My Devising

weekend review - drawing trucks, athletes that start with "d," and a lucky crew

2013-06-17T14:42:00.002-05:00

I have some wonderful news. Recording for The Lockout: A Musical is finished! We are so thrilled! Colt and I went in on Thursday night and were planning to use Friday to finish up tracking.

Luckily, we wrapped it all up on Thursday and ended the night with a lovely patio dinner at Mama Roja.

Duke stayed the night with my parents on Thursday night since we assumed we'd be in the studio until at least midnight.

This meant I got to spend Friday morning doing what every mom dreams of doing - clean the house with no kids. It was glorious.

The rest of Friday was spent by the pool at my parents' house. We turned on the 90's hit radio station and enjoyed the hot, hot sun. (Who can name that 90's song??)

(The difference between Colt's artistic abilities and mine. The sad thing is that my truck at the top was my perfected attempt after trying about 20 times.)

(Colt's masterpiece)

(Let's hope Duke gets his dad's skillz.)

Our friends, Jason and Kelli, came in town on Friday night for a wedding they were attending on Saturday. It was so great to be able to catch up with them all weekend.

Saturday morning, Colt blessed us all with his delicious breakfast burritos. Jason and Kelli left for the wedding and we had a lazy Saturday morning at home. That evening, we went to my grandparents' house for a birthday get-together. Karlie snapped a shot of this little gem on the refrigerator.

(All of the cousins circa 1998ish)

We closed out the evening with a little round of Scattergories with the Gallaghers. It's safe to say my sheet will be blank anytime it deals with geography, history, or sports. However, I did write "DeMarco Murray" down for athletes that start with "D." Naturally, the only athlete I knew that started with a "D" was the exact same one Colt wrote down, so it didn't count. This is why I just leave it blank. Although Colt was impressed that I had an answer, I think his enthusiasm was shut down after I said, "But I don't really even know who he is or what sport he plays or which team he plays for. I just know his name."

On Sunday, Colt gave our cars a nice inside cleaning and Duke thought he'd help out.

I told him this seemed a little anti-Father's Day to be working on things. But he said he enjoys "taking care of his crew." We're a lucky crew, that's for sure.

I hope you dads out there felt celebrated yesterday. We all know it's hard to immediately come home from work to poopy diapers, half-made dinner, toys everywhere, and sentences beginning with "Can you ..." We appreciate you.

Hope you guys have a great week and don't forget to enter the Spartan Race giveaway!

if everyone was a runner (plus a giveaway)

2013-06-14T09:30:00.000-05:00

The world would be a better place.

Once upon a time, I didn't know how far a 5k was and I didn't even know things like marathons existed. My entrance into the running world was in 2010 when I ran my first half. That's when all those really hard runs paid off and I started considering myself a runner.

Not only do I still enjoy and find so much value in running, but I've gotten to meet, become fast friends with, and grow relationships with other people because of it.

Evan and Kelsey, two of our really good friends, happen to be runners. Evan is ridiculously fast and I kind of feel famous for knowing him. (He's also the bass player in our band.) Kelsey is also crazy fast and someday someday I will be able to run with her. (And by "run with her" I mean "run 1 mile with her.")

When I started running, these two friends were so supportive of me. It's no mystery that in the time it takes me to do a certain amount of miles, Evan can do double that amount. But that's something I love about runners. It's not just that they're encouraging. They're encouraging even when they are leaps and bounds better than you and they know it. (Evan would probably roll his eyes at this and say something like, "No, Claire. You're so great! Half marathons are tough!" See? Always encouraging.)

I met a fellow OKC blogger about a year ago and since then, we've had a few running chats in person and over Twitter. Take one look at her and you'll know what kind of runner she is - a good one. In each short conversation we've had (whether in person or online), it never fails that she finds a way to make me feel like the better runner. Which is not the case at all.

Another OKC blogger that I recently met at this little get together has also been a huge encouragement to me. I love reading her posts about running and on every one of mine, she affirms me and makes me feel like I'm doing a great job.

At my MOMS bible study several weeks ago, I started talking with a girl who was behind me in the food line. We had both run the OKC memorial, so she asked how my run was. I told her I ran the half, that I beat last year's time, but that it wasn't as awesome as I would've hoped. She nodded with a face of such understanding and commented with things like, "Well, but it did start to get hot towards the end," or "Yeah, sometimes your legs just quit and you get so tired." I told her my final time and she said, "Oh, that's great!" Then she told me that she ran the full marathon. I don't remember her time, but I do remember wanting to crawl under a rock after feeling like all of my half marathon hardships were nothing to a really fast marathon runner like her. (And, duh, I should've guessed. She was petite, lean, and had a great body. Of course she runs marathons.)

I could write a book about Colt and how he's helped me become better runner. I come back from 3 mile runs on cloud 9 because I ran a 9:30 pace and he celebrates with me. He tells me I'm a runner and he makes me feel like I'm a runner, both of which you might not necessarily believe just because you run. Sometimes you need to be told.

All of these people have listened and pushed me, in big or small ways, even though they're more experienced by a long shot. They validate me even though they've gone longer distances at much faster paces. And, to me, the nice feeling of being validated can only be surpassed by being validated by someone who is truly better than you. It also shows you a great deal about that person.

Humility seems to be the common theme that I find among runners. Because we all want the same thing: for each other to keep running. How fast or strong or awesome you are doesn't seem to be the point. It's that you run - whether it's 1 mile or 26.2 miles.

After missing my 2:30 goal for the OKC Half Marathon in April, Evan sent me a text, encouraging me in running my next half in November. Then he said, "You can get 2:30!" It meant a lot coming from someone who ran the half in 1:29:07 (yeah, I looked up your time, Evan). Y'all can do the math on that one.

So if you're a seasoned runner, keep dishing out those encouraging words to us slower folks. Us slower folks will keep encouraging the others that want to run, but just don't think they can. It's like the Circle of Running Life.

If I haven't convinced you to become a runner, then I don't know what I've done. Told you about lots of random people that you probably don't care about, I guess. But in the chance that you're feeling inspired, I have something just for you.

Spartan Race is going to give one of you a free race code to use on any open heat in any Spartan Race in the continental U.S. (And if you don't win, you can click here to get a 15% off code to use in any Spartan Race. Good news for all!) If you're not familiar with Spartan, feel free to browse around on their website and take a look at all of their events. To enter, all you have to do is comment on this post! I'll post the winner on Friday, June 21, 2013. Good luck and happy running!

that time i ran a half marathon without training

2013-06-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that time. Let's talk about it.

Mirela, Brad, and Colt made plans and had been training to run the Timberline Half Marathon around Timothy Lake. I opted out because 1 - I had just run the OKC Half Marathon a month before, 2 - I'm not that hardcore, 3 - Someone had to watch the babies, and 4 - No thanks.

The day before the race we were doing a little morning hike and Brad mentioned that he wasn't going to run it. (Cue Mirela and her persistent reasons for why I should run in his place.) I tried to fight it, y'all. But the Watsons had extra of everything - iPods, earphones, tights, sports bras, etc. I had some running shorts and my old Brooks with me so there really was no excuse. I couldn't say no. And I kind of didn't want to. Regardless of the pain I thought I knew I was about to put myself through, I knew it'd be a cool accomplishment.

This "half marathon" was actually 14.2 miles. Mirela referred to it as an ultra half marathon. And folks, everything about it was ultra.

It was a trail run. It was at a higher altitude. It was warm. It was the longest I'd ever run in my life.

For someone who likes things to be perfect when I'm running (great weather, all pavement, the right gear, a clear course, zero uphills), this was not going to be easy.

Along with all of those tricky factors, I had none of my usual gear I was used to. I wore no headband (to cover my ears ... because I'm one of those weird runners whose ears hurt when they run), I ran with Brad's Camelbak, I wore old shoes, I had to carry Brad's iPod in my hands, and maybe most importantly, I had no playlist. I jumped around from random artists - Death Cab, Frou Frou, Keane, John Mayer.

The most common issue with this trail run (like most trail runs, I assume) is falling. A guy in charge warned us that morning about watching where we plant our feet so we don't trip, slip, or roll our ankles.

