warrant putting on your compression socks? **

"Emily" - Elton John

2012-02-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

So I was tagged again to do 11 [super] random fact about me by Emily.
Emily of Unicorns On Roller Skates .

If you don't follow her . . . you must.

And while your at it . . . follow her on twitter . . . she's a freaking riot!
[totally stole this photo without permission]
Her questions for me:

1. Why do you run?
Hmmmm. Pretty sure I'd be mentally unstable, if I didn't. Yes, this IS stable.

2. What is your favorite childhood memory? Why?
Birthday dinners.
The menu, the song, the cake shoving . . . bliss.
3. If you could be anything other than your current profession, what would you be and why?
Truly. Wouldn't change a thing. Kinda feel like I'm "living the dream".

4. Favorite City you have run in or raced.
Whangaparaoa. New Zealand.

5. Favorite late night snack
Healthy - blueberries
Not - In -N- Out.

6. Describe yourself best in 3 words
Driven. Sensitive. Loyal.
or
Holy.freaking.nuts.

7. What is your drink of choice? Alcoholic or Non?(drink that is)
Workout drink - Pickle juice
All other times - Muscle milk
unless I need a Rockstar, Monster or diet coke.

8. What kind of vitamins do you take? Why? Certain brand?
Crap what DON'T I take?
I produce the worlds most expensive pee.
Let's see: Multi vit, vit D, calcium, Glucosa-whatever, vit C, hair and nail blend from Hi-health, Flax seed oil & fish oil.

9. How do you sleep? On your back, side, pillow btw the legs...
Side sleeper. Three pillows. two under head. one between legs.

10. Your first pets name and your moms maiden name?
Pretty sure these are my credit card security questions --- so I'll lie and say..
Dog "roscopecotrain"
and Maiden name: "Hickey"

11. Favorite Book. How many times have your read it?
"The Happiness Project". Ummmmm. Still working on it, but I swear it's my favorite.

Thanks Em!

** Also, if you haven't yet . . . . click here to enter my pretty freaking awesome give-a-way! **

"Treadmill" - Last Tuesday [ GIVEAWAY ]

2012-01-31T09:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's a real song. On my marathon playlist, of course. Love it.

You all know how much I love my treadmill.

Wait, I'll rephrase . . . . .

You all know how much I love running on treadmills. Especially, those Woodway ones. {jess, I'm super jealous}.

I. Freaking. Love. Treadmill. Running.

So when running on one for 24 hours . . . . became an option - - - you know I just had to do it.

It just works for me. Clicks with me. I'm not changing.
Treadmill runner for life . . . . without a freaking question.

Which brings me to my giveaway . . . .

Guess the number of my 2011 miles that were run . . . . .
. . .
. . .

o u t s i d e !

So out of 3,204.44 . . . How many of those we logged outside [not on a treadmill]?

The person who is the closest will receive:

* A box of Gotein [you pick the flavor-Chocolate, vanilla or strawberry]
* The awesome 6 week 6 pack DVD - a la Jillian
* A $5 Starbucks Gift Card
* 6 GenUCan pre-workout drinks [3] Cran/Raspberry & [3] Pom/Blueberry
* A white Brooks Running cap

and

no Emz contest prize pack would be complete without . . . .
* A "Run Emz" shirt - - - [C'mon!! Everyone needs an extra rag around the house right!? ;]

So what's your guess? . . . .

Oh, and if you follow me on twitter @runemz AND you tweet about this giveaway . . . you get one extra guess.

Woooo hoooo!

Winner announced Friday!

Happy. Freaking. Tuesday!

"Space Age Love Song" - A Flock Of Seagulls

2012-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm so loving today.

You know, one of those days where you take a step back and it hits you . . .

I'm one freaking lucky girl. And I've had a huge smile on my face all day.

A few things I'm loving. . . .

* Hearing two 11 1/2 year old girls playing "slow motion death fight" in the family room.

* That my house is finally coming together . . .as we make offers on other houses. I love it, truly.

* This photo I found of me cracking my Dad's back.

* I love that Peanut's principle next year is my old P.E. [and early morning run club teacher] from when I was 11.

[photo of my brother and I .... pre his [run club teacher's] "get going" honk]

* I love that my Peanut is hugely emotional these days. She is saying some super awesome things I hope to use during her "roast" when she gets married.

* I love that I can't stop listening to "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera. what? shuddup.

* I love realizing that I am my best coach.

* I love this . . . .

[seriously, Dawn, why aren't we?]

* I love that this run this morning

went beyond awesomely.

* I love that I found a pair of True Religion jeans for $18 today. In my size.

* Having a quick bite with an old friend [who has gynormous boobs] and telling the big eyed guys that walked by . . . . "take a good hard look, they have no power over you, I swear."

* I loved going to parent / teacher conference and having the teacher start off by saying, "Your daughter is an absolute pleasure to have in class, not to mention, the least dramatic girl in class." ..... [not sure how that non-dramatic part happened if she's got my genes. ;] ]

* I love planning my menu for Super Bowl Sunday.

[soooooooo making these.]

* Loved making a Double Chocolate Bunt cake this morning pretty much just so I could act like I was Paula Deen while making it.

Happy. Thursday. My. Friends.

"My Father's Eyes" - Eric Clapton

2012-01-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

To MY Dad,

I freaking love you.

I love that it's YOUR birthday today . . . because it makes me think on all the awesome events, times & memories we've shared together.

Most of all, I am grateful.

I'm grateful . . . . .

That you expected a lot of me.
That we'd meet - just you and I - in that horrible room with the shag carpet to go over how I was doing [school, life, sports, etc]
For the example you are to Peanut.
For the example you are to us solely by your actions.
That you taught me about money at an early age. "Emily, you either make interest or pay it."
That I still want to talk to you before a big purchase.
That you taught me so many sports.
That you expected just as much from me during sports as my brother.
That we took walks together at night.
That you call me randomly just to see how I am.

That you call me "sweetie".
That you hug me every time I see you.
That you got to see me be born.
That you taught me how a man should treat a woman by the way to treated / treat Mom.
That you are slow to anger. [but seriously, what went wrong here with me?! ;) ]
That you danced for my friends when I begged you to.
That you didn't hate me when I decided I was "done" with volleyball at just the wrong time.
That you made me work hard on Saturday's. chores. chores. chores.
For the love you show me and my family.
For the prayers, I'm sure, you sent up daily on my behalf.
For being at all my volleyball games. Yelling your heart out.
For being at my races. In "run emz" attire.
That you don't get mad when I poke fun at your ~~sweet~~ sunglasses. ;)

For being there 23.25 hours of my 24 hour run.

For always telling me, "Em, don't be so critical" when my attitude was crap.
For being athletic.
For always putting your family first. ALWAYS.

For teaching me how to NOT throw like a girl.
For teaching me how to drive.
For buying that Nissan 300Z.
For the way you eat a cob of corn. just amazing.
For always saying "good earth".
For always loving my cooking.

But mostly . . .

For being twinkle toes, Gordy, Papa & MY Dad.
I. freaking. love. you.

"In Fact" - They Might Be Giants

2012-01-23T12:45:00.000-08:00

So Jen at Miles, Muscles & Mommyhood AND Jason at Cook Train Eat Race both tagged me for a "random things about me" post.

Love it.

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

Here we go . . . . . . .

uno: I cannot live without my C.O. Bigelow lip crap.
dos: I enjoy yard work. Love mowing the lawn & pulling weeds.
tres: I drive fast. Way too fast. But only when I'm alone.
quatro: I hate raisins & papaya.

cinco: I love making lists. Lists of things I need, things I want to do, things I have to do, things I didn't do.
seis: I crave Arby's & Taco Bell when I am sick.
siete: I have a terrible sense of direction. Like freaking terrible.
ocho: I'm sensitive. ok, I'm beyond sensitive. My feeling get hurt ~~rather~~ quickly. And I am a crier.
nueve: I'm a hugger.
diez: 9 out of 10 scented candles make me want to hurl. Sooo, I stick with lavender.
once: I have to chew gum when I workout. Have. to.

Questions to those who are tagged:

You are stranded on a deserted island. Tell me

1. What are the 5 foods you would pick to have with you? Blueberries, Pickles [duh], almonds, a whole freaking cow & sushi

2. What 2 things would you pick to drink? Muscle milk shakes & RockStars.

3. What book would you want to have? "The Happiness Project"

4. You are visited by ONE person for 24 hours only, who is it?

Eve. {yep, Adam's girl}

5. You can have ONE skill that you do not currently posses? What is it?

Singing.

You just won 5 million dollars! Tell me

1. What is the first thing you do? Change my name.

2. What is the first thing you buy? First thing. . . my 2012 7 Series BMW I currently have on a very long hold.

3. Who is the first person you share your winnings with? Mr. Pita.....marriage schmarriage. ;] Then our parents.

4. Would you relocate? Where? Relocate . . . no. Buy a second home is New Zealand . . . YES

5. Would you donate to charity? Youbetcha.

6. You must buy me a gift, what do you get me?? s h o e s !!

My Questions:

1. Do you love or hate the treadmill and why?
2. Describe yourself in three words.
3. Describe your best friend.
4. Text or call?
5. Favorite place to eat?
6. Where did you first see your wife/husband/significant other?
7. Do you buy lottery tickets?
8. The first thing you do in the morning.
9. Favorite recovery drink.
10. If you could have any car in the world, which would you buy?
11. What do you collect?

NOW . . .
I am tagging these awesome people.

1. Fruit Fly
2. Jess Blonde Ponytail
3. Laurie
4. Jill Run with Jill
5. TMB Racing with Babes
6. The very MCM mama herself.
7. CautiouslyAudacious
8. Blue Balls Matty-O what? His blog says so.
9. Jen Fat to Finish Line
10. Carrie Family Fitness Food
11. Fancy Nancy Living the dream

"Things I Love" - Like A Real Boy

2012-01-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

Listening to Peanut's Dreams [in full detail - never a short dream from this kid]
When someone gets my humor.
Walking into a heated building after being outside for 44 seconds.
Being lifted off the ground during a hug.
Taking a long freaking hot shower after a long freaking run.
Clean [lavender smelling] sheets.
Ambien - minus the texts I don't remember sending after taking it.
When the Pita lays on my side of the bed for a few minutes . . . so my side will be warm.
Having cereal [food] fights.
Letters. Like real ones, with envelopes & a stamp.
When the Pita calls me on accident and starts rattling off a stock trade before I say hello.
A ~~An outdoor~~ run with an old friend.
My "job" as a Mom.
My other job that brings in money.
Hugs.
Seeing Peanut play volleyball. Loved. Volleyball.

