A Little Side Note and something on RUNNING!

I am probably breaking every rule of blogging by combining my adoption blog with my regular, write about life blog, BUT it is hard to separate because in my world, there is no separation. My days consist of the regular- raising kids, homeschooling, reading books, cooking meals, running, AND my days consist of the constant thought running through my head, "we are adopting a little boy, what do I need to do..."A list goes through my head, prayers are raised for this little man we long to bring home, and I go back to life, normal, here life. It all happens as I change diapers and vacuum floors and move about my day. Hamilton has become a part of our world already as my children make remarks... David says, "I miss Hami, I hope he is having a good day at his house today." and Verity with every picture she makes, "This one is for Hami, he is my BEST friend!" They recognize his picture and we pray for him as a family. It has become part of our world, HE has become part of us already, so maybe it seems strange to me to separate him from this blog, this little part of my world, because he is so much already a part of the rest of my world. AND all these things, the regular life, the adoption stuff, it all involves loads and loads of coffee and imagining I can sit and share it with friends at a coffee shop (Hence the Cafe au Mommy)-- the coffee shop is preferably on a cobblestone street somewhere in Paris!

Anyways, this post is supposed to not be about adoption because like I said life is still going here. One of the things I have been SO thankful for lately is the ability to run. I am certain I have more of an appreciation for it since not being able to run for over a year. I am also thankful for the community that it provides. There is something about running with other women before the sun comes up in freezing cold weather with no make up on and sweating and suffering together that provides a bond like no other. This morning it took everything in me to get up and run. I was actually texting my friend to cancel when another friend texted to say she wanted to join us. I thought, no way can I let them suffer alone, so I deleted my text and said, "Yes, we are running! Come!" That was at nine o'clock last night, we were a half an hour from home and had to still drive home and get kids ready for bed. It was after eleven thirty when I laid down to sleep, my alarm set for 5:30 in the morning. At 5:33, one of the women again texted to say she was skipping, the radar looked like rain. But at this point I was already up and my other friend was meeting me, so I got on my running clothes and drove to our meeting point, hoping if it did do something it would at least snow. Oh, where did the 75 degree sunny days of last weekend go! It is snowing and sleeting and freezing today! The wind was cold, the air was cold. But we met to run. And as we were getting ready to run we saw another woman running by herself. Someone my friend knew. She yelled, "Hey, want to join us?!?!" "Sure," she said. And off we went. And for the next forty minutes in the dark and freezing cold we rain. And I got to know this other mom in my city. We ran on dark, now becoming familiar paths. The kind that are actually more familiar in the dark than the day because that is when I see them the most. And the three of us talked about being moms and running and life. When I got home and had gotten everyone breakfast, made pumpkin bread, taken out the garbage and drunk some coffee I went in and woke up my husband and said, it is eight o'clock and I have run 4.5 miles, made pumpkin bread, fed kids, taken out the garbage AND already made a new friend, what a great start to a day. I had another friend comment how I already know way more people than she does in town. And I thought, it is because I run. There is something SO great about the community of runners. And I am SO thankful for all my running friends, new and old!

31 Days of "Things I have Learned from my children." Running makes me a better mom

My ears sting from the cold and my hands are a bit numb. My feet in rhythm, striking the ground as the world is flying by and I am doing something, moving forward.  So far from the normal rest of my day which involves cleaning, cooking, changing diapers, REPEAT and no forward motion ever seems to be made, just a circle that I get back to, to start again. Most of the world is asleep, but I am awake, alive, my mind clearing for all the to do's that lie ahead. But for now, I am free. I am running.

And running, I have learned makes me better. I am a better mom (and wife) because I run. It may be that I could be better with some other sport or activity. In fact, I am pretty sure it would. But for now, for this time in my life, running works. I can run whenever there is a spare moment or before the moments of the day have even started.

My mornings work better. My time is more organized. Some days I run with friends. Words exchanged with the only grown up I see all day. And sometimes I run by myself and I can plan for all that needs to bed done, OR I can just dream about life, OR I can just think of nothing for miles. And I get to make that decision myself.

Those days, the ones I run, are usually the days my patience stretches a little longer. Those are the days, my "to dos" get checked off a little quicker. And I feel strong, ready to take on whatever the day holds. Some days, when I have not slept at all, and morning has come too quickly, I still get up and run. Because I know, the day will be better if I do.

Just recently my four year old took off on his two wheel bike, and this new found freedom has allowed for me to do something I have not done since my oldest was a baby, nine years ago. I have started running with them. They hop on their bikes, the two year old in a jogging stroller and we go, running faster than I would by myself to keep up with the energy of children ready to go! And I get to share part of my world with them, my running world. And they get to see me in part of my world that was always a secret, the one that happens before their sleepy eyes are even awake. They stumble out of bed curl up in my lap and ask, "How was your run mom!" I love that they know I run. And I love that they get to be part of that  world sometimes now, when life is maybe a little extra hard, and a second run is necessary, or the morning got a way from me and I missed the run. They join with me.

But sometimes it has to be just mine. Still my time, to restore in the wee hours of the day.

And so I run, knowing I am a better mom because I do.

Things I Love Thursday (Running)

Well, since I have only been really writing this blog regularly for the past three weeks and this is my third post on running, I think it suffices to say that I LOVE RUNNING! And, I have a goal to run the Chicago Marathon next Fall. So, I thought I would justify my love for running by listing things that make running good!

