Fitknitmom

Fishing

2010-08-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

It was a testosterone fest on the Ms Lee II this weekend. It was a trip filled with junk food, male bonding and, unfortunately, lots and lots of rain. Other than sunshine, also missing from this trip was mom.

I had a little more than 24 hours to myself. ( I guess I wasn't completely by myself, I had Ruby to keep me company, but she is pretty low maintenance.) It's amazing how the time flew. I worked on my scrapbook and got caught up to the summer of 2007, I'm only 3 years behind now. Ruby and I watched a chick flick, When In Rome, which definitely didn't dissapoint. Saturday was filled with a facial, Pilates class and a long slow reading of the paper over coffee.

Michael called on Saturday around 6:30 to let me know they came in early and would be home in a couple of hours. By then, I'd had enough "alone" time and was glad to see my family come home. With them home, the house felt cozier and I was thankful for their safe return. I think they were thankful too, but Trent was a little sad it was the end of his Fluffy Stuff.

Mt. Marathon, done!

2010-07-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

I survived. 3022 feet and I must say, I think I even did it with a little grace. It's a little surreal to look at the mountain and know I climbed it.
There is something really inspiring in lining up with 300 women to climb this peak. Everyone crowds in at the starting line but within seconds of the gun, they spread out along the streets of Seward and and head for the mountain.
After the initial half mile running on pavement, a single line of climbers formed and began the roots at the bottom of the mountain. While I was climbing, someone above me lost their grip and came tumbling down the hill, stopped only by a tree sticking out over the edge of the hill. I had a hard time keeping this image out of my head as I climbed. Later, I heard she ended up finishing the race.
Overall, I felt strong. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. I took just a few breaks going up the hill.
There is nothing like finishing Mt. Marathon. The crowd is huge, and my favorite part of the crowd is right in front of the white church.... my whole family was there, cheering me on and I used their cheers to help push me to a strong finish of 1:40:50.... not my fastest finish, but definitely not my slowest either.

Fourth of July

2010-07-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

America's birthday is quickly approaching. For me, it means I'm stressing about another attempt at Mt. Marathon. My stressor #1 right now is the weather. There's a lot of rain in the forecast, which means potential for an extremely slippery and messy climb up that mountain.
I think I need to take the focus off my self and my own selfish worries and instead focus on the point of the day.

These pictures are from a tour to Pearl Harbor. The boys are standing in front of all the names of the bodies entombed on the USS Arizona. The flag shot was taken looking up from the memorial to the flagpole that is attached to the ship.
Rather than stressing about what I'm going to wear, what the trail might be like, how I'm going to do, I'm going to think about how great it is going to be to see that flag at the top of the mountain and remember the true point of the day.

Hawaii

2010-06-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

It's a dreary Monday morning. My usual view of the mountains and the inlet is replaced by a white wall of gloomy clouds. The driveway is wet from a night full of steady sprinkles. Going out today will surely involve a raincoat and pants that can withstand splashing through puddles.

I'd rather think about the view in this picture. It was taken sometime during the last week of December on Waikiki Beach. The boys are showing off just one of the many sand creations they made during the week. Right now, some other family is setting up their chairs, scattering sand toys and trying to round up children for another application of sunscreen.

First fishing trip of 2010

2010-06-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

It's official, fishing season has begun! What originally was going to be a boys weekend on the boat turned into a family fishing excursion. I had made plans for a "mom only weekend", packed with chick flicks, shopping and maybe a spa treatment but instead accepted an invitation to spend the weekend aboard the Ms Lee 2.
It was the first trip with the new engine, and both Michael and Bob were happy with the recently replaced engine. We made an attempt to relieve the Prince William Sound of some of its halibut, but only managed to pluck out 6 fairly small fish. We also managed to get one silver salmon.
After fishing, Michael and I climbed Mt. Marathon in preparation for our July 4th race. The weather was gorgeous, but the trail was a little slippery after a week of rain in Seward. We climbed, crawled and pulled our way up to the top.
Despite my initial disappointment of being denied my weekend to myself, I ended up having a great time. There is something comforting in snuggling up on the boat, being far away from our day to day life and spending time together.

Welcome to the world, Baby Jackson

2010-06-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Cole is proudly showing off his brand new cousin, Jackson Woodrow Hollon. At the time of this photo, he is right around 24 hours old. Both boys just couldn't get enough of holding him. 2 years ago, a 6 year old Cole was scared of Jackson's big brother, Jayden. His "tiny little hands" freaked him out. It took him almost 2 weeks until he was brave enough to hold him.
This time around, he wanted to hold him as soon as he saw him.
It's amazing to think this photo marks the beginning of a lifetime of "cousinhood" for them. They'll be sharing seats at the kids table, commiserating about the strange and obnoxious behaviors of their parents and spending countless future holidays together. When Cole graduates from high school, a 10 year old Jackson will be squirming in his seat as he waits for Cole's name to be called as he walks across the stage. A four year old soccer playing Jackson may have his 12 year old cousin cheering him from the sidelines. Who knows where this relationship will go. There's something special about a cousin.