My iPhone. Sorry, I do. Especially, the texting and camera parts.
Laughing.....like ab workout kind of laughing.
Holding a sleeping baby.
Being kissed on the top of my head.
Folding hot [clean] laundry. [ya, I stay freaking away from that hot, dirty stuff]
Andddddddddddddddddddddddddd . . . .

that MY girl will be home tonight.
Holy. crap. I. have. missed. her.

Happy. Freaking. Friday!

What are you loving today?

"Words" - Train

2012-01-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

["freaking" wordy Wednesday] . . . .

So freaking stupid . .

So freaking sad. . .

so freaking missing her . . .

Freaking fun marathon . . .

This kid is going to be a freaking runner . . .

They freaking rock . . .

Today's freaking run . . .

Sooooooo...this stuff is freaking necessary . . .

Happy. Freaking. Wednesday.

"One Hundred Resolutions" - Sundowner

2012-01-12T13:50:00.000-08:00

Each January, I find myself saying the same thing . . .

This year I will:

* Not do laundry every day

* Stop worrying if I have random unattached hairs on the back of my shirt

* Have Peanut make her own lunch

* Stop checking my email at every red light

* Learn photoshop

* ~~Run outside once a week~~

* Learn all my account numbers for my credit cards

* Not have the TV on during dinner

* Remember to call my family & friends on their birthdays

* Read a [as in singular - ONE] book

* r e l a x

* Be a better friend

* Never start a sentence with the phrase, "no offense"

* Enjoy the process

44% [you know I love that] of all Americans make "New Years Resolutions".

res·o·lu·tion

[rez-uh-loo-shuhn]

noun

1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.

2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc

However, I love the way Gretchin Rubin thinks of NYR's . . . . more like "COMMANDMENTS".

12 Rules [commandments] to strive to keep for the upcoming year.

com·mand

verb

1.to have or exercise authority or control over; be master of; have at one's bidding or disposal:or mandate.

2. to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order.

2. to require authoritatively; demand.

So here they are in NO specific oder.

Emz Commandments:

1. Make time for projects.

2. Go outside [enjoy being outside]

3. Stay in touch.

4. Be there. Be Present.

5. Trust my instincts.

6. Be silly. Be spontaneous.

7. Aim higher.

8. Spread joy.

9. Choose not to take things personally.

10. Motivate & encourage others.

11. Be a haven.

12. Be Emz.

[and I just had to share my card from my Peanut for my birthday . . . ]

** Soooooooo **

Did you make any New Years Resolutions?

Any you want to share?

"Moment of Clarity" - Jay Z

2012-01-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

I remember learning about bees when I was little. (Not the ones that go with birds, just the bees. The bumbling kind.) I don't remember much (blocked it out since I was terrorized by the close-up shots of yellow and black fur, enormous eyes and blurry wings, hovering over some innocent flower...or child...) but I do remember that they are always busy, busy, busy.

I think Peanut was a bee in a previous life. She reads while she eats. She sings while she cleans. (Let me re-phrase that...she sings while she pretends to clean.) She's constantly ~~stealing~~ using my computer paper, more markers, more tape, more string, more pens, more anything that might be useful. And then she sits at the kitchen counter and gets to work. (She swings her while she works.)

The topic of my birthday came up. Which always means, I get to hear what she wants for her next birthday, mingled with a barely audible, “momyeaIforgottogetyouapresent". She spent the next hour in her room singing, fumbling with papers and running in and out for more supplies.

Later, she emerged in the hallway, eyes lit up with pride. In her hands laid a few papers wrapped in tissue paper. On the cover, “Mom you freaking rock”.

　
I looked in her room. Piles of who knows what. A few drawing that didn't make the cut . . .covered the floor.

I smiled.

"Mom, don't worry, I'll clean it up.", she said.Not even close to what I was thinking.

What I was thinking . . . . I am blessed. My kid rocks.

And . . . .Ohhhhhhhh, this is what my mom meant when she said “I just want a card for my birthday” . . . this time I actually believe her. The Pita would be more than happy to take her out “shopping” for my gift. But I’m guessing this is a gift I’ll actually remember getting . . . Like next year & the year after that.

I’ve got everything I need. Love. Encouragement. Appreciation.

And understanding . . . . . well unless I do something SUPER silly like this on my birthday:

And that’s freaking huge.

Best. birthday. ever.

[May] "Memories" - Weezer

2011-12-28T18:24:00.000-08:00

May.

I still have a difficult time thinking about May with out getting all teared up.

May was trying, emotional, exhausting, exciting, busy & freaking life changing.
Here's a little more information about the "event" [here].

Anddddddddddd

Part #1.
Part #2
Part #3
Part #4
Part too many
Part - OVER! [the 100.16 mile finish line]

And part-extra finish line photos and interview.
The early part of 2011 I decided I wanted to do something big but for a reason. For a specific purpose.

My little family & I attended the Sojourner Center in the later part of 2010.

One visit.
Just. One. Visit.

And I knew I needed to do something.
While I'm sure they'd have been just as happy if I had pulled out my check book & written a big fat check......
I wanted to take a talent I'd been blessed with & use it to help them.

Enter "The 24 hour treadmill run for Sojourner".

I was just the girl on the treadmill. The real action....was happening all around me.

I'll never be able to express in words my thoughts of this day. Never. And really that's just fine for me. It's the feeling I'll keep forever.

People I need to thank [for the rest of my life]...

Pita - supported me at every point, never doubted me, found my vemma sponsor!!

Mom & my sister happy - they'd have to answer in the time they put into this. It was way longer than any "training" I did. I'm guessing 4 x all my training hours.

Peanut - weeks & weeks of her mom being quite a failure at her "mom role".....I'm big on making her breakfast & packing her lunch...I enjoy it. I can text & run. Talk & run. But kinda hard to make breakfast on a treadmill.

My family - seriously. where are the words? Most of them were there 10+ hours. best family ever . . . . EVER.

Dawn - let's come back for Dawn in a bit.

Channel 12 - amazing. A-freaking-mazing.

Vemma - not just the product. The employees. The staff. Incredible.

Chris & Caroline - GET. THIS.....two people I have never actually "met". Their support.... WOW.

Like this.... [CLICK] Cannot. [to this very day] watch it without crying.
what a freaking awesome mom, woman, runner & wife.

And the emails, iTunes songs [foo!] & have you seen my freaking belt?

Yep, he sent it to me after I did my 50 mile training run on the treadmill.

I freaking love it.

Michelle & Tom. They found the people who loaned me the Woodway Treadmills. Kinda hard to run a 24 hour treadmill run without a treadmill......not only did they find me the treadmills ----- they found me WOODWAY treadmills!!

Aaron - The Pita's work friend who got me into this Ultra running thing by calling me "Barbie" --- sucka! Ran about 22ish miles with me.

Summer - who organized a massive collection [of goods] for the Sojourner Center.

Dawn - well. . . I may have been able to do it without her being there but....it would have been ugly. She doesn't like me blowing sunshine up her [anything] but....we send approximately 100 texts to each other, daily, so she kinda knows I dig her & gets the "sunshine blowing" whether she likes it or not.

And I cry when every I read this:

It is a top three "moment in my life".

No new PR could ever - EVER top this.
Not sure anything other than another child will ever top this.

It wasn't anything amazing that I did.
The event.
The turn out.
The support.
The money raised....NOW that was amazing.

Now......when do I get to do this again?

"Sweet Emotion" - Aerosmith

2011-12-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

I've tried writing this "year end" post about 3 [or I'll say FOUR] times now.

I sit down.
and
I try to write down all that's gone on in 2011.

And
I
feel
like........My words aren't even close to capturing my thoughts & feelings.

2011
has
been
the
best
year
of
my
life.

without. question.

[January-April] . . . Ya, "MAY" needs it's own post.

January:

The Pita's family came. Truly a treat. His sister and niece hadn't been to AZ since our wedding. I've only seen his sister 6 times in 13 years. Not nearly enough.

I ran a marathon with my sister. Her first marathon.

I had a decent showing at RNR AZ . . . 3:21 . . .

But more importantly . . . .
I got to hang out with Dawn, RL & D-Rog. awesome.

February:

New PR. Freaking finally. 3:18

The Pita & I went to Vegas for Valentine's Day & for a pretty amazing three nights of Rugby watching.

RUN EMZ shirts were designed by Mr. Happiness himself. P-Funk. ;)

And rocked by many, including . . .

Ahhhhh Kovas.

March:

March means one thing in my household.

b a s k e t b a l l.

And a lot of yelling at the TV.

April:

Ya, like BOSTON April.
Best. Ever.
Best race ever ....no - - - ran 50 miles 3 days before it but seeing soooooooo many bloggers/runners was amazing.

Petra

P-funk

Mel.

Mrs. SUAR!!

And Jim

And let's not forget the Pita acting all Harvard-y at Harvard . . . ;)

I got to meet up with Jess. Adore her.

Then comes May. . . .

I go back to "May" every day.

More on that tomorrow . . . .

Do tell . . . .

What was your favorite thing that happened from January-April of 2011?

"Roc Boys" - Jay Z & Kanye West

2011-12-21T15:27:00.000-08:00

Only 10 more days of 2011?!?

crazy.
freaking. crazy.

Life has been awesome lately.
Zero complaints from this girl.

I'd have to say the highlight of my day is usually around 10:45am when I see my mailman.

Been loving all the Christmas cards & random thoughtful gifts.

Like this one from the one and only MissZippy.

I FINALLY get to meet her in February and I'm freaking excited. She was one of the very first running blogs I ever followed. She. Rocks.

I got this from my Peanut. [thank you Pinterest] hilarious.

"word to your mutha"

I received this from Jess at "Run With Jess" .......so freaking creative.

Was instantly feeling really bad for my Secret Santa when I got her gift. Coolest calendar ever!

And did I mention she just got a treadmill. I've got a thing for fellow treadmill lovers! ;)

On the treadmill note . . .

I got this in this morning:

I'm
~~kinda~~
HUGELY
hoping
Santa
brings
me
a
Woodway. ;)

What. did. you. ask. Santa. For?

"Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO [ A Peanut "fav" ]

2011-12-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

So one of my favorite-est-EST bloggers ~~Mooshy~~, errrr J-Moo [I love you Lady J!] tagged me on a fun little post idea.

It was to provide seven random tidbits about MY Peanut.

easy. freaking. peasy.

uno - ella no hablamos espanol. BUT. She does spell wicked awesome. Ya, that does NOT run in the family. In fact, Peanut will be representing her class in the school spelling bee on Monday. [just crazy]

dos - She just ran her first ever 10k. And first EVER, actual race [like one that didn't go down at the local park vs. her dad] she. rocked.

tres - the kid hates mashed potatoes. She will dry heave every time. [I partially do it out of humor now......."you must eat one bite!" .....hilarious].

quatro - this kid has every stamp that I do in my passport. She's been to eight countries. The one she'd give her 5 pound gummy bear to visit . . . . . Japan.

cinco - she. loves. loves. loves. shoes.
how the freak did that happen?

Santa is bringing four pairs of shoes --- and let me tell ya . . . . they are sumthin' else.
I found a pair she had "designed" on the Converse website. had to buy them. HOLY. CRAP. awesome.

seis - she's. confident. and. I love. it. I was never a super confident kid [or adult for that matter] so it makes me smile.

yes, this is her "pooping sunshine".

siete - she loves to take pictures when I have no idea she has my phone. I'm not about to stop her.

I. love. them.

Now to my four people . . . ya, I changed the number . . because I can.

Patrick - seven things you dislike [his rant posts are my fav, sorry]

Caroline - seven ~~nice things you can say about U of A~~ places you will go in 2012

Kevin - seven ~~facts about pickle juice~~ things you will do in 2012

Dawn - seven. freaking. anythings!! will you blog already WW!?! geesh.

"Run The World" - Beyonce

2011-12-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

Who run the world? Girls
Who run the world? Girls
Who run the world? Girls
Who run the world? MY Girl.

Yesterday, Peanut & I had the chance to do something we had never done before . . . .

run
in
a
race
together!

The ATHLETA IronGirl 10k In Scottsdale, AZ.

It. was. awesome.

I made sure we had our WonderWomen skirts & our freaking awesome Punk Rock Racing T-shirts!

Peanut had never run more than a 5k - so that plus 44 other reasons = one very nervous Peanut. [I loved the questions.]

Mom, what if I need to pee?
Mom, will there be water?
Mom, what do I eat for breakfast?
Mom, what if I get cramps?
Mom, will you stay with me no matter what?
Mom, will people cheer for me?

Race morning she was a ball of nerves.

She managed to give out a few smiles pre-race:

[looking rather unimpressed]

Peanut: so as long as my "chip" crosses the finish line before yours . . . I beat you?
Emz: yes, kiddo.

5 minutes to start . . . .

And we are off!

Wait ummmmm, not so fast.

Peanut. has. a. cramp. [at mile 0.3] She felt bad.

Sorry we are walking mom.
Sorry you can't run fast mom.
Sorry that we are slow.

[I take her arm, [lovingly] grab her by her face ;) and say, "girl friend, this morning is about fun. It's about me and you enjoying a morning together, outside & completeling something you've never done before together. The only thing I insist we do....is have a FREAKING blast!"

And...........

as you can see from the photos

we. freaking. did.

We took photos at every mile marker and sign we could see.

This one was my personal favorite [she still doesn't know I took this].

She'd grab my hand when no one was looking. [made. my. year.]

Mile. three.

Got a chance to chat with my Peanut about a few [real life] things from mile 3-5. Heck ya, she was stuck with me - I chatted her ear off. Awesome.

At mile 5 we started planning our finish line dance. Yep, dance.

Should have taken a video but the pictures ---- uhhhh, probably show too much as it is.

Let me just say, if the skirts weren't loud enough ----- our dancing was.

It was a wicked mix of the sprinkler, robot, running man & what ever I was doing.

Here's the freak show:

It was a sight to see.

Loved. every. minute.

BOLT. Arms.

We went to Panda Express for her recovery meal, showered & she went right into recovery mode. Like a pro.

And did you see our new 2011 Christmas Ornaments?!

Awwwwww yaaaaaaa!

[bedtime tuck-in]

Emz: Peanut, do you want to be a runner now?
Peanut: [and I quote] not a freaking chance mom, but I had fun today.

Happy. Emz.

"Birdhouse In Your Soul" - TMBG

2011-12-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

Peanut reminded me this morning. . . . .

Peanut: Mom, your birthday is coming soon, right?
Me: I'm pretty sure I told you twice yesterday to start shopping.
Peanut: So, ummmmm, how old are you going to be again? 24?
Me: Ahhhhh, it appears, you figured out who Santa is.
Peanut: okay, so really how old are you?
Me: [doing the math . . . ] ugggg, thirty-freaking-five
Peanut: No. way. seriously?!

Ya, seriously.

That was my thought as I got ready this morning as I slathered on three different promising creams that I paid way too much for. All promising me a "youthful glow" and "firmer, tighter skin".

What's a "glow" anyway?

This year has been:

incredible
insane
challenging
amazing
roller coaster-like
character building
intense
freaking. awesome.

Some times I think back to earlier times when things seemed simpler, less complex, less stressful & less demanding.

I'll. keep. today.
I'll. keep. these. "glow-less" wrinkles.
And
my washboard forehead.

And in a few minutes........I'll be picking Peanut up from school with "Birdhouse In Your Soul" blaring .........She'll look at me like I'm completely ridiculous......then we will dance the whole half mile home & I'll see a smile come across her face that can pretty much RIGHT anything wrong in the world.

And I'll remember once again, that thirty five years goes by pretty freaking fast . . . If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. [thanks Farris]

[ Birdhouse in your soul ] - be ready to dance.

Happy. Freaking. Friday.

"Heartbeat" - The Fray

2011-11-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

okay, so it's been a while.

So I thought I'd bore you with a few photos I've been storing up on my phone, until I find the right words to actually write a decent post.

A few are from Turkey Day [my favorite day of the year] and a few are just random photos that make me happy.

Like this photo Peanut took [when I thought she was reading] of me, doing dishes.

I love the photos she takes.

Peanut spent T-day Eve at my parent's place with her cousin. Where.......... thanks to "pinterest" we were each lucky enough to receive one of these:

They had also made this:

which I freaking loved.

And since I had started my day off with a Turkey Day 20 . . .

I was sooooooooo ready for this stuffyourfacefest2011.

As always, my famous cookbook writing mom, put together an amazing feast.

So good, the Pita had to sleep for two hours and I got to go on a LONG walk with my brother-in-law "Buff". [ya, freaking loved that]

We made it home just in time for this awesome sunset.

And even though the Pita doesn't see it.....I see my car in the clouds.

I. am. thankful.

freaking. thankful.

for a daughter that invited me to run club on Monday [but not so much today].
for a brother-in-law, I love to talk to.
for a mom, that's a freaking rock star.
for a loving Heavenly Father who knows what I can handle.
for bloggers who's friendships are unlike any other.
for friends with unlimited texting.
for a Dad that calls me "sweetie".
for laid-back, loving in-laws.
and
for a Pita who knows me this well . . .

Roxette. Love. Roxette.

Happy Wednesday.

See you in Vegas!!?!

"Super[iron]man" - Taylor Swift

2011-11-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

IMAZ. [spectating edition]

loved. every. second.

The Peanut and I went yesterday. I'm not super awesome at the whole finding a place to park thing or the road closure thing.

Soooooooo we turned off the freeway.
I saw runners.
We parked at a hotel and walked over.
Since I'm still battling out this awesome sickness that started Thursday night, I figured the fewer people I was around the better.

It. was. amazing.

I had three people I was looking out for:

Ron.
Aimee.
John.

Turns out we saw Aimee first. Holy cow. She looked amazing. AMAZING.

Peanut & I were yelling like a bunch of crazies, "Aimee!! Aimee!!" [in my awesome I'm a closet chain smoker voice]. To my surprise she noticed us!
And. stopped. to. hug. us. both [?!?!] Loved. That.

"And you must be Peanut!!" [hugging Peanut]

She ran off.

Peanut: mom, she's awesome.
Me: freaking awesome.

Then we moved over a few steps to the metal railing.

Peanut: my feet hurt
Me: ummmm, you're pretty much NOT allowed to complain about ANY thing when you are watching an IronMan. [wink, wink]

Peanut had made the awesomest sign.

People. freaking. loved. it.

"Go Random Person"

Brought out all sorts of smiles, laughs & comments from the athletes which was awesome.

Some of the comments:

*best.sign.all.day
*can I be your random person?
*now, that is awesome
*can I tape that on my bike [Peanut said, no]
*thank you for having that sign
*having that sign at the top of this hill rocks
*that makes me smile

[Peanut was one happy camper]

I was so happy she came with me. I loved seeing her watch all the incredible athletes.
I loved seeing her face.

Especially when we saw these two individuals.

She was speechless.

Well until about 2 minutes after each of them passed and she said . . . .

"Mom, I bet someone told them they'd never be able to run again."
"I guess, I should never say I can't run a 10k."

I loved our location.
It was at the top of a short [hehehe hill].
You'd see it all.

People who saw the hill and . . . .

powered up
walked
smiled
grimaced
pumped their arms
clapped
gasped
yelled out to the crowd

a w e s o m e.

Then, the moment had arrived.

I. saw. him.

him.

RON!

Only [sarcmarc] Mr. PRR himself.

We rang our cowbells like crazy people.
Peanut hurried and flipped her sign over to "GO PUNKY!"
And I tried to act as normal as I could............what ever.
We freaking screamed at the top of our lungs!

Then, I seriously ditched my phone, my bell & my knowledge of IM rules to my girl and ran off with him. In flip-flops.

Best. 100. steps. ever.

So impressed.
So amazed.
So must do this.

You guys are incredible.

You. freaking. rock.

"Price Tag" - Jessie J feat B.o.B.

2011-11-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

No secret.

My family rocks.

I have a special little place in my heart for "buff". Always have. Even when my sister wasn't sure he was "the one". I knew, he was.

Today I am reposting one of his posts.

He and my sweet sister have five children. One of which has autism.

In his words, ....."together we ride the E-Ticket roller coaster world of special needs and smile (for the most part) while holding on for dear life."

Enjoy:

The Price We Pay For Happiness...