These comforting words were accompanied by the realization that I might actually be the last one to finish this race. I think they only let something like 400 participants in. I crossed my fingers and thought, please let there be slow walkers.

The race was starting and because the trail was so narrow, each person ran through the start line one at a time.

I didn't plan on running with Mirela since she'd been legitimately training and the only training I'd done was literally a jog the day before from The Timberline Lodge to the parking lot. So I got in the zone and started running very slowly.

The first 5 miles, I was feeling great. I had no idea how hard my brain would have to work on a run like this. Every move had to be calculated or I knew I'd find myself with a sprained ankle. I was strategically planting my feet with every stride.

The course was a constant uphill/downhill roller coaster. The only thing consistent about it was that it wasn't consistent at all. There were also a few moments of confusion. The trail wasn't marked extremely clearly the whole way, so a lot of the time, I was just trying to stay as close to the perimeter of the lake as possible. In addition to that, there were several times when you were required to either climb/jump over or duck under huge trees that had fallen in the way of the trail. This was a bit more than I'd bargained for.

Around 5.9 miles, there was a rest station. This was a turning point. I kind of had to pee, but I've never stopped to pee during a race. Not even during a long run. But I looked at my circumstances and decided I needed as many things working in my favor as possible, including an empty bladder. So I went. I had no watch, so I had no way of keeping track of how long this stop was.

This is when apathy began to knock at my door.

I'm pretty good at being a balanced individual in most areas of my life. But then there are some things in which I am only extreme. Running is one of them. I don't stop. Ever. I am a woman of records and that is simply not acceptable.

Well, I continued on running, thinking I'd run the rest of it just like I had been. But around mile 7, it got bad. My insides were yelling at me to please take a break and walk. So I stopped.

Hello, apathy. Welcome to my 14.2 mile trail run.

Before the race began, I said something ridiculous like, "I'd love to be at the 10 mile mark by 2 hours." Isn't that precious? I looked at the clock on my iPod and realized I had been running for 2 hours and was definitely not at 10 miles.

When I saw the rest station at 10 miles, I decided to take advantage of another chance to sit on my butt. So I went to the bathroom.

And then I did something I never thought I'd do during a race.

I got my phone out and texted. Yes, like a ridiculous person, I texted Colt. But truthfully, I wanted him to know I was still alive. And I also wanted to write in all caps about how hard this thing was.

After this potty break, I walked on the trail for a bit. I felt my phone vibrate and got it out to see who it was. It was Kelsey - one of my sweet friends who is an extremely good (FAST) runner. She wanted to know how it was. Was. Oh, how I wish it was, but unfortunately, it still is.

I couldn't believe myself, but I was actually walking on a trail during a race and texting a friend. Who am I? Have I given up completely?? Yes, yes I have.

But my giving up wasn't really validated until I Instagrammed a photo during the race. This was a low point. I was now on a scenic tour of Timothy Lake. But after walking, taking potty breaks, and texting people, are there really any true expectations left?

Sometime after this Instagram fiasco, I pulled it together and found a system that worked for me. I ran anytime the path was completely flat and walked when it went uphill. This worked for awhile until during one of my walking breaks, I found myself in a daze, walking lifelessly with my Camelbak tube hanging out of my mouth. I snapped out of it and tried to maintain a few yards of running every once and awhile, but my feet were killing me. I never knew how terrible it was to run in old shoes until this race.

Somewhere in the last mile or so, there was this crazy steep uphill climb. I had to stop and catch my breath because I thought I might pass out. (When I talked with Colt later about this, he said that nobody, including him, ran up that thing. It made me feel better knowing that people who run 8 minute miles even had to walk.)

I can't tell you how badly I wanted this to be over. Some might say, "But look where you were! You should've just enjoyed the beauty around you!" Scenery schmenery. I mean, I love nature and whatever, but it didn't matter after a certain point. I was dreaming of cokes, burgers, fries, milkshakes, seeing human life.

Finally, I saw the turn to the finish line and crossed at 3:22:30.

Mirela immediately celebrated with me and made me feel like a million bucks. I crammed 2 packs of peanut butter crackers in my mouth and filled up my bag with other snacks for the drive home. It was over and I was alive and my life would go on.

It wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done. But it also wasn't the craziest thing I've ever done. (20 hours of natural labor will forever hold that title.) However, it was the most spontaneous thing I've ever done. In less than 24 hours, I went from no plans to running 14.2 miles through a forest alone. I hardly go grocery shopping with such short notice.

The soreness I experienced was unmatched by any other moment in life. I moaned and groaned with every move I made for 2-3 days post-race. I know Colt really appreciated it.

But in spite of the pain, I'm glad I did it. You should always blog about living your life rather than living your life to blog about it. But in the middle of this race, I realized this was an exception. I kept telling myself, "There's going to be a moment when I'm sitting on my couch, laughing, and writing about this." And sure enough, I was right.

weekend review - a blindfold, a birthday shower, and some flat cokes

2013-06-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

We pulled off the surprise of a lifetime this weekend by surprising Sara with a party for her 27th birthday. We invited all of her peoples from all of her different friend genres and it was a lovely turnout. Because Sara is always busy throwing everybody else the most glorious wedding/baby showers, we thought it would be quite appropriate to throw her a shower-themed birthday party.

So, all day Friday was consumed with party prep. I was in charge of invitations, gathering addresses, RSVPs, and drinks. Reese was in charge of decorations and the menu (which is a beast of a job). This party would've been extremely blah without Reese's creative touch!

(Our little helpers)

It's funny that we thought the two of us could really pull off such an event. Luckily, three of our sweet friends came early to help out and ended up totally saving our butts. We left to go get Sara while they finished all of the details.

After blindfolding Sara for the entire car ride, we walked her into my parents' home and instructed her to take it off.

She was completely surprised by the whole thing and Reese and I were absolutely thrilled. For someone who always knows everybody's business (in a good way), she actually didn't find out about this. So good job to everyone who had to lie to her for 4 weeks. That's not an easy task!

All of the fancy dishes were used, shower-esque foods were devoured, and she opened each present as we all watched.

(My sweet mama)

(Just a few of us girls that were left after the party)

After everything was cleaned and picked up, some of us reconvened for a little dinner later on that evening to continue the celebration. Sara chose Yamato and nobody opposed.

We arrived and within minutes, our cook quickly realized this was not a table to entertain with knife tricks, fire volcanoes, and yelling "butter fly" as he tossed the butter onto the grill. We had things to chat about. He cut out the nonsense and just made our food.

My favorite moment of the night was when a few of us ordered cokes and were sad to find they were completely flat. I'd say we're a pretty low-maintenance group, so the fact that we made a thing about this flat coke meant something. It was gross, y'all. Like water with a dash of carbonation and some drops of food coloring. When I drink coke, I want it to burn my eyes. (Which is probably a bad sign and would fall under the other 385 reasons not to drink coke next to "it can dissolve a t-bone steak." But we don't care. COKE 'TIL WE DIE!) Our waiter was nice and kindly brought us back some fresh cokes. Before the straws were even in our mouths, Sara said, "Ohh yeah. I can see the carbonation." We know our pop.

I went to bed on Saturday night so fulfilled. I got to celebrate sweet Sara and see so many friends that I hardly ever get to see - and certainly not all in one place together! It was such a wonderful day.

On Sunday, we did church, lunch, a 2 hour nap (that seemed like 4 minutes), and then went to the Myriad Gardens for the Twilight Concert Series. Except that once the concert actually started, we all left. Starting an event at 7:30 isn't exactly convenient for people with children. But oh well. We had a great time eating our picnic dinners and chasing our children around.

Have a happy Monday!

tsamina mina zangalewa, cause this is portland

2013-06-05T14:39:00.000-05:00

We are home from our wonderful vacation in Portland! Recapping a 10-day trip is a bit overwhelming, so I've kind of been dreading this post. But I want to record the memories, so I must press on. For all of our sakes, I'll keep it brief and stick to the highlights.

THURSDAY: Duke's first time on an airplane | our first flight with a kid | being "those people" on the plane with a toddler | arrived at the Watson home around 2:00 a.m.