Back again

2010-06-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

Has it really been almost 2 years..... One of my goals for the summer is to expand my writing. I've been keeping a daily journal, and I thought this would be a great next step.
Not exactly sure what I'm going to write about, but I'm sure the usual blabberings about kids, training, weather and so forth.
I'll probably throw in a little reading as well. We'll see how it goes.

July Labors

2008-07-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

To work is to labor, and here are the results of two of July's labors..... Me at the finish line of Mt Marathon, and Jayden Peter, my brand spanking new nephew. I did Mt. Marathon for the second year this year, and had a successful run. Success means having no need to be carried off the mountain in a stretcher.

As for Baby Jayden, he just didn't want to come out, despite the maximum dosage of pitocin and very patient waiting for two days. In this picture, he was less than three hours old.
He's doing well and both mom and dad are adjusting to parenthood well.

Triathlon fun

2008-06-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

I attempted my first video upload, it's me crossing the finish line at the Eagle River Triathlon. I can't figure out how to flip it around the other way, and it's pretty short. I was pretty happy with my time. I was even more excited for the the boys. Both boys did the race, and had a wonderful time.

Here they are before the big event. Cole wore a life vest for the swim part. With the life vest he had a definitely advantage in the swim. Trent's secret weapon was his bright green goggles. Notice that Olympic form he is demonstrating. They each had to swim one lap, ride the bike for four miles and run a half mile.

Cole is proudly receiving his medal from Shannon Donley. Shannon won the triathlon for the seventh time this year. We were so proud of both boys and are looking forward to next year!

Knitting updates

2008-06-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Project One- Felted beer cozies! I got this pattern off the internet, and I used a Lamb's Pride Bulky to make them. I made a set in my sister's wedding colors for her 3rd wedding anniversary. ( The pictures don't do the sparkly yarn justice, it's mixed in with the white strip in the middle. ) These turned out so cute, I'm definitely making more.

Project two - basic socks in a fingering weight. I bought this yarn at the yarn expo, and thought they would make pretty socks. I've built the heel and am just getting ready to turn it.

Project three: Socks in rabbit ridge designs hand dyed yarns (www.rabbitridgedesigns.com) This was a gift from my sister as part of a sock kit. The suggested pattern was an elaborate leaf pattern. I say it was suggested, because it just didn't work for me. Instead, I'm doing more of a basic k2p2 pattern for the ankle part, and I'll come up with a plan for the heel.

2008-06-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Snoqualmie Falls, Washington- My cousin lives near the falls and we popped over for a quick peek. I'd never been here before, and they were gorgeous. I think this was the only bit of real sunshine we saw during the week we were on vacation. I guess I shouldn't complain, this week I'm back in full time soccer mom mode, we did two games today, and it was cold on the sidelines!

Here is the boys on top of the Space Needle. We've probably taken a dozen trips to Seattle with this kids, and this was the first trip we had time to visit this famous Seattle landmark. We didn't stay up there long, maybe 15 minutes, and it was kind of expensive, but I'm glad we took them up. It just seems like something you should do.

7 months since I posted???

2008-06-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 7 months since I wrote in the blog???? I guess life gets busy.

Here we are on vacation in Pacific City, Oregon. We're sitting out front of the Pelican, a brew pub with an outside seating area that overlooks the beach. From here, we watched surfers and dory boats launching. The kids had a ball playing in the sand. It was probably the best one hour wait for a table I ever had, with or without kids, and that says a lot.

Here's the kids playing during that one hour wait, notice no unhappy faces, no "is our table ready, yet????"

This day was part of our one week getaway to the Northwest. We hit Seattle, Portland and the beach. Some major landmarks encountered were the Space Needle, Snoqualmie Falls and Proposal Rock. (OK, so Proposal Rock is less known, it's in my all time favorite beach town of Neskowin, Oregon)

Now, we're full on into the summer of soccer. We do four games a week and one practice. It's a good thing I have a lot of moms I like on the sidelines, it helps the time go by faster.

Over the summer, I hope to do better on this blog thing. I'll take some pictures this week of the socks I'm working on and my finished felted beer cozies, which turned out fabulous!

Catching Up On Fall Events

2007-12-02T22:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy fall, and I finally got around to uploading some pictures to include. Michael and I went to Cabo in mid-November and had a wonderful time. We slept in, read a big stack of books and just did a whole lot of relaxing. We're so thankful to have grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles to help out when we're gone.

Here's Cole at his school Thanksgiving program. He was very proud that his turkey had the biggest head!

Cole and Trent decided they wanted to be a cowboy and an Indian for Halloween this year. I made them wear their snow clothes under their costume, and looked like a cowboy who had eaten the Stay Puff marshmellow man.
Thanksgiving was fun as well, in this picture, the kids are toasting with their "kid" wine, (sparkling cider.) I was a little concerned when I heard Cole yell, "Let's do shots!"