The telephone rang, breaking the monotonous sound of the steamer, as my wife scrubbed the kitchen floor. She picked up the receiver and politely replied, 'Hello.'

'This is Visa, we are calling regarding some questionable activity on your account. We see that you have several closely timed iTunes purchases occurring, that seemed quite large, and rather questionable. Have you recently made any purchases on iTunes?'

'I don't think so...' my wife answered, thinking of any recent receipts that we may have received in an email.

The voice in the phone proceeded, '...two purchases were authorized, and a third was declined because it appeared suspicious.'

Just then Emma was heard shouting from upstairs, 'Mom, Ethan's downloading a bunch of movies on iTunes!'

'Oh, my gosh,' my wife shouted as she ran up the stairs with phone in hand. Arriving at the computer there was Ethan squatting on the chair, calm as he could be, intently reading the images on the screen.

'Mom, I bought a movie on iTunes!' he said proudly.

My wife returned to the voice on the phone and said, 'I'm sorry, my son apparently got on the computer and was downloading them. He has autism, I don't now how he figured this out. Ugh! I'm so sorry.'

'No problem, we recognized it as suspicious and just wanted to confirm. Again we declined payment on the last purchase. You may want to call Apple and explain this and see what they can do for you.'

'Thank you, Oh my gosh, again, I'm so sorry.' She then hung up and called me. I wasn't able to talk, but quickly understood her brief explanation. 'I'll take care of it when I get home,' I said and we quickly hung up.

When I arrived home I walked upstairs to the computer and checked the iTunes history. There they were the three purchases. Two showed paid in full the last showed declined. I checked on the computer and saw that we had indeed downloaded those movies so I reauthorized the purchase.

I walked in to where Ethan was and asked, 'Hey buddy, what happened?'

'Dad, did you see it?' he said proudly. He stood up, his feet spread apart, placed his hands on his hips then broke out in a giant grim, said 'Hey Dad!' and raised his eyebrows up and down in unison. It looked something like this . . .

This was his famous 'I'm proud of myself' pose! After striking the pose, his young-man-voice crackled and screeched, 'I bought movies on iTunes!'

'Yes, you did,' as I smiled and simply walked away.

What else could I say? Anything would have dashed his pride, and besides that it wasn't like he hurt somebody. Besides we can change the password, and make sure this doesn't happen again, but I just couldn't harm this proud moment in his life. He, on his own, had bought movies - and not just any movies, good movies, including some classics.

I didn't have the heart to be mad.

Some days happiness seems expensive, like when he cut the tips off all the cell phone chargers, other times it requires deep pressure hug therapy, or a few yoga poses. Then there are those days it is simply free!

So, what was the price we paid for happiness today?

$122.62 (tax included)

"Secret" - Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark

2011-11-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

"Hey," he said, predictably from the other end.

"Hey," I replied.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Therapy," I answered. Through the distance between us, I sensed his nervousness. He was silent, unsure how to respond to his wife, who'd just confessed to a mid-day, self-induced, therapy session. Was this a sensitivity test? A trap? A breakdown? A threat?

"What?" he asked, trying to buy more time to secure the right response.

"Therapy," I repeated. Then, because I'm a nice wife who never (by never, I mean, always) does secret, hypothetical, manipulative, emotional tests on her husband, I let him off the hook with a simple explanation.

The past week has not been some of my favorite. (Although, Halloween definitely was.) One sore ankle. An unwelcoming smell of crap on my lawn. Spending $300 on running shoes. And $100 on a pair of super FLAT shoes. One sore ankle. The sound of a BB gun repeatedly going off in my house. One sore ankle. A dog puking like a sorority girl. Chapped lips. A treadmill that calls my name in the night. A broken ice maker. Not enough laundry. And one very, sore ankle.

So Peanut at school, a dog that was shut in the bathroom and work that could wait an hour or two. I had alone time. Put my phone on silent. Time alone with my grump/slumpy self.

I cranked up Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (don‘t judge), unloaded my fridge onto my counter, tied up my apron and got to work. With all the angst of my unsettled soul, I mashed bananas, scooped cocoa, marinated chicken breasts, squeezed lemons, beat eggs, mixed in cinnamon, roasted peppers, sprinkled salt, sliced sweet potatoes, whipped butter and zested lemons. I made a mess. I teared up [without any onions present]. And spilled. And grated my finger. And broke a sweat.

Sigh.

That felt good. Not 20 miles good. But. Really good.

I bought yet another pair of running shoes. The dog stopped puking. I bought some chapstick. My ice maker has been resurrected in the nick of [winter] time. My lawn is starting to sprout little green blades in among all the smelly crap. I’m pretty sure my grumpy ankle actually smiled a little at me a little after my swim. And my husband, still scared for his life, offered to rub my ankle [until it feels better].

What a guy.

He definitely passed the "What-To-Do-When-You're-Wife-Has-A-Mental-Breakdown-From-A-Bung-Ankle" test.

Maybe next week when he calls, and asks what I'm up to, I'll test him again with the old "I'm having a breakdown because my NordicTrack sucks and I need a new Woodway Treadmill..."

"Good Life" - One Republic

2011-11-01T16:30:00.001-07:00

Love my family.

freaking. love. my. family.

To see our family tradition on Halloween ---- click [here]. And maybe [here].

Halloween is in the top four of my favorite days of the year.

Best. Night. Ever.

Here it is . . . .

in photos.

I so freaking loved this Ang.
Made. My. day.

Just wish my brother would have let you come with the "23.6" sign you made before he informed you of the extra 2.6 miles you were missing.

My sister rocked her Mary Poppins.

And the Pita rocked the Spudnuts.

Love. My. Family.

[PP-Peanut Post] This is Halloween, everyone hear the screams, pumpkins scream in the fear of night.

2011-10-27T09:23:00.001-07:00

Hi! It's PEANUT!

~~I know, I know. Everyone is getting tired of my mom. DUH!~~

Now it's time for me to take over.

AND Halloween is coming up.

What are you going to be?

A vampire?

A duck?

A carrot?
{I am serious about this one. My cousin rocked it.}

Soooooo.......

I'm going to be the Mad Hatter.

I love the costume.

I love the mini hat.

I DO NOT LIKE WAITING FOR SCHOOL TO END SO I CAN WEAR IT.

I DO NOT LIKE SCHOOL, period.

But, sadly, I have to wait through another half day.

And a no-school day.

And my volleyball game day.

And a church day.

And a WHOLE school day.

HALLOWEEN IS ON A MONDAY!?!?!?!

No. Way. Jose.

How do they expect us to eat our delicious candy, stay up late at my grandma's house eating spudnuts, and then go back to a school day the very next day?!?!

WHAT?!?!

This is a total nightmare.

A. big. fat. nightmare.

AHHHHHHHH!!!!

This seriously stinks.

"What Doesn't Kill You" - Kelly Clarkston

2011-10-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Wordless. Wednesday.

Happy. Hump. Day!

Which
one
is
your
favorite?

I'm kinda partial to the baby bib.

Love it.

"Monday, Monday" - The Mamas And The Papas

2011-10-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

MMMM

Mostly. Mute. Mode. Monday.

[weekend happenings + extra stuff I just want to add]

The ALL BLACKS won. Oh ~~happy~~ freaking happy day!

SO happy France was fined for advancing on the New Zealand Haka. You don't advance on the HAKA.

You just don't.

I. Love. My. Anniversary. Card.

And...

What are YOU loving today?

"Make Me Proud" - Drake {and the winner!!}

2011-10-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

whooodathunkit?

A text from my awesome Niece Morgan saying, "I want to run a half marathon, train me!"

Would lead to the Pita saying, "If Morgan can do it, I'll do it running backwards." [uh, ya, anyway....]

Which led to my sister training with her daughter [Morgan]. Which led to my oldest sister saying, "We are in! Me, Dave, Troy & Julia!". [I should probably ask Dave, Troy & Julia if they know they've been signed up].

So that's like most of the people you see in these photos!!

So then, I had to text my sister in Indiana saying, "It's a RUNUNION! Be here March 3rd, 2012!"

Still waiting to hear back from MY brother. But he's in. He has to be in.

cannot. freaking. wait.

Now on to the best caption [to this photo] winner.

To be fair I had Ms Morgan, her mom, her dad & THE PITA pick their favorite one.

They. all. picked. the. same. one.

NO JOKE.

SUAR.

Shut. Up. And. Run's. Comment.

Did you read it? Do you remember it?

freaking.freaking.freaking.hilarious.

okay SUAR, you have a choice of:

1. airline ticket for Ken to witness you running with Dolvett.
2. what's in box #4 [measurements are 8 x 8]
3. being my maid of honor at my Elvis wedding in December, but please can we not go to "that" restaurant before I try on dresses?
4. [because there has to be four] a RUN EMZ shirt drenched in pickle juice

? ? ? ?

Which would you pick if you were lucky enough to be SUAR?

"I'm Toe Up" - Problem [giveaway]

2011-10-17T14:48:00.001-07:00

Best caption to this photo wins a prize.

Ready. Set. Go.

"Outside" - George Michael

2011-10-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, first and foremost. I wore boots last week. Yes, boots.

[and I swear I had just cleaned this mirror, weird]
It was 78 degrees for one day and I was all over it.

Unfortunately, my coach knew it was 78 degrees for like 14 hours and asked, "Why aren't you running outside?" I gave him 84 reasons why then today..........

I sucked it up . . . . opened my front door. . . . . then, I shut it. But then I opened it again . . .

And . . .

For the first time since December 2010 . . . .

I
ran
outside.

Ya, you read that right.

o u t s i d e.

crazy.

Yes, it was a nice 70 degrees outside at 6:15am.

Everything else......UGGGG.

How do you guys do it?

Here's just a snippet of the non-fun I had....in numbers.

9 - Recovery Run miles I slowly slogged

1 - number of times I was seriously close to getting hit by a car. The man was sooooooooooo focused on getting right into that McD's breakfast sandwich he picked up all 4.4 seconds earlier.

2 - number of times I was asked by high school cross guards "how many miles are you running?" [two different cross guards]

3 - Neighbors who saw me and tried to hold a conversation out their window. Joe, you were by far the most entertaining. Do you guys wear shirts that say, "in training" or "no time to talk" ? Just curious.

2 - honks received from landscaper guys.

2 - middle fingers each landscaper guy was shown after above mentioned honk. [why do guys think women like this? I'll never understand.]

1 - random dog that ran out / off it's front yard after me.

