Fresh produce

For the past few years we have enjoyed having a garden. It's nice to be able to go out & pick something fresh & consume it right away. I have what is considered a kitchen garden. Just a handful of plants. This year we have cucumbers, slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, green peppers, pumpkins, watermelon & strawberries. I'm already pulling so much produce that I'm giving it away by the handfuls to friends & neighbors. In return I know other people who are willing to share their abundance of produce. Hence the green beans below. That is actually the first time I had gotten & fixed fresh green beans. I had to call a friend to ask how to fix them. They were yummy!

Correction

After having some more time to further review my situation I need to assert the following corrections to the previous story.

First off, I really hope I didn't make it sound like it was all Amy's fault that I had my little mishap. I misunderstood her explanation of the route to me. At any given time I could have turned back and found my little running group. I chose to forge on my little adventure. So many times though I flopped back & forth between I know where I'm going and I'M TOTALLY LOST! And when I saw the llamas & donkeys, I about broke down crying.

I also need to correct my time. We were probably on the road between 5:15 and 5:20, which would take my total time to 1 hour and 40/45 minutes. After I posted my 1:30 time I did the math to figure out how fast I was going. While I can run at such a pace I doubt that I did for the whole 11 miles. So I checked with my running friends (who are also very amused at my incident) and we came to a better understanding of my time.

In this all though, I hope you are greatly amused by the start to my week!

Running Adventure vs. Lost

I'll let you decide after I describe my run from this morning.

For a few weeks now I've been meeting with some friends who also enjoy running. We all have different running paces & preferences. For the most part though, I'm the odd ball cause I like to run "fast". Now I'm not boasting to be a runner of Olympic ability (although as a young teen I dreamed of being an Olympic runner). But for me to run casually is impossibly fast for them. They love me for it and send me on ahead in our runs.

Since we are all moms we need to run very early in the day to get back on time & see our husbands off to work & start our day. 5:15 a.m. is when we meet up & we're hitting the road by 5:30. The last few weeks we've done an out & back route that you really can't mess up. You run until you can't anymore, because the road ends, then turn around and go back. It's pretty simple. Except for the 2 massive rottweilers we have to pass along the way. It's not as scary when you're running with other people. Since I tend to get ahead though it's very freaky running by yourself and past those beasts. Well, at least my freinds will come across my body should the dogs ever attack me and pull me apart by my limps in the middle of the road. One of the perks to being in front of the pack & not drastically behind. (I should note here that running gives your mind A LOT of time to think & ponder such crazy notions).

This morning we decide to go on a new route. It's not an out & back, but more of a loop around. It was dark when we headed out & I stayed with them for the first mile or two. Eventually I broke away & set my own pace, in my own little running world. I was very confident I knew where I was going. If not I usually am just enough ahead of the pack that I can turn back & still seem them, even if it's in the far distance. I remember Amy (this is her "neighborhood" that we run in, which is way out in the country) telling me to go up 2 big hills before I need to turn left. When I got to the top of that second hill I looked back & could not see them at all. Hmmmmm? Interesting. Maybe I was going along a lot faster than I realized. I was sure of the second hill instructions. Up ahead I saw a stop sign & road & figured that must be where I need to go.

I'm not really sure at what I point I realized that I was lost and had no clue where I was going. I kept bouncing back & forth between I know where I'm going and where the heck am I? Some points I was sure this was the route Amy had described. The big winding hill that veers to the right before I turn left again. Yep, went down that road. Didn't expect the big black I'm-not-sure-what-kind-of-breed-dog chased me down another road. (When the dog is big & black & barking ferociously at you, you don't exactly look it in the eye to see what breed it is).