FRIDAY: Duke was pretty crazy after just 5 hours of consecutive night sleep | had Porque No for lunch | Brad cooked a delicious salmon for dinner | loved chatting and catching up with the Watsons | ate the most delicious cookies ever made by Mirela | Duke sneakily grabbed a cookie from the counter and, after a long while of hearing nothing from him, we found him in Brad and Mirela's room with the door shut eating this cookie

SATURDAY: had a glorious New Seasons breakfast burrito | played in the park | walked around and ate the best pizza at the Farmers Market | Brad and Colt had a guys night and watched the game over some greasy food | Mirela and I watched Legally Blonde after the kids were in bed (p.s. it's just as awesome as I remember it)

(Thanks for the pic, Mirela.)

(Colt bought me some flowers. :))

SUNDAY: went to their church, Bread and Wine | Mirela made a tasty Sunday lunch | Mirela and I went shopping at H&M while the husbands/kids took naps | dinner at New Seasons | chatted by the fire in the backyard after the kids were in bed

MONDAY: Grand Central Bakery for breakfast (my absolute favorite) | playtime at home | grilled steaks and had a cookout with some of their friends | Duke and Norah enjoyed playing on the new play structure in the backyard | ate crepes for dinner

TUESDAY: morning at the park with coffee from Coffee Division | paninis for lunch (tell me, why do I not own a panini press?) | kids played outside | Duke became a slide pro | put kids down for bed and had some friends stay at the house so the 4 of us could have a date at Kuhn Pic's Bahn Thai (another one of my favorites)

(Dad playing the nice troll under the bridge.)

(a little Mary Poppins art in the park)

WEDNESDAY: went to Playdate PDX (giant indoor playground meets coffee shop) for the morning | had dinner with Konnor, Tana, and baby Finnick | Duke screamed, cried, and was beside himself when I got my turn to hold the baby | said goodbye to the Martins and played Scattergories after the kids were in bed (favorite round - "things you see in a park" - the letter was 'H' and Mirela wrote "help station" - one of the 359 reasons why we love her) | watched some Shakira videos and dubbed "Waka Waka" our theme song for the trip

(It's a slide!)

(Dads and kids)

THURSDAY: morning at Grant Park | Porque No for lunch (because you can't just have it once when you're in Portland), packed for our little excursion to Mt. Hood | woke the kids up from their naps and drove to the mountains | arrived at our beautiful cabin and were like little kids exploring every room | ate a dinner which consisted of all frozen food from Trader Joe's | played Scattergories and then topped the night off with a dip in the hot tub

FRIDAY: ate breakfast croissants | did a morning hike and, while on this hike, got talked into running a half marathon the next morning (much more on that later, trust me) | put the kids down for naps and attempted to put together a really hard puzzle (we all eventually got head/neck aches and stopped, or just gave up) | went up to Timberline Lodge (yes, where this happened a few years ago) for some photos | had one last night in the hot tub | packed and cleaned so we could head out the next day

(It doesn't matter where boys are. They always will toss a ball around.)

SATURDAY: did a 14.2 mile trail run around Timothy Lake (like I said, a full recap of this race will be coming soon) | felt like death and celebrated my impromptu run with a greasy burger, fries, and a coke | spent the rest of the day recovering | soaked up our last night in Portland and talked by the fire in the backyard

SUNDAY: flew back to OKC

This was our 5th time to visit Portland. (You can read about some of our other Portland adventures here, here, here, here, and here.) Each time, we fall more and more in love with that place. We love spending time with our sweet friends and getting to live life in their world for a bit.

a little rant about the billboard music awards

2013-05-22T17:17:00.000-05:00

(source)

I don't often use this blog as a ranting platform. But today, that's what it is (thanks to the Blog Every Day in May challenge).

On Sunday night, Colt and I watched the Billboard Music Awards. I was expecting all of the typical shenanigans - people who give dumb speeches, people who should wear more clothes on TV, people who are too old to be singing about being in clubs and getting with guys.

And all of that happened.

So let the rant (or my old lady-ness) commence.

Did you guys hear the dramatic quote read by J Lo before she and Pitbull performed?

"Nothing lasts forever so live it up, drink it down, laugh it off, avoid the drama, take chances, and never have regrets. Because at one point, everything you did was exactly what you wanted."
Marilyn Monroe

"The Devil is on our TV," I said to Colt. You start living your life by that motto and let me know how it goes for you. I mean, I'm all about moving on with life, not getting caught up in your past, taking risks, that kind of deal. But the last line of that quote is the perfect depiction of how our society thinks. Me, me, me. I'd hate to think that Pitbull and J Lo sparked such a deep conversation, but I was just taken back by how dark that statement was.

And then there's Justin Bieber. (I always have to look up his name to make sure I spelled it right. "i before e" still works in this case though. Good to know.) First of all, he played it WAY cool when he won whatever it was that he won. His speech was all kinds of ridiculous. He pleaded to be taken seriously. Are you kidding, Justin? Look at what you're wearing. Who else in normal life is wearing this? He even gave himself a pat on the back by saying, "I'm 19 years old. I think I'm doing a pretty good job." And then came the booing, which is completely understandable. People like Celene Dion are sitting out there and you're tooting your 19-year-old-pop-singing horn? J Biebs, your music is fun and I think you're a great singer. However, I fear that sweet little Justin we once saw in "Never Say Never" is gone. In the words of the real Justin, "Bye, bye, bye."

On the other hand, the speeches I saw from Taylor Swift were well planned and executed (since she normally gets bashed for her I'm-covering-my-mouth-while-acting-surprised-and-gasping-OMG ordeal). Good job, Tay.

At one point (or maybe a few), the commercial for "Mistresses" came on. I was sickened. There is now a whole show about cheating on your spouses all in the name of "you can't help who you fall in love with." LIES! Ask the folks who have been married 30+ years if you can help who you fall in love with. Again, the Devil was on my TV.

My last rant on the Billboard Music Awards concerns Nicki Minaj's performance. My first thought was, is this allowed on TV?? And with the song being called "High School," my second thought was, is this how high school was for her?? You want to know what I was doing in high school? Drinking Starbucks Frappuccinos. Going to church on Wednesday nights. Learning how to crochet from old ladies in an assisted living facility. Nicki, I think you're talented, but sometimes I wish you'd scale down your shock factor. Then again, I think that's kind of your goal.

Okay, I think I'm done. Rant complete.

these are a few of my favorite posts

2013-05-21T15:28:00.001-05:00

For today's Blog Every Day in May challenge, I made a list of some of my favorite posts. Here they are, in no particular order:

i'm proud to be a mom

the hope of spring

my last visit with the counselor

my favorite photo of me (plus reese and sara)

settling into the fog

i had it, i had it bad

when my dad hid the spice girls

where everybody knows your name

what i learned from giving birth

how and why i started running

Enjoy!

weekend review - recitals, fevers, and iced coffee

2013-05-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

Most of this weekend was spent trying to get Duke back to his normal self. He had a fever on Wednesday night and continued having one off and on all the way through Saturday. All day/night Friday was spent cuddling and watching "Arthur" or "The Doodlebops."

Saturday morning we had our last band practice for The Lockout. The arranging is done! Now we just need to get in the studio and record all of it.

(Phil helped Duke with some sick beats.)

My spring piano recital for my students was that afternoon.

They all did a great job! It's really fun to see them improve and have the confidence to perform in front of others. It's not easy!

Colt took Duke to the doctor on Saturday to make sure we weren't overlooking a bigger problem (ear infection, strep throat, UTI, etc.). Turns out, everything was fine. Evidently it's just this viral thing going around with a fever/cough/fatigue combination that makes for a very sad baby. Duke hasn't been difficult. He's been so chill. While it has been very sweet to get lots of cuddle time in, I just want him to feel better. But I think it's on its way out, so that's good.

I stayed home with Duke on Sunday morning since he couldn't be in the nursery. After naps, I headed to the Omega House at CRBC to sing with Karlie and Mark.