1 - dog owner who yelled at me, "Stop! He just wants to smell you." I turn back like you're freaking joking [but didn't say a word]. Then she says [no joke], "Stop or he'll keep running after you." I stop. He gets his sniff on. And this lady knows her crap - - - -he runs back towards her.

0 - percent chance I'll be running outside tomorrow.

And you guys ask me how I can handle running on a treadmill?!?!

I got back to see a text from Mr PRR himself:

"Outdoor run? OMG!! You okay? Is the power out at home? My thoughts & prayers are with you!"

Can someone please tell me:

1. How you avoid talking to everyone you know without being rude
2. Avoid crazy dogs
3. Avoid getting run over [no, I was not running with music/iPod]

Would greatly appreciate your input.
Signed-
TMlovingEmz

"Blow" - Ke$ha

2011-10-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

I enjoy sticking things up my nose about as much as I enjoy running outside.

Ugggg.

My days have been filled with nasal enemas the last three days [ya, thanks for coining that phrase coach....now I can't stop calling them that].

I've found my family is less than impressed with my use of it. every two hours. Everything from, "awwwww mom", "gross", "ummmm seriously", "a little heads up would be nice" ........... whatever - you are the one who decided to barge in the bathroom, I didn't call you in here.

In other not nearly as exciting as my nose news:

It's only 59 days until RNR Vegas!! I / we cannot wait. Ya, the Pita he's not missing this one. ;)

Jason & I have big plans to break out our finest "hammer" pants and mad dancing skills at the finish-line!

GO team TEXAS!!

Then. well. we have a sign that just made me happy.

The All Blacks have been winning [duh, right?!].

But that makes my house a happy - happy place to be. [Dang Dan Carter pulling a groin didn't go down well though.]

I'm quite certain it was from all his pant dropping undies ads.

This week is a high mileage week..............which I'm loving even with the snot fest.

44 miles so far this week. rest day tomorrow. loving it.

LOVED spending the weekend with my Peanut & Pita in Payson.

[holy letter P-fest]. Speaking of P-fest. Okay, okay.....I'll filter that story out.

Found this in my pocket last week. Which mildly freaked me out. It's from one of my favorite bloggers . . . was in a "king's cake" she sent me.

Peanut is wanting a brother or sister ---- like 4 yesterday's ago.

Well, that's all I've got for now.

But
remember
to. . . .

Happy Wednesday!

"Shopping" - Barenaked Ladies

2011-09-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I just wanted to grow up and be MaryLou Retton. But accessorize like Madonna. And marry Zack Morris.

Strange combo, I know. But you should have seen me in my red leotard, flip-flopping down our eternal hallway, or cartwheeling over my duct taped balance beam. I even wore it to my first day of school [first grade], as a shirt, tucked into my shorts. Seriously. I was a ~~try-hard~~ die-hard.

I've noticed, of late, that Peanut is under the same spell. Ya, I'd have to say her fashion sense is better [no spandex/lycra] but also louder. Yesterday, after I picked her up from school. We went shopping. Most of our time was spent like this:

I'd pick up a solid v-neck . She'd counter with a neon green tie-dye one.

I'd show her some skinny jeans. She'd show me jeans with holes and patches.

And can someone please tell me when these cropped T-shirt things came back in style?

We did manage to shop without buying any leg warmers, electric youth perfume or jelly shoes.

But, I so can't wait to drop her off at school on Monday.
This girl has got a style completely her own. And I'm all for it.

Love you Peanut.

"I'm So Hood" - DJ Khaled

2011-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Ya. Dawn. That. Title. Is. For. You. ;]

The last few days have been filled with awesome.

I became Peanut's volleyball coach, thanks to the Pita telling me, "we [I'm guessing he meant "I"] need to step it up as parents." [when they {YMCA} couldn't find a coach.]
First practice was last night. The girls . . . . are freaking awesome. They are all in 8th grade. Peanut = 6th grade. So I love that!
Emz to team: what should we call our team? Team replies: "runners" [ya, seriously, no joke - so they were referring to "road" runners, I substitute "TM" runners] I about cried, I was so happy. Peanut noticed and pinched me.
Happy first day of fall to all of you who actually experience "fall". It's freaking 106* here today. Yes, Matty-O, I am whining.
Received this photo In an email from a so called "friend". ;]

Received this from the one and only "IMRon". The Peanut and I are stoked.

This weekend ----- something big happens in our home.

New Zealand plays France. It is at 1:30am. I'm 100% happy I will be sleeping. I'm sure the Pita is 100% happy to be watching this rivalry match without me. Ummmm, it wasn't so pretty back in 2008 but I have a feeling it'll be going "ALL BLACK"s this time. [my marriage will be a lot happier if it does] ;)
Speaking of "a lot" - - - -

ok sorry, just had to get that off my chest. Drives me crazy when people misspell that word.
My run today.

All. smiles. I am [finally] seeing results from this new method of training and I could NOT be happier. Hoping the 20 miler on the books for tomorrow goes just as well.
Received this hand-out at a parents meeting at Peanut's school last night. This freaking cracked me up.

Walked in from above mentioned meeting to hear the Pita say, "awww, watch out" and see him trying to teach the Peanut how to do the running-man. I interjected immediately as this is clearly MY area of expertise.

So. Happy. Freaking. Friday. Everyone!!

Now, please . . . . .

**Share 1 or 444 awesome things that happened to you this week.**

"Belong" - R.E.M.

2011-09-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

So it all started in 2009.

Our . . . .

Family Anniversary [Day].

You can read what I am referring to, in more detail, [here] .

I absolutely love this day.

I get to spend most of the day cooking, planning games & decorating.

It's kind of like our own Thanksgiving Day for our little family.

It's my chance to cook for my family [we are talking a lot of food - each person's favorite meal - so it's a pretty jacked up menu].

And I must say it was utter perfection.

But NOT because of the herb crusted beef. Or the roasted fingerling potatoes with tomatoes, garlic & Parmesan. Or the rich, buttery gravy. Or the capellini spaghetti with fresh basil & stewed tomatoes. Or the bacon, Gorgonzola spinach salad. Or the triple chocolate brownies. Not even because of the games we played until we were crying in laughter. Or the comment the Pita made that made me cry in happiness.

It was because we got to share our gratitude. Together. Around our "way too big for just the three of us" table. Saying what we've been grateful for this year. I am thankful my Peanut is so freaking hilarious, thoughtful & tender. I am thankful my Pita is so amazingly supportive of all I do, my goals, my dreams.

I know I sat there eating with a big smile on my face . . . . the whole time.

It's been of year of growing, trials, struggles & learning experiences. As it will be every year, I'm sure. But it's been pretty freaking great. I wouldn't change a thing. Because I'd never want to be any where else but here.

Right. Freaking. Here.

Imperfections and all. Surrounded by "heaven". My heaven.
Inside my walls of my home.

Life. is. good.

So. So. Good.

"Honestly" - Cartel

2011-09-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

My intentions hold no mystery.

I completely suck at keeping my own thoughts secret.

The things I should probably "keep to myself". I usually cannot.

I mean, I don't tell my life story to a random post office clerk or ever answer "how are you doing today?" with anything negative. It's always a "good", "great", or "can't complain".

However, when people ask my opinion . . . well......they asked, right?!

If some random person wants to know "which dress" looks better - I'll say which one within seconds.

I always have an opinion.

and

I always have my own back.

If someone makes a brash/rude comment to me - - - I'll reply 99% of the time. I always try to do it in an "as nice as possible" way. My new method of counting to four before I reply has helped a lot. ;)

In relationships, I'm not afraid to reveal my feelings, no matter how rare/raw they are. I don't shy away from frank discussion about losses and heartaches.

I often do borderline ~~stupid~~ random things . . . . . I know I'm on the receiving end of eye-rolls way more than I'd care to admit. I'm freaking good with it. Laughing at myself . . . . .I'm a pro at that!

I can run through my days, second guessing others' intentions, motivations, thoughts, but . . . . . . . the truth is . . . . . . I'm having way too much fun keeping mine in check.

Soooooooooooo,
since this is MY blog . . . . . here's what . . . . .

"I'm thinking about today":

* I finally felt awesome during a long-ish run.

* I wish I could prevent Peanut from ever getting zits.

* I'd ~~like~~ twin boys. I have two awesome boy's names and I'd hate to have to only pick one.

* I wish January would come sooner.

* When should I post my HAKA?

* I wish I was in Logan with Dawn. I should have sucked it up and bought the dang [hugely over-priced] ticket. [all three of you girls [Erin, Cari & Dawn] - go out there and kick it]

* I love this photo from Pokey marathon [and I'm not even flipping the camera off?!!?]

* I've secretly always wanted a tattoo. Just can't think of anything that would still look cool when I'm all wrinkly and still wearing bra tops during marathons at 80.

* I'm digging my new Newton's. Thanks Coach!

* but ---- I'm kinda digging these more [ya, thanks Dawn]. And they cost less?!?! WHAT THE . . .

* I can't believe I just paid someone $50 to make my dog look this ridiculous.

* That was really stupid to send a reminder text to Peanut at 1:15am when I remembered something.

* Even stupider . . . .thinking she would have it on "silent". Yes, the Emz household LOVED that.

* I hate politics. Truly. Hate all the hate IN politics.

* Should a treadmill really cost the amount of a used car?

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

What are you thinking about today?

Other than . . . . . it's FRIDAY!!!!!!

"Love Story" - Taylor Swift

2011-09-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

49.

49. y e a r s .

49. years. in. love.

Happy Anniversary to My [ok, fine . . . . . and the four other awesome off-spring's] parents.

You set the standard so high for a loving, amazing marriage. And I am thankful. I love the way you two interact. Mom, I love that Dad still opens your door. I love that you still make him amazing meals for "just the two" of you now. [I'll totally bring my family over if you need more mouths to feed.] I love that you run errands together.

I love that lunch at Costco is like Dad's favorite-est thing EVER.

I love that you support me in my crazy ideas/goals . . . . like crazy.

I love that other than that one "dang Christmas tree" fight . . . . . I never, ever, ever heard or saw you two fight. Nope. Never. So while I thought that "dang tree" was for sure going to cause a divorce 17 years ago . . . . I realize how amazing it is that that was the ONLY thing I ever heard or saw.

Thank you for letting me share a bit of your day with you today.

[smokin' hot couple, no!?]
I. freaking. loved. it.