I did note at what point I stopped sweating, which is running/fitness terms is not the best sign. I kept running though. I noted the time when I reached an hour and was still nowhere close to knowing where I was. But I have a general good sense of direction so I kept going. Finally got to a road where I was confident that this would lead me back to Amy's house. That feeling was smashed though when I came across and pasture of donkeys & llamas. I in no way remember passing this farm before, so how could I be on the right road?!?!?! I kept running. Just with about a 1/2 mile to go I finally did see Amy's house. By then I was down to a jog/shuffle and my stomach was beginning to cramp up. It had been 1 hour & 30 minutes since I left. Sarah & Nikki had already left. Amy was out looking for me, her husband chuckled as I staggered into the house.

When I left I retraced my route in my van. I know that the longest distance I've ever ran is 7 miles. In running theory you up your mileage slowly by a mile or so per week. Today I ran 11. Sure I may have gotten lost in the process, but it was definitely a running adventure to me!

Best Friends & Baby

Mandy is my best friend. I met her 24 years ago when I moved to a new house & new school. We had a few rough spots, but for the most part were very close growing up. But then, you know, we grew up. We got married, moved away, etc. One of us started popping out babies....several of them :). It was rough, I can only imagine. We still do our best to be best friends. We shop a few times a year, always meet up for birthday dinners. And finally, we join each other in the role of motherhood. Side by side. I might be considered the pro & her the newbie.

What makes this so special & miracalous is that Mandy never expected to bear children herself. Many, many years of problems, treatments, doctors & specialist. Late last year Mandy came to the point where she just accepted this was how it was gonna be. I felt my heart sink when she told me she was scheduling her hysterctomy in a few days. Only a few days later she called me frantically to tell me to check my email NOW! What waited for my eyes to see was the most precious sight ever....an ultrasound picture of her baby!!!!

Even though she wasn't due for another 3 weeks Mandy had to have a sudden c-section, which appeared to be worse than my 6 deliveries combined. I joined the rest of the family at the hospital for this special day. And we welcomed Drew Daniel into this world.

One of the things I love about blogging is the exchange of ideas that takes place; after all, what mom can't use a new idea every now and then!

If you are interested in a blog that brings a group of mommy bloggers all to one place, stop by and visit the Hearts at Home blog.

Hearts at Home's contributing bloggers write about motherhood, each with a unique perspective, reflecting on the spiritual, emotional and downright funny aspects of motherhood. Their group of bloggers range from professional speakers to authors to stay-at-home moms, all who share a passion for the profession of motherhood.

The Hearts at Home blog covers a variety of topics, such as practical mom tips, recipes, book reviews, and advice for tackling tough mommy issues.
Take a peek at this great resource and connect with real moms sharing real stories today!

Balloon Festival

This past weekend Galesburg held its annual Balloon Festival. We took the kids to the night glow & walked around. You could be up close & personal with these balloons. A few even let the kids climb into the baskets (although we didn't do it ourselves). It was fascinating.

Then this morning all of the balloons lifted off from Lake Storey. I got up & was out there at 6 a.m. None of the balloons were up & going yet, but many were getting ready. It was neat to sit & watch it all happen. There was at least a dozen balloons that lifted off within 15 minutes or so.

For the first time they incorporated a 5k to go along with the other activities. You bet your life I was there bright & early to participate in this. It had a small turn out (about 40 people), which is normal for its first year. My run was...well, ok. Not awful, but not really fantastic either. I slipped out of gear for about 1/2 mile and really began to drag. I won't bore you with all my theories as to why. I'm not even 100% sure on my time and I think the course was off a bit anyway. They never hollered out my 1 mile time, my 2 mile time was awfully slow and compared to my finish time it just didn't all add up. Another fellow running friend confirmed my suspicions by mentioning the same inconsistencies with his run. So who knows, but I ran, and enjoyed doing so. I got a nice new shirt and new award for my efforts. I like adding different looking awards to my collection that hides in my basement.

Just like dad

Andrew is fascinated with this tie. He brought it to me & inquired what it was. When I explained he perked up with the conclusion that it's "just like dad." Bingo! So he has been parading around with this tie on for days....just like dad. And if you ask him where he (Andrew) works he'll tell you "in an office.....just like dad".