We did a little T Swift, JT, and a couple of Karlie's originals. It's always so much fun getting to make music with them. (And the Pioneer Woman's iced coffee was to die for. Thanks, Makenzie. :))

Colt and I ended our weekend by watching the Billboard Music Awards. I have way too many opinions on that thing so we'll just have to save that post for another day.

Have a lovely Monday!

my favorite photo of me (plus reese and sara)

2013-05-17T07:14:00.001-05:00

Today's Blog Every Day in May challenge is to share a favorite photo of yourself and tell why it's your favorite.

Initially, I was trying to think of a picture of just me that I liked. Of course, that's a weird question to ask yourself. My mind immediately went to all of my NOT favorite pictures of myself - like my 4th grade school picture with my exceptionally crooked teeth or my freshman in high school picture where my yellow shirt combined with my huge hair makes me look like a lion.

It was hard to think of a picture of myself that I really liked. But that was before I thought about pictures I liked of myself that had other people in them. Naturally, one of my all-time favorite pictures is with these two ladies - the infamous Reese and Sara.

This was taken at the end of our junior year of high school in the parking lot of Starbucks. (Thanks, Jolie, for being the photographer.) I'm sure this photo was preceded by us listening to "In Da Club" or talking about what we would eat next or all of the above.

We became friends in the soprano section of our 9th grade choir (before I had embraced my alto-ness) and have been inseparable ever since. We think each other are the most hilarious people we know. I could tell story after story about our ridiculousness as friends and the hilarious circumstances we always seem to find ourselves in, but this post would go on and on. So maybe I'll just write a book about it. (No, really. I'm going to.)

When I look at this picture, I want to sweetly whisper, "In less than 10 years, two of you will have babies and two of you will go nuts and have to see a counselor. Have fun!" I would've loved to hear our discussion back then about deciding who would have what.

I have no idea what prompted us to take this picture, but it is unanimously our favorite picture of the three of us. I'm so glad we captured the essence of our friendship and the freedom of the summer before senior year all in one photo.

the first piano i ever touched

2013-05-16T09:33:00.000-05:00

My parents were thrilled to have an opportunity to get their first, very own, black baby grand piano.

(Why is it that the people who deserve and will use the heck out of those things never get them until they're halfway through their life while other people simply use them as home decor? Annoying.)

I'm so excited for them. That piano will be taken care of and will get so much use in their home.

Because this piano would be living in their piano room, they had to do a little switcheroo with their other pianos. I won't bore you with the details, but the exciting part is this: I got to switch out our piano (my first piano, the one they gave us a few years ago) with their upright piano (which is nicer and has 4,970 memories attached to it). This piano was my mom and dad's first piano. It's lasted my mom all of her years and years of songwriting, piano teaching, and provided all 3 of her children with a place to practice.

This is the piano I learned on. Although I don't know this for a fact, I would venture to say that this is the first piano I ever touched with my own two sticky toddler hands.

I learned my first scale on this piano. I learned some of my most favorite pieces on this piano. I learned how to read chord charts on this piano. I learned how to sing and play at the same time on this piano. I learned how to write songs on this piano.

And now it's in my home. What a gift!

When the piano switch was made several weeks ago, I stood there for awhile in our music room just looking at it. Then I noticed the pile of music that needed to be put back into this new piano bench. I opened the bench and this is what I saw.

Immediately, tears started to fill my eyes. These were my two favorite pieces I played during my elementary years.

My dad would come home from work, sit down on the couch, and ask me to play "Touch a Rainbow." And I did. He'd close his eyes and maybe doze off for 5 minutes before the craziness of an evening with 3 kids and their activities began. I was 8 years old when I played that piece and as far as I can remember, it was my first piece to play with my hands not in a position. I felt so old and experienced as my left hand spread out over the keys.

"The Music Box" is one of those pieces that has always stuck with me. Although I've never remembered it perfectly, there have been many times in my life when I've sat down at a piano and played through the right hand line. I'll never forget that melody. I remember looking at it for the first time and thinking, "There's hardly any white on this page! No way I can play it!" But I was wrong. I could play it and I did when I was 9 years old.

The note from my mom was just the cherry on top. Moms just have that way of making you cry.

This piano represents so many things to me, but one thing that stands out is perseverance.

If I had a nickel for every time someone said they took lessons as a kid, hated it, begged their parents to quit, and now wish they would've kept going, I'd be living in a mansion, eating fancy chocolate, and watching Bravo all day long.

I can't tell you how many times I cried and asked mom to let me quit. I remember specifically that one time my excuse was that I knew what I needed to know to play the piano on my own. (I have a feeling that my college piano professor, Dr. Bell, would've sweetly disagreed with that statement.)

Perseverance is something we all need a little dose of. Period. For me, my first encounter with it was in playing the piano.

I learned that giving up doesn't ever end up feeling as good as pushing through. Even if it's painful or hard. And because I kept taking lessons and my mom kept saying, "No, you can't quit," I now have something that a price can't be put on. Playing the piano is a part of my every day life. I can't imagine my life without it. If ever my parents wondered why they were sinking all of that money into piano lessons, those doubts are long gone. They've seen me use it over and over. And besides the fact that it's something I can do, it's something that I love to do!

Because of this piano, my life is different.

a day in the life

2013-05-15T15:38:00.001-05:00

I've enjoyed reading over the writing prompts from the Blog Every Day in May challenge. I gave a little bit of advice on Day 8. Now, I share with you "a day in the life." Here's a look into a typical day for me:

I wake up around 8:00-8:15, get ready for the day (which means brush my teeth and wash my face) and make my bed. If I'm lucky, I can read/journal and do some other quiet chores before Duke wakes up.

Anywhere from 8:30-9:45, Duke will wake up. He plays for a bit while I get his breakfast together (either oatmeal and fruit or pancakes and fruit).

Yesterday, we actually went on a little donut date to change things up a bit.

After he eats, I fix my coffee and cereal.

Then it's time to run errands (grocery store, bank, walking up and down the aisles of Target while coveting, the park, etc.).

Lunchtime happens anywhere from 12:00-12:30. Then we play and read books.

Duke takes a nap around 1:45. I use his nap time to do laundry, pick up, do a DVD work out, do dishes, clean, prep dinner, blog, etc. (Obviously I don't do all of those things every day, but you get the point.)

My students arrive for lessons and Duke wakes up from his nap all at the same time. This tends to be the most chaotic part of the day.

Dinner starts getting prepared by either Colt or me (if I'm not teaching) around 5:00-5:30. We all eat around 6:00-6:30.

The hour or so after dinner is really precious to us. We cherish the nights when we don't have anything and are able to just be at home, playing in the living room together as a family of 3.

Duke goes to bed around 8:00. Colt and I pick up toys, finish dishes, and then enjoy our time together. And it's pretty much a necessity that I eat 3 of these before the night ends.

And that's a day in the life!

weekend review - parties, block letters, and mother's day

2013-05-13T15:22:00.002-05:00

On Friday night, we had some friends over for dinner and dessert. We don't see these guys too often, so we decided to take a picture.

My parents and brother came over to get Duke on Saturday morning so we could have band practice. We're arranging tunes for The Lockout: A Musical and we're almost done. It's really exciting!

After packing up and eating a quick lunch, we went to celebrate Levi's 3rd birthday. Duke loved getting to play in their backyard. A trampoline, a slide, and a swing? We clearly need to invest in some kind of backyard entertainment other than our 2 dogs who are filling the yard with hair as they shed their winter coat.

We came home after the party so Duke could take a nap and I could run to the store for some last minute Mother's Day lunch items. But once Duke woke up, we were out the door again! We went to a graduation party for a student I had at Yukon and have been teaching piano to for the past year or so. I'm so glad we were able to go. Duke, of course, loved getting to ham it up in front of a completely new audience.

From there, we went to my parents' house to eat dinner and watch the Thunder game they had DVR'd. I hate to say this, but this was the first game I've really watched all season. But when the game is on our laptop and it has to be plugged up to the TV and I have 193 other things to do, I just decide not to watch. Also, my Twitter feed is full of game commentary during the games, so I feel like I get a pretty good idea of what's going on. "I AM MAD AT THIS PLAYER BECAUSE HE DIDN'T SCORE!" But even if I don't fully grasp what's going on in the game, at least I know who the general public hates by the end of it.