Don't worry, I won't turn up to dinner at "Fleming-ton's" tonight. ;)

I love you with all my freaking heart.

Emz

"Ticket To Ride" - The Beatles

2011-09-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago I was contacted by Matt from "Enjoy The Ride" .

First things first . . . .

0.4 ---- The man has shirts!!! Love the blogshirt.
1. He's amazing.
2. His wife is amazing.
3. He is raising money for an awesome cause.

He is completing his first Ironman in November. He is using his blog to raise money for an orphanage in Haiti. [Hands and Feet Project].

PLEASE check out this post from his blog.

And............

He is EVEN doing some incredible giveaways!!

[click here!]

yep, now!

"Fill In The Blank" - Jimmie's Chicken Shack

2011-09-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

One of life's most simple pleasures is warm, clean sheets.

My favorite place to sit in my house is on the couch in my office. It's a big cereal bowl like chair - - - where if you have more than one person in it . . . you'd better like them because you end up on each other's laps.

If I had to choose one beauty product to use for the rest of eternity it would be C.O. Bigelo Mentha lip tint. At least 14 around my home and in my car. addicted.

If you looked in my purse right now you'd find above mentioned lip gloss [x4], at least 6 costco receipts, sunglasses, my anniversary card from the pita, 3-6 hair ties, random cash, coupons, wallet, Extra gum, 5-7 pens & a lot of gift cards.

My fashion philosophy is mix it up. I always pair my "splurge" purse with my $4 white v-neck T.

If at first you don't succeed   surround your self with haters. One of them is bound to say something stupid like, "did you really think you'd be able to do that?" --- then you go out there next time and kick it. What? it. works. for. me.

tutelage  ....is a funny word to say.

*     *     *     *

What's your funny word? . . . . . .

Ka mate, Ka Mate - Aotearoa Maori Chorale

2011-09-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

So yes, I heart football.

The Pita? Yes.

but

the man . . . eats. sleeps. breathes.

R U G B Y .

Tonight game one of the World Cup [thank goodness this occurs only once every four years].

The match up . . . .

All Blacks [NZ]

vs.

Tonga

Did I mention Dawn is a bit of a Tonga fan? . . . due to that awesome hubby of hers.

Every [best] friendship needs a rivalry right?! ;]

Did I mention the world cup last not weeks but months?!

Life as I know it ---- is over.

Any one up for a "haka off"?

You bet cha - I've got a video of lil ole' blonde, white girl me . . . . doing the Haka.

It's. freaking. Hilarious.

Happy. Haka [All Blacks]. Thursday!

"My Own Private Idaho" [Thanks PRR] - B-52's

2011-09-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Sooooooo
ummmmmmm
yaaaaaa

It's been quite a crazy 4.94 days.

If you want to see a real write up click here [ yep here ]

Loved finally getting to see Dawn again. [it had been a whole 4 months]

soooo happy when I saw her pull up at the airport.

Then I had 2.44 hours to talk her ear off all the way to Pokey.

Then I got to talk all three girl's ears off.

Then we did that blogger photo thing.

Then we went to that mandatory expo thing.

Side note because I'm an idiot........I get tapped on the shoulder by this guy who says, "you ran the IMS AZ marathon"
Me: yep [hello it IS my PR race!]
Him: you passed me at the end. You like kicked into turbo and chicked me at the end.
Me: [thinking Jamoosh would be so proud] Want a rematch?
Him: [laughing, like did she just say that?] yes
Me: deal. See you in February.

this conversation may or may not have made my day. [Holy. freaking. made]

Then . . .

holy. freaking. potatoes.

[side note] there is no where to eat in Pokey. And according to our server, "no demand for Italian food". Soooo... Bring your own food. unless you can eat Mexican food, ice cream or a burger the night before.

RACE DAY.

Even though I probably drove Dawn nuts........

i. loved. running. with. her.

She has this photo but I was trying to motivate and trying to NOT talk her ear off.

She kinda tried getting rid of me a few times but I wasn't having it.

The.
Home.
Stretch.

Happy. Finish. Line. Girls.

PR for Dawn.
PR/BQ for Erin.

Awesome.

Enjoyed seeing my family at the finish line. [holy. huge. smile. right?! See my PRR tats? Loved them.]

Two of my uncles passed away within a week of each other so----not the best of circumstances but . . . . loved that there were there.

My family loves Dawn just as much as me [I'm pretty sure my mom adopted back in December when we met.]

Got a sweet photo with Haley.

Have I mentioned her kids? Holy. heart. melt.

Dawn and I enjoyed a nice dinner together in SLC then off to see her crew.
They. are. awesome.

One more yummy breakfast and my girl's get-a-way was over.
On one hand WAY too soon.
On the other . . . . was ready to see my Pita & Peanut.

Just kinda wishin' I'd be able to see all these awesome women again on 9/17 [Top Of Utah Marathon].

I kinda have something to settle with that race.

"Who Gon Stop Me [them]" - Kanye West JAY Z

2011-09-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

One more sleep until I get to see this girl at the airport.

~~RacingDawn~~.

BQingDawn.

This trip is going to be freaking awesome for at least 444 reasons but no worries . . . . I'll just share a few with you . . . .

1. Duh, I get to see Dawn [ya we'll probably still text each other - talking would just be weird.]

2. I get to meet Erin. Yes - THE Erin. The superwoman/mom Erin.

3. These two above mentioned [SUPER] women will be PR-ing & BQ-ing. So this is going to be like the freaking awesomest day ever.

4. {ahhhhh Four 444444444} I get to drive/run Dawn nuts the whole freaking time. Heaven knows she doesn't NEED me to "pace" her but I'll keep pretending that's my job title. ;]

5. I get to finally meet Cari! I heart Cari. She was sooooo "there" for me during my 24 hour treadmill run.

She. Is. Such. an. Inspiration.

6. I get to see Haley! I met her once in July. For [no joke] like 4.4 minutes. She. freaking. rocks.

7. I get a sack of potatoes. Yes. Seriously. Each entrant gets a sack o' tots. Who does this? Ummmmm.....Pokey Peeps!

8. [drum roll please . . . . . ] I have never left the Pita & Peanut for a get-a-way / sleepover. Rephrase/explain: the Pita has always done all the going [London, Fishing, fishing, fishing, fis...] I'm a home girl. I like home. But this will be a freaking blast!

9. Hence - the Pita and Peanut will catch up on their much desired Daddy/Daughter Dates. Loved hearing them throw out ideas for the weekend . . . . "movies, pizza, sushi, ice cream PLUS we'll go to the store and buy all the crap food mom won't buy."

10. The Pita asked for "a list of things you want me to do while you are gone." Heck-freaking-ya . . .don't have to ask me twice. Signed. Sealed. Delivered. Now . . . get er dun.

11. [there's a surprise] - - - sorry can't spill. Then there would not be a surprise Saturday.

12. My outfit [ubber important] is coming together nicely. It's my jailhouse/punk look.

So you'll want to stay tuned to BQTV [AKA Dawn & Erin Social Media] come Saturday morning.

Because. No. one. is. going. to. stop. these. two. ladies.

? ? ? ?

You racing this weekend? If yes, spill!

If no - - - Any Big LONG weekend plans?

"Punk Rock Girl" - The Dead Milkmen

2011-08-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

I was 16.

His name was John* [*name changed to protect the mostly innocent]. He drove a lowered truck and had the Bieber haircut way before Bieber was even born. And my parents prayed I wouldn't keep him around for longer than a ~~weekend~~ month.

[Thankfully, I didn't.]

Teenage ~~romance~~ fling aside, I did learn some valuable lessons during this forbidden ~~love~~ like affair. I learned I never want to eat at Arby's ever again. I learned there really is life after Depeche Mode. And I learned that I was not born to sing.

Not then.

And certainly not now.

My singing can only be matched in crappiness to my dancing.

Which is sad for the free world.

because. I. love. to. do. both.

I remember being asked to sing in church with my two best friends. After hearing me sing........ the super sweet choirister said, "Emily, lets move you from the middle to the left side and Karen*, let's move that microphone to the right."

Since this day I have not sung in any choirs. [Well, not outside the walls of my home.]

But as I sat on Peanut's bed, last night, she said something that almost made me fall off her bed.

"Mom, will you sing me the song you used to sing to me when I was little?"

Me: The "I love [insert Peanut's real name]" song?
Peanut: Yes.

I sang. Yes, a cappella. Which made the 8 pound dog rush in to see who was being killed.

She laid there without a judgement in the world. face lit up like a Christmas tree at the song that was made for her.

I. felt. like. a. [closet]. rockstar.

Thanks Peanut.

Question:

What's the one talent you wish you had?

Is it just not in your cards? Or have you never tried to develop it?

Happy Wednesday!
Three more sleeps until Pokey Marathon - and until I "get" to wear these!

Ron. you. Rock.
[really need to get that sports bra / arm warmer thing going . . . . I'll take 44 now. Put in my order please.] ;]

"Caution" - Bob Marley [ + Sporty Girl Jewelry Winner! ]

2011-08-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well.

It's Monday.

Which means - - - the absurdly awesome weekend is over. Somehow, this weekend spent mostly "home" with the Pita & Peanut . . . . . was 44 times better that Vegas last weekend.

and
trust
me
Vegas
was
a
freaking
blast.

How did I get so lucky to get two anniversaries?!

Friday night's dinner deserves it's own post. seriously.

Took us 2:30 minutes to eat dinner. which. made. me. beyond. happy.

* * * * * * *

on to the winner!!

The winner of the SPJ custom necklace giveaway is:

MORGAN at Caution RedHead Running. [freaking love her. yes, be jealous, I met her in Boston in April!]

Congratulations Morgan!!

Email me at runemzrun at gmail.

you. rock. woman.

Now questions [the Pita and I may or may not have talked about these during our 2:30 dinner]:

1. What is the coolest way you've heard of someone proposing to their future wife?

2. Are camera's allowed at the table at a restaurant?

3. Should you sit beside your date or across from them?

HAPPY. freaking. Monday!

"Come On Eileen" - Dexy's Midnight Runners

2011-08-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

okay. am. i. wrong. or. is. that. one. of. the. best. songs.

e v e r ?

I. Freaking. Heart. Dexy's Midnight Runners.

I remember being 14 - - - dancing around like an idiot to this song at church dances.

Ya, I still dance around like a 14 year old idiot when I hear this song. The ONLY difference . . . . I now do the same stupid dance in 4-5" heels.