1. When I am about to scream because my house needs cleaning, my kids need feeding and things are not going my way BUT it is 7am (my usual time to run -- although somehow this has changed to 5:00am -- see #5) I get to go without having to justify, and somehow life is a lot clearer afterwards. (or maybe I just can't yell because I am out of breath)--either way it works!

2. Some nights I really need a piece of chocolate, glass or two of wine, chocolate chip cookie, etc. On days I run, I really do not feel guilty about one of these things, and even on days I don't run, I just run a little more/faster the next time.

3. I can say that I have actually accomplished something -- "I ran 6 miles, in 54 minutes. " One of the only things I actually COMPLETE in my life, other things like dishes always need doing, there is always laundry to do and toys to clean up -- they are never COMPLETE!

4. It is one of the only things I can do that I am completely alone doing, and it is OK.

5. I do not have to be completely alone, I have made some of my best friends running, and am always making new friends running. There is camaraderie in running, I may not ever have taken the time to get to know someone because our lives are different, busy, full, etc. BUT then we run together. And there is just something about running 8 miles in a snowstorm just for training sake that makes you feel like this person is your favorite person and you will be friends forever!

6. I get to run with my girls. This Fall my 8 year old and 5 year old have been training with me for the turkey trot Thanksgiving morning. So we will be starting our day running together, for that I am thankful!

I cannot imagine not being a runner, I hope that I will be one of those people at 89 still running and maybe even one of those old people you hear people talk about that passed them at mile 5.

This post is being linked to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries

Crazy, Even for Me

So, my week started with this random thing. I had noticed in several places a women's name, she is part of a homeschool group I am in, her daughter was a student in one of my husband's classes, her name sometimes showed up in the emails from a running club I always intended to join but never did ( but still got emails from, just in case)...finally I got an email from a classical homeschool thing I was interested in, and her name was on the sending e-mail. So, I randomly sent her an email saying, we have all these connections. We became facebook friends and realized we have another random connection- she used to mentor teen moms with the same program I just started mentoring with. She is good friends with the leader of this branch, when I told the leader I had just met this woman, she said, "didn't I tell you when I first met you that you reminded me of someone? Well that is who you reminded me of." So we met this morning, this the crazy part--we met at 5 a.m. to run 6 miles in the pitch dark. I haven't run more than 4.5 since my baby was born 4 months ago. And I finished it, running the whole way (no walk breaks) I think it is really neat when something like this happens and you realize how small the world is, and I can't help but think there is a reason for it all, that in God's purpose, this woman and I were meant to meet, even if it is just to help me realize that I am not that crazy because there is someone out there a whole lot like me!

Running Journey, Part 2

So, I had become a "need to" runner. BUT I still ran a 10 minute mile. Until the day I met Chris, well at least I think that was his name. (obviously an influential individual in my life.) Rumor was that he had been a body guard for the spice girls and I think an interior designer. My friend and I had been training ourselves for a triathlon and needed some open water experience. We had heard of this group that got together at the lake to swim during the week, and since we thought that was illegal, we decided maybe going with a group would make it less illegal? Anyways, we talked to him to see if we could just show up and swim with them, since the race was just two weeks away and they had been training all summer. He said, "why don't you join our group?" (with a strong british accent.) They let us pay for just the next 4 training sessions- $20, we went for it. And it was worth it. He believed for some odd reason that even though I ran 10 minute miles, that I could run an 8 minute mile. He taught me the importance of speed training in both my swim and my run. And after two weeks of training I faced the race with mostly fear and a little confidence. After a 1/2 mile swim and an 18 mile bike, I ran the 5 miles to the finish line in 42 minutes, just over 8 minute miles, nowhere near 10 minute miles. And suddenly I wasn't just addicted to running I was addicted to becoming a better runner. So, now another 25k later and another triathlon later and one more precious little girl later, I am facing my goal. I want to run Chicago next year. And maybe even with 8 minute miles?!?!? We will see...

Running Journey, Part 1

I guess after 15 years of running, I finally consider myself a runner. And since running is one of the few things I have actually followed through on in my life, why not write about it. Many, well lets say most people think I am insane. I LOVE to run. It is not just an "I ate two pieces of cake last night" or a "my jeans are getting a little snug" type thing. It is not even my hypochondriacal mind telling me that if I don't run my arteries will clog and I will die. It is a NEED. Kind of a silly need because growing up I could not run a mile. I can remember dreading that test in gym class and for many years getting out if it because I had asthma. I was "excused" from running. Then one year my mom must have forgotten to write the note or it came on the wrong day, because I had to run. And I still remember I ran it in like 14 minutes and my face was beat red the entire rest of the day. But somewhere deep down inside there was this sense of pride, that I actually ran a mile, I had been given the excuse my entire life that I could not run. And then my dad, who has never really given me any great advice came up with this one little golden nugget. He said, "your lungs are like any other muscle, if you exercise them, they will get stronger." Apparently he had heard that loose quote from some former president of the United States, and well it stuck with me. It stuck with me until college, when I started to run. It started with a sneaking off to a street behind campus where no one could actually see me run, a block, and then sneaking back to my dorm room. I soon was able to run 2 miles, then 3 pretty comfortably. I got set in my pace of 10 minute miles. I ran for 30 minutes almost every day in college. And after college, I found my running routes wherever we moved, marked out 3 miles and ran. Then one day I found myself some running partners and we decided to train for a race, my third child was one month old when I started training, and he was 5 months, when I ran my first 25K and my running life changed to a NEED...my running journey to be continued