On Sunday, we went to church and came back to our house for a Mother's Day lunch with my mom, dad, and brother. (Missed you, Karlie!)

I wish I would've taken a picture of all the food spread out on the table, but I was way too excited to dig in. Here's what we had on the menu: grilled chicken, salad, fresh green beans, artichoke/olive rice salad, and crescent rolls. For dessert we had angel food cake with whipped cream and blackberries. Yum. And even though there were eleventy million dishes to do, I didn't have to lift a finger. Thanks, Colt.

All of us kids gave my mom a photo she'd been wanting for awhile.

Our sweet friend, Kelsi, took a bunch of pictures for us last year. This "looking at you" picture was her idea and we were so glad she thought of it. Our mom loves "looking at you" pictures.

I got lots of sweet cards for Mother's Day along with a Dunkin Donuts gift card from my parents. They know the way to my heart.

Colt and I ended Mother's Day by eating Braum's for dinner while watching SNL from the night before. Perfect.

I had a great Mother's Day and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful mom to learn from. Having a wonderful mother-in-law and 3 wonderful grandma's is also a plus. And the fact that I'm completely surrounded by many other incredibly wonderful mom friends is the cherry on top. I love you all.

(This is obviously Colt's artwork. I would die if my life ever depended on drawing block/bubble letters.)

Of course, I wouldn't be a mom without this guy.

(He's always been a stuffed animal guy, but recently, he's been carrying 2 around at a time while snuggling them right up next to his face.)

Being Duke's mom is hard and crazy at times, but it's also ridiculously sweet and fun. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even a lifetime supply of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Nuggets with Toffee and Almonds. I'm tellin' you, my love for this guy is serious.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!

memorial half marathon playlist 2013

2013-05-10T09:23:00.001-05:00

Last year I posted my half marathon playlist and, I'll be honest, this year's playlist isn't that different. Who's going to take "Semi-Charmed Life" or "Bittersweet Symphony" or "Lose Control" off of a running playlist? Nobody with ears.

But while there are lots of repeats, there are a few new additions.

Like I said last year, this list is strategically planned. Calm ones for the first few miles and then I start sprinkling in some pick-me-ups, like "Paranoid." After that, the majority of the songs are fairly upbeat. If I remember correctly, after "Madness" I could tell I had time for one more song, so I quickly skipped to "Semi-Charmed Life." I just had to end on that.

The award for "Most Shocking Addition" goes to Pink. I don't have a problem with Pink, but I do typically have a problem with her songs. Her voice is so much better than the crap she sings. "If you're too school for cool"? Really? She's better than that. But one of her recent hits, "Try," is actually pretty decent. Decent in a I-think-I-just-might-like-it kind of way. Decent in a I-don't-change-the-station-when-it's-on kind of way. And when you're running, sometimes you just need to hear, "But just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die."

The award for "Best Addition" goes to Muse. "Madness" is one of my favorites right now and it's such a great running song. Besides, there are so many fun rhythms you can tap along with in your fingers. No? Nobody else does this while running? Blame it on my deep desire to be a drummer. I found a lonely drum set at a church my parents were singing at one time. My 4th grade self sat down and immediately played bom bom bum ba-da-ba-da-bom bum. (Some of you know exactly what rhythm I'm talking about. If you don't, just know it's the most generic thing a drummer could ever play. Besides "George, George, George of the Jungle.") But anyway, back to the song. It's really awesome and I love singing, "ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma maa maa maa."

Do you guys have any of the same songs in your running mixes?

the good and the bad

2013-05-09T15:21:00.000-05:00

Kids are crazy. They change every five seconds and I've only been parenting 18 months. Just imagine what's ahead of me!

Between teething, growth spurts, sudden likes/dislikes, tantrums, sicknesses ... you can wake up a lot of days thinking, where did my sweet baby go? Will I ever see him again?

When the hard days hit, it's really easy to forget the practically perfect ones.

This past week or so has been practically perfect and I wanted to document it.

Duke has been sleeping 14 hours each night, eating really well all day (which can be hit and miss these days in toddler land), playing happily and contently at home and in many new places, taking great 2 hour naps, obeying quickly, and laughing a lot. It just seems like all is right in his little world. He's been an absolute joy.

But flash forward to those really hard days. You know, when you're counting down the minutes until bedtime.

What is it about those tough days anyway? On a day when Duke seems to just pick at his food, I find myself thinking, he will never eat well again. Or when he seems exceptionally fussy, I think, he will never stop throwing tantrums for as long as I live. But none of that is true. He goes back and forth every day, just like I do.

I know not everyone has a blog and not everyone loves writing in a journal, but for this one thing, I'd find something. I've found it really helpful to record both the good and the bad days of this parenting gig.

Why the bad days? Remembering the bad days helps us do two things. One, it enables us to relate with people in all stages. We can be real. When I see an exhausted first-time mom of a newborn, I can immediately go back to that and jump in with her. I don't have to say, "Well, 18 month olds are really fun so you just wait!" Maybe for some that's an encouragement, but when I was a new mom, I wanted people to get me. Remembering the hard parts allows us to help people. Two, remembering the bad days makes those wonderful days even better. We're able to appreciate the easy days so much more.

On the flip side of that, remembering the good days is necessary too. If we truly take in those days when everything just seems to be going well, we'll be in a better place when the hard days come. Remembering the good stuff helps us brush off the bad.

Right now, I'm just soaking in the sweet 18 month-ness of Duke. I'm loving this age! One thing I can say with confidence about this whole being a mom thing is this: the good always outweighs the bad.

my real half marathon training schedule 2013

2013-05-08T15:46:00.001-05:00

I decided at the beginning of my training this year that I would record every run/workout I did and at the end, I'd post it for all of you to see. Not to show how awesome I am; actually the opposite. I want to prove to you that training for a half marathon really doesn't take as much time out of your week as you may think. Also, you don't have to be a "natural athlete" to run 13.1 miles. Anybody can do it!

(By the way, wherever you see an "S," that means I ran with the stroller. Also, my times for each run are listed in the parentheses.)

Lots of blank spaces, huh?

Here are the responses I'm expecting:

You're lying. And I'm not, I'm really not. Ask the blue piece of paper that was stuck to my fridge for 21 weeks. Ask my husband. It's all 100% true.

But you were an actual runner before those 20 weeks and I'm not. Sure, but do you remember how often I was running prior to those 20 weeks? Like never. Yes, I've been officially a "runner" for probably 3.5 years now, but the months leading up to training, I was not consistent.

Wow, if you can do this, anyone can. Ding, ding, ding! That is the correct response! So, no more excuses. No more "I don't have time" or "I'm just not a runner" or "I can't run longer than 5 minutes" or "But you don't understand." You have time, you can be a runner, you can run for way longer than 5 minutes, and I do understand. So get out there and run! (And then tell me about it because it'll make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside if this post inspired you.)

I'll leave you with this. These are my two pieces of advice on training for a half marathon:

1. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK. Don't be so hard on yourself. If you miss a run here and there, that's fine! If you notice, my Sunday slots are blank next to "what I actually did." That's because that's what I did. Nothing. I never stretched and I never strengthened on Sundays. Shame on me, I know.

2. JUST DO SOMETHING. On week 13, I was going to run 7 miles. But you know what happened the night before my long run? I got in bed around 9:30 p.m. to get in a good amount of sleep. Then it took me 2 hours to fall asleep. Then I woke up several times throughout the night to random noises in the house. It was so annoying and Colt totally had to pay for it. (It's a really special talent we wives have - blaming everything possible on our husbands even when it has absolutely nothing to do with them.) Anyway, it was bad, I was mad, and there was no way 7 miles was going to happen at 6:30 a.m. So that morning, I got up and did my 23 minute DVD of Slim in 6. Totally not the same as running 7 miles, but at least I did something. And you know what? That's the theme of exercise in my opinion. Just do something.