After my ~~non~~-skills I showed off all last weekend in Vegas. . . . . . . Tonight's anniversary [1 of 2] date night AKA . . CarnivoreFeast2011. Has been declared "dance free Friday" WhatFreakingEver.

I bought these yesterday.

Not dance?!?!

Ohhhhh, there will be dancing.

Pita - I'll spare you the gushy, "I have the best husband" post.
but . . . . I find it awesome that each day

I
love
you
more

& think I cannot possibly love you more than I do today . . . then . . . . I wake up the next day . . . . and . . . yep, it's [somehow] possible.

IFLYP

What 80's song gets you moving?

Happy Freaking Friday!

"Waking Up In Vegas" - Katy Perry

2011-08-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Vegas weekend . . . . by the numbers [and very few pictures]:

3 - nights in Vegas
1 - inches the Pita's head was from the roof in the airplane.

1 - slouchy Pita.

3 - the most nights I have ever spent in Vegas
0 - % chance we were going to walk outside [it was 108* there]
1 - car rented
1 - mobster / cop car rented

1 - happy Pita.
4 - times he said, "We need to get one of these. I fit in it!"
100 - % of times I walked up to a roulette table and told the Pita, "It's going black" & IT. DID!

50 - % I was right when OUR money was on the line. ;]
2 - in the morning ---- is when the fun starts in Vegas.
2 - girls we saw doing cartwheels in NYNY casino.
2 - boyfriends behind them laughing their butts off.
94 - other people also laughing their butts off when the girl ran into the wall after the cartwheel.
10 - the score I gave her for her facial entry into the wall.
1 - burger consumed at 3am.
0 - % chance that will ever happen again.
4 - time in the morning of our latest night out.

2 - days I spent paying for that 4am night out.
44 - times I said it was so worth it.
2 - runs done at hotel gym.
1 - awesomeness gift I received from the Pita.
1 - time I silently wondered if I could apply the gift price towards my Woodway treadmill.

1 - gym in hotel which were under construction meaning . . . . the gym was in the hallway that lead to the pool . . . . MAIN ACCESS POINT!! Which led to . . .
7 - people who said, "take a day off! You're in Vegas baby!"
7 - times I said, "well at least you still know where you are!" ;]
1 - iPods I brought with me for my workouts
0 - headphones I brought....ugggg
2 - runs done without TV/Music but a whole lot of CRAZY, crazy, CRAZY stories overheard.
160 - dollar roulette donation we left Vegas.
100 - % I KNOW it was worth every penny x 44.

Hey Vegas . . . . . . See you in December!!

Will you be in running in Vegas?

What's the craziest thing YOU'VE seen in Vegas?

"Cars and Jewelry" - Oddisee [Sporty Girl Jewelry Giveaway]

2011-08-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

Ummmmm.
Ya......so.........I'm realizing I'm not 24 any more.
Returning home from Vegas takes a solid two days to "get right".

I know, it's amazing what a difference 3 years makes. ;]
I returned home to find a box from "Sporty Girl Jewelry".

I
was
so
freaking
excited.

I opened it to find there was not just one but TWO boxes inside.

One for me.

One. for. My. Peanut.

Holy. freaking. day. made.

Mine was even better than I could have imagined.

One side:

"you've. freaking. got. this"

Other side:

"100 miles / 24 hours" "queen of the mill"

Didn't waste a moment to put it on.
[sorry about poor photo quality]

Peanut's:

[ummmm, yes. Of course, she is wearing it at school right now!]
It said "queen of the court" with a volleyball.

Wish I would have had a camera when she opened it.

All. smiles.

Sooooooooooooooooooooo - on to the giveaway!!

Sport Girl Jewelry has agreed to give away one custom necklace.
Yep, one that has been personalized . . . JUST. for. YOU!

Here's how you can enter:

PLEASE LEAVE ONE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!!

Mandatory:

1. Become a follower of my blog (or tell me if you already are)

2. Become a follower of Sporty Girl Jewelry on Facebook.

For additional entries:

1. Tell me what you'd like your very own custom necklace to have on it.

2. Visit Sporty Girl Jewelry's blog and become a follower.

3. Tweet about this giveaway.

" @runemz is giving away an @sportygirljewel custom necklace - check it out! "

4. Facebook about this giveaway.

*Winner will be announced Monday, August 29th!*

Happy. Hump. Day!

"Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne

2011-08-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

It Friday!! YAY!

Which means . . . . . it is time for . . . . .

Five
For
Friday!!

[ya, I just made it up --- never done FFF before]

But here we go.

Your job [should you choose to accept it]

Put these in order of awesomeness [how you think I WOULD rank these 5 things].

from pretty awesome - to holy freaking awesome.

1. Long Run - - - done.

2. Shoe score! $860 shoes for $53

3. The haboob that rolled in last night. [photo courtesy of my Bro-in-law "buff"]

4. The insanely thoughtful gift from RunningLauren yesterday. A belt buckle for my 24 hour [100 mile] treadmill run! [btw, Lauren . . . Peanut had the nerve to ask if she could wear it to school today . . . . ummmmm, H-E double hockey sticks NO!]

5. That very shortly I will be relaxing with one Tall Dark & insanely handsome 6'8" PITA --- here. [Yes, Dawn $44 on black - - - it's going black]

Soooooo --- order away.

Or [if that's just too much freaking work for a Friday . . . . . ]

JUST TELL ME ONE AWESOME THING ---- you are doing this weekend!!

HAPPY. FREAKING. FRIDAY!!!

"Wrapped Around Your Finger" - The Police

2011-08-17T13:39:00.001-07:00

~~Wordless~~ [ok, less than 444 words] Wednesday.

Pita: you have a [omitted words] blog post for tomorrow.
Me: brain farts - yes. Posts - no

Pita: I have an idea. Get your camera. Peanut do rabbit ears.
Peanut: what?!
Pita: hold up two fingers then turn away
Peanut: you are weird Dad. ok.

Pita: ready?
Me: ummmmm, kinda, yes.

Me: ummmm, yes, you are so freaking classy [mind you we are in a pretty nice restaurant - don't let the lame straws fool you - that was my request]
Pita: see I just saved you 44 minutes of writing a REAL post.

Such
a
thinker.

Happy Hump Day!

*******
One last thing . . . . .

A question for you.

The Pita and I got into a conversation last night and I want your opinion . . .

Do you think it'd be easier to:

"teach" speed to an endurance athlete

"teach" a speedy 10k runner how to go long [marathon].

? ? ? ?

"Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey

2011-08-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Dear God,

Yep, it’s me Emz.

Yes. Again.

I know I haven’t written in a while but our chat last night. Freaking. Rocked.

I just forgot to add . . .

Thank you x 444.

Thank you for:

A daughter that is thoughtful and tender.

A husband who calls me for no other reason than to say, “he misses me [at his desk at work]”
A mom who always knows the right thing to say when I’m feeling BLAH.
A friend who is ALWAYS there. No if’s, and’s, or ~~butt’s~~ but’s.
All the non-judgmental people you have placed in my life [they do make up for the other ones].
For giving me an OLDER brother. And three rockin' sisters. I just love knowing they are there.
A Dad who knows I. break. down. every. word. he. says. as. “gospel. truth”. [well, other than that Obama stuff and the animal emails he forwards] ;)
A healthy body - that’s allows me to push it & run it into the ground [and that dang, occasional puke]
A family that encourages me to be crazy. Believes in me. Never says, “why would you do THAT?”, or “I don’t get you.” What they do say, “you’ve. Freaking. Got. This.”
My enemies. Well, this one is a work in progress. But I AM trying.
Letting me whine sometimes.
Understanding and caring about things that make ME - ME.
Helping me be calmer.

THAT moment yesterday. You know, when I may or may not have felt like throwing my 5” heel. Until you reminded me, “it isn‘t worth it”
Ohhhhhhh and thanks for letting Dawn have a cell phone . . . .AND one with unlimited texting to boot. Awesomeness.
Thank you for not letting the scorpion sting me yesterday [especially, since I did take the photo when I thought he was dead].

And finally, Matty-O thanks you for Bees. For, if there were not bees, he would not have had as good of a chuckle yesterday. Heather, you BEE one rockin' woman.

Until. tonight. I'm. out.

Emz

"Like My Style" - 50 Cent

2011-08-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

So today . . .

is the first day of school. Peanut is going into sixth grade. CRAZY.

I got up extra early [ok, I meant to get up extra early]. But I did manage to crack this out before Peanut walked in:

[those 4's just make me so freaking happy!]
Then, I hurried and finished it up with the end result of this.

And some seriously [awesomely] tired legs. Ya, step-up runs . . . [my legs are coming around to the thought of loving them]

Then it was photo time.

First day of school photo time. Peanut hates this ritual. Can't really blame her.

but. it. is. mandatory.

However, I went to grab my camera and she hit me with . . .

Peanut: Mom, it's all about the shoes. Just get the shoes.
Me: [thinking . . .what in the snot rag have I created?]
Me: ya, ya but we need a full size "it's all about your happy face photo too"
Peanut: well, my shirt is pretty cool.

Then the craziest thing happened . . .

Peanut: you dropping me off or do you have time to walk me in?
Me: [holy. freaking. crap. Did I just get invited to walk her in?] you bet cha I have time.
Peanut: just promise me you won't be like *Jane's* Mom who [as she leaves says], I love you Baby. And gets all wiggy and lovey when she leaves.
Me: deal. no lovey. just a big smooch.
Peanut: mom.
Me: ya ya got it no touching

Best. Morning. Ever.

I said goodbye - she looked at me horrified. Like oh man, how it she going to say "goodbye"? hug? kiss?

I ran my hand over her back.
Ya, apparently, that was not what she wanted.
Told her I could do the running man all the way back to my car.
nope. denied.

So I just stood there looking at her. [feeling super proud, by the way].

Flashed her a "rock on" sign with BOTH hands.
Her face lit up with a huge smile.

And I heard a little mumblish-whisper of an "Iloveyoumum"

As I drove away, I saw "that Mom". You know the one. Straightening her child's hair, making her sit on the front steps of the school - looking all Pollyanna. The little girl's face was beet. [embarrassed].

It could be a lot worse my dear Peanut.

Happy Thursday!

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Do you still "get invited" to take you kiddo to school?
Did you let YOUR parents walk you in? Until what grade?