Have I totally convinced you to run a half marathon now??

letters to duke - 18 months

2013-05-07T08:45:00.002-05:00

April 22, 2013

Dear Duke,

These past 2 months have been absolutely full of precious moments. I've enjoyed watching you learn and figure out so many new things.

You love carrying keys around and holding them up to doorknobs to unlock them. Your dad and I found this incredibly fascinating since we never really unlock/lock doors that way. One of your new favorite activities is to go stand in this corner of our living room. Once we say, "3-2-1-blastoff," you run out from the corner, slightly bent down with your hands behind you. You love it!

The amount of language that you understand is just mind-blowing to me. We can ask you to put your drink on the table or go find a specific toy and you'll do it! You intentionally say these words and know exactly what they mean: mama, dada (or daddy), hot ("ha"), cold ("co"), hi, bye, no, dog, go, gee ("again"), dah (which means "please" based on your sign language), shoe, and cookie. Sometimes I'll ask you to repeat sounds or words after me and you can do it. When you're really excited (usually about eating) you'll say, "nah-no, nah-no," over and over. Another one of your favorite phrases to say is, "goo goo goo GAH," with "gah" going up really high at the end. You also pick up on little cues - like when we start whispering, you'll whisper too. Your dad and I think it's so cute!

We can't talk about "going" or leaving the house until we are ready to walk out the door. Otherwise, once you hear the word "go" you run straight to the door, hold the doorknob, and yell "go! go! go!"

You love playing the drums and every Sunday after church, it's pretty much a requirement that we take you up to play the drums on stage. You and Cooper have a great time doing this together. You love humming and just this past week, you sang for the first time! Duke, I almost passed out from experiencing so much cuteness. Yes, you've been singing intervals of a 3rd (so-mi) for many months with songs like "Round and Round" or "Rocking, Rocking." But this was the first time you actually followed a melodic line! I was playing "Twinkle, Twinkle" and you were sitting on my lap. Out of nowhere, you decided to start singing. My heart nearly exploded hearing your sweet little voice sing. I wanted to cry, scream, and laugh all at the same time!

I'm so glad the weather is getting nicer because you love playing outside. You play with sidewalk chalk, blow bubbles, and carry sticks around. You are still fascinated with airplanes and say, "bye," to them as they fly by. The dogs love when you come out to play. Bagheera especially loves playing with and licking you.

You love people are always such a ham, but you've started a new thing. If you're not quite sure about someone or just aren't in the mood to be friendly, you say, "no, no," to them while flapping your hand (as if to say, go away). Secretly, I think it's really funny.

We introduced the concept of time out to you. When you have to go to time out, we take you over to the area by the front door. We sit you down and talk with you about what you did wrong. After you sit still for 30ish seconds, we grab your hand and walk with you out of time out.

You sleep 12 hours at night with an occasional 13-13.5 hour night. You take one afternoon nap that lasts 2-2.5 hours. You're still a pretty good eater, but we've experienced more difficulty with eating these past couple months. One day you'll love something and the next day you'll hate it. With lunch and dinner, I try to put 3-4 things in front of you to give you options. You're always a good breakfast-eater no matter what which is nice. Finicky eating definitely comes in phases though. I know I can just wait a few days and then you'll eat everything in sight.

But really, we don't have to worry about your eating because it's obvious that you're still growing like crazy! At the doctor, you weighed 26 lbs. 6 oz. (77th percentile) and were 34 in. long (92nd percentile). As far as teeth go, you got 3 molars in at the same time around 16.5 months. It was miserable for all involved. It seemed like those teeth would never come in, but they finally did. Right now you have 4 molars, 4 front teeth on top, and 4 front teeth on bottom.

We introduced you to the idea of dipping foods into sauces like ranch, honey mustard, and ketchup. Because I wanted to avoid the mess of you sticking your whole hand in a pile of sauce, I came up with a little something we say when we dip. We say, "boop, boop, boop," to encourage just little, tiny dips into the sauce. So far, it's worked pretty well! Sometimes when there isn't any sauce in front of you, you'll say, "boop, boop, boop," as a way of asking for some.

There are two funny things you've done the past couple of months that I feel like are worth mentioning. When we're in the bathroom together, you'll get the toothpaste out of your dad's drawer. You'll touch it at the tip and then pretend to rub something in your hair. The first time your dad and I saw you do this, we laughed so hard! We're not sure where you picked up on this. Maybe you think it's a hair product? Either way, it's really funny. Another thing is that one of your crib sheets has blueberry stains on it. (One night you threw up blueberries when you were teething like crazy.) Almost every morning when I come in to get you, you sit up, point to the stains, and say, "no, no, no, no," to them.

We still are reading lots and lots of books. One day I tried to read "The Giving Tree" to you and started crying after just a few pages. Oh, Duke, I want you to know how much I would give and do for you. You are worth it all. I am constantly taken back by how deeply I love and care for you. It's an incredible gift to be your mom.

Hearing you call your dad and I by name is the most beautiful music to our ears. I love the way you cling to me in new environments or run to me the second I pick you up in the nursery. The times you gladly obey me when I tell you to do something give me such joy. I could listen to you giggle on repeat. Watching you pick up the laundry I dropped and bring it over to me makes my heart melt. Duke, I hope you know I could go on and on about you. Forever.

It is such a blessing to watch you grow up. We are so thankful that God gave you to us. I love you so much, sweet baby.

Love,
Mom

weekend review - my ryan lewis voice, a hotel getaway, and nap hair

2013-05-06T15:26:00.004-05:00

Karlie and I got to lead music for Heritage Baptist Church's women's retreat this past weekend in Norman. The week leading up to the retreat, I had been sick-ish. I wasn't legitimately sick, so I guess it was allergies? I had a really sore throat and runny nose for several days. Last Tuesday, I could sing a B - the octave below middle C. And although I could do a really great Ryan Lewis impression while singing, "Like the ceiling can't hold us," I needed my voice to be back to normal for the retreat. Thankfully, I woke up on Friday and felt pretty good. It wasn't 100% back, but I sounded a little more like myself.

We did a session on Friday night and then grabbed some ice cream with some of the ladies. I love a good cup of ice cream, but I also couldn't wait to get back to the hotel.

(Our goodie baskets provided by HBC)

Sprawling out in that hotel bed and falling asleep to the TV was such a luxury. Karlie was maybe a bit worried about my mental state after declaring, "Ohhh, this is sooo funnnn!" after every little thing I did in that hotel room.

We woke up on Saturday, had a little breakfast, and then did session #2.

For lunch, we went to Local in Norman. I'd heard so much about it and really wanted to try it out. It did not disappoint.

And guess who our waitress was? Samantha Crain. She's a fellow OBU alum who's moving on up in the world with her music. (You can listen to her here.)

We did the last session and packed up to head back home. It was a nice little 24-hour getaway and I loved getting to be with Karlie.

I was definitely glad to see this guy though.

(This was Duke's post-nap hair on Friday afternoon.)

On Saturday night, Colt and I were sitting on the couch, watching Duke play, and wondering what the heck we were going to make for dinner. But in perfect timing, Mark showed up at our house to pick something up and asked us to come over for dinner. He grilled burgers, made baked beans, and I threw some potatoes together. It was so fun and so yummy.

On Sunday after church, we went to Scholotsky's with Sara, the Suarezes, and our friend Kent who was in town. I just love seeing the kiddos together. Especially during meal time when they're strapped to a chair and have choice but to interact. Cooper and Duke had a great time shaking their heads like crazy people for a good chunk of the time. Camryn didn't participate, but she did steal Cooper's big boy drink whenever he wasn't watching. That Camryn Suarez is a feisty one!

I think today marks the downhill slide of the busiest 3ish weeks of my life post baby. I love to be busy, but I also love to stay in my pajamas until 3 p.m. every once and awhile. Looking forward to doing that soon. Have a great week!

lush blow dry bar

2013-05-02T08:04:00.000-05:00

I told you that last weekend we celebrated Reese's 27th birthday. The big surprise to kick the evening off was a visit to Lush Blow Dry Bar. I asked a hair friend of mine (remember Brittany?) if she could style our hair for our night out. She informed me that she had recently moved to Lush and could get us appointments there. Of course, I said yes!

We told Reese prior to her birthday celebration that the one requirement for the night was that she needed to put her hair up in a bun. She responded with, "Well, then do I need to wear specific shoes too?" She was confused. Mission accomplished.

What we didn't realize is how nice it would be to get ready for an evening out without having to do our hair. You guys, do you know how long it takes me to put clothes on and throw a bit of mascara on my lashes? Like 4 minutes. (That is, if my clothes are picked out.)

We walked in and Reese was so excited to find out we would be getting our hair done. We each have very difficult hair for very different reasons. Sara's hair is crazy long and crazy thick. Doing her hair is a workout. Although Reese's hair is curlier than mine, we both have coarse, wispy-ish hair. One drop of humidity and it shrivels back up into its original wave or curl. Having someone do our hair is a huge gift.

We each got the full blow out which includes a shampoo, blow dry, and style. We had a great time chatting it up while the wonderful Lush ladies were hard at work.

Not inspired yet? Check out the photos below. These "before" pics were taken by Reese and I on separate occasions after blow drying our hair. I think we both looked at ourselves in the mirror and thought, this must be documented.

If you go to Lush, these ladies will blow dry your hair and it will look styled before a curling iron even touches it. I don't know how they do it. After you get a blow out at Lush, you'll wonder why you've ever been allowed to operate a blow dryer.

The "after" pics were taken after the blow out and styling. But I think Brittany spent a total of 5 minutes (or some other ridiculously small number) actually curling and styling my hair. The money is in the blow out, y'all.

Here's one last before and after:

Now I need to figure out an excuse for Colt to let me go again.

(Not only do they offer drinks and snacks, but they have a charging station for your phone. Details, details.)

Lush is located in Nichols Hills Plaza. Their grand opening is next Thursday, however, they are taking appointments now. Check out their website for more details on what styles and little extras they offer. Also, scroll down to the bottom of their website and you can enter to win a year of free blowouts.

By the way, this is not a sponsored post. I just had such an enjoyable experience that I wanted to share. I hope some of you will try it out!

memorial half marathon 2013

2013-04-30T08:32:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning, I woke up exhausted. I'd probably only slept a total of 30 minutes the night before due to my sore/itchy throat. This wasn't a good way to start the day. But because running is practically 100% mental, I put my running stuff on, laced up my shoes, and ate my pre-race breakfast (a cliff bar and a banana).

We arrived downtown around 5:45 a.m. We huddled together to fight off the teensy chill in the air and before we knew it, we were crammed into the crowd of the start line. I looked over and happened to see my MOMS bible study teacher. So I got one last pre-race photo.

If you're a legit runner, the first part of the race is a real drag. You spend your energy trying to get around the massive amounts of people that are slower than you. But if you're a not-as-legit runner like me, the first part of the race is pretty relaxing.

At mile 3, I felt very settled. My pace was consistent and I was on my way to accomplishing my first goal in the race: finish the first 5 miles within an hour. At mile marker 5, I looked down at my watch and it said 57 minutes. Yes!

By mile 6, I felt great. Then, I saw Sara at her usual spot on Western and got an extra boost of energy. Seriously, you people that cheer, make signs, sit on your porch drinking coffee, track us on your iPhone apps, hold out your hands to give high fives - all of you are important. And we all love you.

(Side note: Sara was in her spot at the race talking to Reese on the phone who was at home tracking my bib number. Quite a pair of best friends I've got. :))

I was relieved to have hit my 5 mile goal earlier than planned because around mile 9, I started getting tired. I felt my legs getting heavier and I was frustrated that I felt this way before even getting to mile 10. But luckily, I made my second goal in the race: finish 10 miles by 1:55. I was on my way to demolishing my previous year's time.

But after that, something just switched off. It got so incredibly hard. I can blame it on the sun coming out or my lack of sleep or my sore throat. But no matter what the cause, I was slowing down. Way down.

I was pushing as hard as I could and I felt like there was nothing left in me. I kept running and when I finally saw Broadway up ahead, I was relieved. Like last year, I knew that if I wanted to beat my previous time, I needed to pick it up. It took my legs awhile to receive this message from my brain. I turned onto Broadway and it wasn't until I saw the word "FINISH" that my legs started moving faster.

I crossed the finish line and with an average pace of 11:46, my final time was 2:34:15.

My lofty goal for this half was 2:25 and my real goal was around 2:30. If I would've just bumped my pace up to 11 minutes at mile 10, I could've finished under 2:30. If, if, if. I've been running these "ifs" through my head ever since the race ended. Even though I finished 2 minutes and 33 seconds faster than last year, I was slightly disappointed. Yes, I definitely wanted to beat my time last year, but I was hoping to shave off more than that. Part of me thinks I could've pushed harder and part of me thinks I pushed as hard as I possibly could. Either way, it has driven me to run another half. And not just my annual OKC Memorial half. I mean, soon. I want to prove to myself that I can do it in 2:30. Right now, the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa is in my gaze. I will conquer!

But more than PRs and sore muscles, I'll come away with something unique this year. In the minutes it took me to approach the finish line, it felt like I did hours of thinking. The sides were packed with spectators. People were here to celebrate friends, family, and complete strangers even though this very scene was full of tragedy just 2 weeks before. People refused to be cornered by the senseless acts of two young guys. Fear would not define them. It really was inspiring. In that moment, I was so proud to be a runner and an Oklahoman.

Any other fellow OKC Memorial marathoners out there? How was your run?

weekend review - a play date, a hairstyle, and a half marathon

2013-04-29T15:42:00.003-05:00

This past weekend started off with a little play date on Friday morning.

(Look at all those crazies.)

On Friday night, Sara and I took Reese out for her birthday extravaganza.

We started off at Lush getting our hair blown out and styled. (I'll post much more about all of this later including some crazy before/afters!)

Next up was Will's Lobby Bar, Musashi's, and, last but not least, Cuppies and Joe. We had so much fun celebrating Reese's 27th birthday. We ate until we couldn't breathe and we laughed until we couldn't breathe. That pretty much equals the perfect night for us.

The only not-so-perfect thing about the night was that the one time we've ever gone to get our hair styled together was the time that it poured rain (and some hail). And if you know anything about our kind of hair (which is the kind of hair that must remain in dry, wind-less places to remain in its perfect state), you know it did not outlast the precipitation. Our waves came back full throttle by the end of the night. But you know what? At least we weren't the ones that had to fix our hair that day. At least we have that.

We topped off the evening at Reese's house by watching some clips of Ellen and almost every one of the Pentatonix videos available on Youtube. It was a lovely night.

On Saturday, I woke up, ran errands, went to a baby shower, and spent the rest of the afternoon with Colt. He dropped Duke off in Stillwater earlier in the day. So we got to leisurely get ready, pick up our house, and head downtown to grab our race packets and enjoy a bit of the Arts Festival.

We went to dinner at Joey's Pizza with some of our friends (and fellow half marathoner) to get all carbed up for the race. So hardcore.

Actually, not that hardcore because we went to Kaiser's right after for shakes. We like to run, but we also like to eat.

That night, I had the worst possible pre-race sleep ever. My throat was really itchy and sore, keeping me from falling asleep. I might've slept a total of 30 straight minutes. Not an awesome start to my race day.

I'm planning on doing a whole post dedicated to all of the details of the half marathon, but for now, I'll give you a brief synopsis. The weather was great, I finished, and I beat last year's time by a little over 2 minutes.

After a nice day of resting, Colt's parents brought Duke back home to us. I missed my boy, but he sure had a lot of fun at Mimi and Pappaw's house!

(Duke and Uncle Brandon)

(The future Mike Morgan?)

(Loved being reunited with this guy.)

Have a great week!

norman music festival 2013

2013-04-26T14:53:00.002-05:00

Last night, Karlie and I got to play at Norman Music Festival.

Within the past year-ish, we've tried to make more of an effort to sing our music. We were excited to find out that we'd get to play at the Tres Cantina indoor stage. We did 45 minutes of original stuff and had a great time!

Here's a little clip of our last song of the night, "Pinocchio," written by Karlie.