"It Takes Two" - Rob Base DJ E Z Rock

2011-08-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

Everything is coming in two's over the last TWO days.
[where's all the 4's when you need them?!]

2 - # of sleep-overs Peanut has had in the last two nights.

2 - # in dozens of cookies that have been made.
2 - hours we spent planning our "luau" party yesterday.

2 - total number of food items [rice, pork]
2 - grass skirts purchased

2 - coconut bikini tops purchased
22 - minutes spent decorating
2 - pounds of pork butt we cooked to feed the four of us. LUAU PORK. Holy. yum.

.2 - seconds after dinner was finished; it took for them to ask "Is it dessert time yet?"
2 - garbage bags needed for dessert
2 - scoops of ice cream

2 - happy girls building their creations

2 - confused looks when I said, "nope, no hands, no bowls, no spoons"

2 - seconds it took for them to totally welcome the idea.

2 - adorably messy faces

2 - times Pita said, "I can't believe you [clean freak] let them do that."

2 - shots Peanut got in her left arm yesterday.
2 - days until school starts
2 - dozen Healthy Bites I'll be receiving shortly [probably in two days] from this girl.
2 - night Pita IS "gone fishin' "
2 - days of [27 mile] pain free running. LOVE my CEP brace.
20 - miles until I hit 2,000 miles for the year

Are things happening in two's for you?
or maybe four's [to make my day]?

Happy Two's-Day!!

"New Perspective" - Panic! At The Disco

2011-08-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. ~John Lubbock

[feely post today . . . . . it's selfish . . . . it's for me to look back on from time to time]

I received a text from a dear friend of mine this afternoon. I felt a smile come across my face just seeing her name appear on my phone.

She was "checking in" with me.
Asking how I had been.
Saying she missed seeing me.
What I had going on.
What was up next for me.

I told her.

And

then asked the same of her. . . . . "How have you been?"

[Let me interject here and say . . . . if you even spent 2 minutes with this woman - - you would FEEL her strength. She is not "wishy-washy" in anything she does.

Not. a. thing.]

She then told me in not so many words of an event that had recently occurred in her life.

I immediately had huge tears in my eyes.

Yes, I was sad with and for her. [for sure]. I told her this. Asked if I could do anything & that I was here for her.

but

what moved me was her strength & her perspective.

. . . . .

. . . . . .

It's so easy to become discouraged.

Life, family, relationships, injuries, outside influences, etc.

but. our. individual. perspective. is. everything.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. ~Abraham Maslow

YTB. JB.

Garage Sale or Bake Sale? Peanut!!!

2011-08-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

So bake sale or garage sale..... Which one would you choose?

My mom said that when she had a garage sale, she had ~~only~~ recieved $20.
I bet I could get more. I mean who couldn't deny this face?!?!?

I want to make money for Catalina Island, which is a trip that the 6th graders at my school take every year.

Exept, They didn't tell us it was $500-600!!!!!

I am so mad and I cannot lie.

I mean WHO COULD AFFORD THAT?!?!
I ~~hate~~ dislike these teachers.

And as if that isn't enough it's only TWO stinking DAYS LONG!!!!!

So what do you think? Which way do you think I could earn more money from?

GARAGE OR BAKE SALE?

Put your vote in already!!!!!

What are you waiting for?!!?!!!

Hurry up!!!!!

Wasting daylight here!

PEANUT OUT.

"Opposite Of Adults" - Chiddy Bang

2011-08-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, Peanut and I found ourselves outside in 107* [but overcast - which we Arizona people LOVE]. We were "peppering". Passing the volleyball back and forth. I am loving all the progress she is making. She asked that I hit a few balls at her so she can get used to balls coming more quickly at her. [not always the lobbing back and forth].

Sadly. My "take no prisoners" mantra managed to sneak it's way into playing with my daughter. She was rocking it. So I hit harder and harder and harder . . . . until I pegged her in the chest-ish region.

She. wasn't. so. impressed.

Me: You ok? [laugh, laugh] Try to get a hand on it. Anything - so someone can play it off you.
Peanut: [looking not impressed] Mom you just creamed me.
Me: Sorry kid. [then I went on about.....as you get better...these things happen....it's okay . . .]
Peanut: [pause] I think you and I both know NO ONE I'll be playing in the next two years will ever hit anything like that at me.
Me: [feeling slightly proud , joke, joke] okay, your right. But when they do -- you're all freaking over it!

Peanut: [eyes getting big and red and..................here comes the tears]
Me: sweetheart, I am so sorry. I thought you were having fun [prior to the smack down]
Peanut: I am Mom. This isn't about how I can't breathe. [yep, her words]
Me: huh, what?

Then she let it all - ALL - out.

You see [as you may very well know] . . . I am reactive.
Peanut: 7 out of 10 times . . . .not so much.

She hears a lot. [like me on the phone or talking to other "adults"]
She internalizes even more.
She thinks she has to be strong - all the time.

T u r n s o u t . . . . a larger than smaller telephone "conversation" was over heard by her when - - I had thought she was outside. [This was almost a month ago! And just now she tells me.] She did not get this skill from me.

Sitting there in the 107* grass with her, hugging her, answering her questions [trying to any way] . . . . . reminded me of why I love being a "Mom".

The intensity of the love I feel for her. The way I hurt when she hurts. The tangible bond we share. The losses we go through together. The surprises we encounter [love surprises]. The joys we celebrate together. The horrible dance moves we share. ;) The ability to love more - then more - then --- somehow ---- even more.

She still wants to talk to me. Listen to me. Cook with me. Dance with me. Read by me. Sit by me.

And I freaking love it.
Because I want to do the same.

Life is bumpy, twisty, confusing & full of air-pockets.

This day was no exception. But it was one of the best days in my life.

We packed it in. Walked inside. Both with tears streaming down our crusty, sweaty faces. She walks down the hall and . . . . I'm overcome.

By her non-childlike behavior. Her intensity. Her beauty. Her candor. Her talents. By her heart.

As a young mom [and young wife] I used to think that struggles equalled a failure to some extent. But now I realize more and more each day that these struggles bring us together in a way a "perfect" life - never could.

To heck with looking like the "Jones's". Being "Patty Perfect" , "Church-going Cathy" or "Homemaker Helen" .

My need, my want?
To continue on with my family, my girl - - - by MY side - - - for. FREAKING. ever.

Laughing
or
crying.

Doesn't really matter.

What does matter?

That we keep moving ahead with our "seat belts" fastened.
Because life ----

--- it's a freaking awesome, wild ride.

[and guess what? we've. freaking. got. this.]

"Peanut" - Quiztow

2011-08-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

I have this awesome feature in my phone for "Notes".

No-I'm not the note-y type. Lists = yes. Notes = notsomuch.

But lately my "notes" have been taken over by a section I labeled, "Peanut Quotes" & "Peanutisms" .

[My girl at 2]
And finally,
I'm ready [and secure enough] to share. [you'll get that "secure" part in a bit].

1. Mom, why do all the people in that aqua class have saggy arms? It's like at church. There are a lot of saggy arm people at church.

2. When do I need to go see the Orthodentist?

3. [while watching Pita's basketball game I said they had "thrown the ball away"] . . Do they need me to go get it out? [of the trash].

4. I wish we could go in the Senior Citizen Lane. [HOV lane].

5. Mom, Dad just Haboobafarted!!

6. [I eat ENTIRE sunflower seeds-yes, I'm lazy] . . . Mom, that will not feel good tomorrow.

7. Mom, when you say "that's sick", it makes me feel sick. Mom's can't say anything is "sick" unless it's their child.

8. [sticks her head out the door while I'm ~~running~~ jogging fiercely in the pool]
Mom, Dad just text you saying you are "an emotiocon whore". I told him to check his spelling. [me...cracking up . . ."what?"] He meant "emotiocon STORE", I told him he needed to buy the app [shuts door].

9. I'm pretty sure you should not be letting me eat this for breakfast. [Ramen noodle cup] . . . don't judge.

My favorite . . .

10. Do you like that your butt looks like that in that bikini?

That's. My. Girl.

"Four" - Miles Davis [ Q & A ]

2011-07-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

Part 4
F o u r
4

oh. happy. day.

Aimee [Did I mention she'll be doing the IMAZ? Awesome] Asks: "Do you want Peanut to become a runner like you?"

[Made me think of this photo from a marathon back in January 2010]

I'd love that! B u t I'm thinking she wouldn't. In all honesty, I'd rather see her shine in volleyball. She's loving it and is getting better each day!

Ironman By Thirty Asks: "How/why did you come up with this writing/blogging style? I love it because it is different than any other blog I read."

Ya, know I tried writing like a real grow'd up person . . .and . . .it just didn't work out. Came out all wiggity-whack. Did I mention my sister . . .

. . . is an English major [ummmm PhD, yep, seriously] ..... ya, I'm super competitive but . . . . . I just can't compete with that.

ltlindian Asks: "I know pita is your hubby but in my neck of the woods pita is an acronym for 'pain in the a$$'. Is that where you got that nickname? :) lol"

Ummm. you. nailed. it! Funny fact - he actually came up with it for himself!! No. Joke.

"How tall are you?"

With my heels 6'1"-6'2"

Without [sad face] 5'9.7444"

"Other than gotein, gummy bears and sushi what is your favorite food?" [does she KNOW me or what! love that.]

Steak.

carrot cake.
Bread pudding.
and
I'd eat 4 pounds of mashed potatoes daily, if I could.

April Asks: "Do you use any supplements?"

Let's lay it out:

Multi-vit
Vit D
Calcium
Flax Seed/fish oil
B-12
Joint support - Glucoseawhatever

"What's your favorite running accessory?"

Arm warmers. For. sure. my arm warmers.

Char Asked [BTW, have you ever read her comments, they are freaking hilarious]: "How do you get abs like that?"

I don't see what you see Char. So funny. Denise Austin [now on youtube]. She always said [in the video {VHS} I had], "If you sit there slouched you'll have no where else to go but out. Tighten those abs!"

~~ChrisK~~ Old Fart Asks: "I have just one. Do you sometimes feel horrible for calling me an Old Fart?"

ummmm. I think I just answered that above. NoFreakingWay. I will say . . . you look less old when you are wearing this:

ok - that's all for today.

Off to a big sale [work. work. work.]

Happy FreakingHumpDay!

Q U E S T I O N :

**What the best "perk" from YOUR job?**