If you want to listen to more of my/our music, check out the My Music tab at the top of my blog.

Well, the next time I click "publish" on a blog post, I will have completed my 3rd half marathon. Praying for pretty weather, strong legs, and that I won't need to use the bathroom. (And we all know the third thing is the most important.) Y'all have a great weekend!

weekend review - retreats, encores, and hgtv

2013-04-23T08:44:00.002-05:00

Colt spent the weekend at Hazak, our church's men's retreat, so I decided to move in with my parents for the weekend. They watched Duke for me so much that it ended up feeling like I was on a retreat myself.

Friday night, Mark and I drove to Shawnee to play/sing with Karlie for her Senior Encore performance. There's just nothing like making music with your family.

There's also nothing like Van's Pig Stand. Yum.

Any time I'm back on the OBU campus, I enjoy it so much. I just love that place.

(The inside of Ford Music Hall - not to be confused with the inside of the The Titanic.)

Sara and Reese also came. (Because not only do they come to everything I do, but they come to everything my sister does. They're that great.)

We all went out to Bricktown Brewery (Yes, in Shawnee. I was just as confused as you are.) afterwards and had laugh after laugh after laugh.

I got in late to my parents' house, quietly stepped as I went upstairs, and peeked in on my precious sleeping boy. It was such a lovely night.

The smell of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs woke me up on Saturday morning. (Thanks, dad.) After breakfast, I spent the rest of the morning watching HGTV (a true luxury for a girl with no cable) and playing with Duke.

That night, a few of us went over to Tally's for a girls night since all of our husbands were gone. We ate Big Truck Tacos followed by Starbucks and a nail painting session.

On Sunday afternoon, Colt got home. However, he had to leave just a couple hours later to go lead music and teach in the youth service. After that, we finally got to catch up and talk about our weekends.

We have a ridiculous week ahead. I told Colt yesterday that I think this will be the busiest week of my life since becoming a mom. I probably won't be blogging the rest of this week so I wanted to remind you about Thursday night. Karlie and I are playing at Tres Cantina in Norman from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. as part of the Norman Music Festival. Come out and hear us!

18 month old nap issue

2013-04-18T07:58:00.001-05:00

(Grainy, but that's real life, yo.)

Naps.

For those of you in the work force, this is a stay-at-home mom's version of a "lunch break." This is the one time we don't have to "work." (And by "work," I specifically mean doing things with/for our child. Because we all know there are dishes to unload, floors to pick up, beds to make, showers to take, and laundry to fold. Always.)

So what happens when nap time doesn't go as expected?

Mama gets mad.

I will say, we have been blessed. Duke has been a really good sleeper from the beginning. He slept 7-8 hours at night around 7-8 weeks. He didn't drop his 3rd nap until he was 10 months. He moved to one nap at 15 1/2 months. In the world of sleeping, he's pretty "by the book." This is NOT to say that we didn't have days of frustrating naps or 45-minute intruders or whatever else there is. We have had bad days, for sure. But for the most part, Duke loves his sleep.

The trick with the stage he's entered into now is that he's taking one nap. That's all we've got, folks. While I still stand by the belief that one nap a day really is nice, it does feel like the pressure is on.

The issue isn't that Duke will be a monster if he doesn't get the perfect amount of sleep. Actually I've noticed the past few months that if he gets a longer/shorter nap, it doesn't really influence his level of fussiness. It seems that he can be as fussy or as content as he chooses to be. Welcome to toddler-hood, I suppose.

The issue is that mama doesn't get a break. Or as long of a break as she might have wanted.

Around the time he went down to one nap (2 1/2 months ago), he went through a lengthy phase of sleeping 13 hours at night and 3-3.5 (sometimes 4!) hours during his afternoon nap. For the past 2-3 weeks, he's been sleeping closer to 12 hours at night (which is fine) and taking a 2 (YES, TWO!) hour nap.

I mean, 2 hours is nice. Sure, it's an acceptable nap. I realize it could be worse. But when you're expecting 3 hours, 2 hours makes you start questioning your life and purpose here on this earth.

I'd be fine with accepting this as our new normal, however, Duke doesn't seem to be satisfied either. Rather than waking up happy and talking in his bed, he cries. So to me, it doesn't seem like he's gotten the amount of rest he needs. And trust me, I give plenty of time for him to calm down and fall back asleep, but it just doesn't happen.

Two days ago, I actually thought about running into his room, shouting, "Go back to sleep!" and then slamming the door. Mom of the year, y'all. Luckily, my logic caught me before I acted like I was 13 years old.

Instead, I texted Kelsey. Because when you feel crazy and think the mental asylum should take you away, you have to text people. It's your lifeline.

In summary, I have no idea what's going on. Here's what I do know:

I've tried multiple temperatures in our home.

I've tried multiple outfits to sleep in.

I've tried multiple kinds of blankets.

I've tried multiple start times for this nap spanning 1:00-1:30 and occasionally 1:45. Pretty sure it's not a start time issue. (Although yesterday I put him down at 1:45 and he slept 2 hours and 15 minutes. I'll take and 15 minutes any day. I'm going to try this again today and see what happens.)

We did recently get rid of the sleep sack during nap time, but he had several successful naps without it before this craziness started. So I'm pretty positive it's not that. (And even if that was the issue, the sleep sack is still bye-bye. It's getting hot outside and his feet had poked holes through the bottom of it. It's time.)

All of that effort for just one extra hour of sleep? Yes.

In mom world, it's easy (and relieving) to just blame issues like this on growth spurts or teething. But my gut tells me it's neither.

So while this unsolved mystery continues, I have some questions for you. Help a mom out, moms!

Did your 18 month old ever go through a weird nap phase? What did you do? What time was/is nap time for your toddler? How long does his/her nap typically last?

the boston marathon

2013-04-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

(source)

I was typing up my weekend review yesterday and then suddenly, my Twitter feed was filled with what happened at the Boston Marathon.

My natural reaction to this was to jump forward 2 weeks to the OKC Memorial Marathon. What if something happens there? What if it's not safe? It's amazing how quickly fear can settle in. Not only does Satan work in terrible ways, convincing people to do terrible things to innocent people, but he loves the way it automatically instills a sense of fear into all who are watching. How he longs for us to be scared.

After hushing all of those questions in which I can do absolutely nothing about, I thought about this post. Again, my prayer is that God is so near to all of those affected by the deep sadness of yesterday - the parents of the precious 8 year old who died, the children who are praying that their parents are going to be okay, the friends who watched it all, the people who are forever changed.

I also am praying for the mental state of all involved. Some people walked away from that marathon with minds filled with fear and horror. Some will always remember this day as the beginning of feeling afraid. Some will spend the rest of the year dreading the anniversary of it. I pray healing over those people. And that they will seek the help they need and, ultimately, allow the power of God to pour hope back into their lives.

As I read Twitter yesterday, I noticed a couple snarky tweets that were a bit unneccessary. Like the fight over whether humanity is good or bad. It amazed me that people felt it was the time to argue about how others perceive the world after experiencing such darkness. People should grieve in the way they need to grieve. In my opinion, it's all of the above.

I saw the heroes of yesterday and my heart was warmed. I thought if this happened here in OKC, I hope to be one who would run to help someone in need. I'm so thankful for people who truly care for others and, when it comes down to it, choose to put themselves last.

I also saw the darkness of this earth and the tragedy of senseless evil upon innocent people who were merely supporting their friends/family, running for a cause, volunteering out of the generosity of their hearts, or celebrating a typically joyous day in Boston.

At the end of the day, the only thing we can count on is putting our hope in the Lord. He is the only thing that will not fail us.

Today, I rest in this:

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

GIVEAWAY WINNER: firmoo sunglasses

2013-04-16T08:31:00.000-05:00

The winner is ...

MIRELA

You won a pair of Firmoo sunglasses! Please email me at claire.l.westbrook(at)gmail(dot)com to officially claim your prize.

To the rest of you who entered, please email me at the same email address listed above to claim your 30% off coupon for Firmoo sunglasses.

For all participants, please contact me within 24 hours so I can get you your prizes in a speedy fashion.

Thank you all for entering!