Thankful for my blessings

2007-11-25T21:28:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year I usually take a big breath and prepare for that swan dive in to the chaos of Christmas. Thanksgiving has put me into a "thankful" frame of mind, and as I try to temporarily ignore all the shopping, cooking, organizing, wrapping, etc, I am reminded of all of the blessings in my life:
My family- my husband, my kids, my parents, my in laws. As I think about Thanksgiving dinner, I remember how nice it was everyone got together, my mom and dad, my sister, my in laws, my sister in law. How many families can't even get together on the same side of the family, let alone the in laws.
Alaska- Even though it's dark out now, and the weather is a little dreary, it's still a magical place. Sometimes I forget that some people pay thousands of dollars to come to Alaska and see Mt. McKinley, and I can see it out my window.
My job- I'm so lucky to have a job I'm good at, and I get to see students start to turn on the light, that I'm able to make a little difference in their lives.
There's so much more I have to be thankful for. I'm going to try and post some pictures from my Cabo vacation and halloween photos.
Now, deep breath and try not to think of all the holiday shopping I have in front of me!

Catching up on some fall events

2007-09-22T23:27:00.000-07:00

First Day of Kindergarten!
Can you believe it, how did he end up here. I swear he was just a baby the other day. I remember the day after he was born, the pediatrician came into my hospital room and said
"he's just perfect". I swear that was last year. I also love that he started his first day of kindergarten not only with his brother, but with his cousins as well. There's nothing quite like having family to back you up.

He's humoring me here with the pictures. I had a hard time letting go. Seeing him at that desk just didn't seem real, and I didn't really get choked up until I saw him do the Pledge of Allegiance. He was standing there with a confused look on his face, not quite sure where to put his hand and kinda half mumbled the pledge.

Switching gears... onto fair fun! We enjoyed a gorgeous day at the Alaska State Fair. No rain or wind in sight, almost unbelievable for the fair. Trent and his cousins could form the "children of excessive Gap shoppers" support group.

Cross country running jamboree! The computer didn't let me load up the picture of Cole and Michael before the run. Both boys ran the grueling one mile course through the woods, slogging through the mud. Here, Trent is standing next to two of his Bear Valley buddies.

Blogging in 150 words or less...

2007-09-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long, but here's a short update:
I'm working! (And I'm going to use this as my excuse for lack of blogging.....). I'm at Dimond High, teaching 3 periods a day to an interesting group of students. I mainly work in credit recovery and study skills. It's busy, I'm slowly finding my way and I think it's going to be a great fit.
The hip is healing, I'm doing physical therapy and I'm gradually increasing my running. I just started teaching a regular Pilates class, which I think I'm going to enjoy.
The boys are good, but on Cole's 10th day of public education, my wily little kindergartner asked me if he could cut school... where does he get this?
Knitting: I"m taking part two of a beaded scarf class tonight, I'm still working on the socks. All is well.

2007-08-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

I think I just figured out how to add the photos to the blog. This was on the snorkeling trip we took in Maui. Trent loved snorkeling, and Cole was much happier riding around on the plastic rafts with a small window to look at the fish. Much less scary than a snorkel, and he still got to see all kinds of fish. His favorite was the parrot fish.

Our last Mommy and Cole coffee date. On Mondays, it was our tradition to mosey on down to the Kaladi Brothers after I taught my class at West. Usually we'd go after one of of would say, " You thinking what I'm thinking????" In celebration, Cole got both a cookie and a vanilla milk. I'm definitely going to have to find something to fill up my days now that he's in school. I'm so gratefuly for the last three years. It was nice to have that time with him.

2007-08-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about knitting projects as time markers. This pair of socks I'm working on now, a dress part in a light, silky-ish texture have been in the works since mid July. They started during the tail end of the soccer season, I sat on the sidelines in my fold up chair, taking a break from knitting while my kids were in the game, and knitting through the pre game warmup, halftime, etc. It also went with me to Hawaii. i'd work on it during the evenings, as we all recovered from long days in the sun, grateful to be snuggled into the air conditioned condo with cartoons playing for the boys while we watched various trashy tv selections. My other pair of heavy woolen socks were started around memorial day, they too were a soccer sideline pair of socks.
I knitted a sweater for my niece this winter, I drug it with me to nights at the Polaris school gym and the Cellular One center during my older son's precomp season. (I'm starting to see a pattern here, I must be one of those knitting soccer moms!) In the bottom of my mitten/glove/'etc box, there's a very ugly maroon scarf with a matching (and rather funky looking) hat. My very first knitting projects. I hang on to them as a reminder of where I've come from. I remember starting that scarf in my first knitting class, with my mom and sister. We all learned together and we continue to keep up with each other's knitting projects. The yarn shop was such a cozy place. I remember one particularly rainy afternoon where we sat around the table, knitting and laughing.
Knitting has give me a new way to keep track of time and the people, places and events associated with that time.

Friday!

2007-08-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

It's not raining, I'm so happy!
I've bought all the stuff for my beaded scarf class, and my sister is signed up too, so it should be a fun class. I'm excited to do something new. I'm still plugging away on my dress sock. I'm almost to the point where I just build the foot and finish it off. I also re-felted a pair of clogs I knitted, that were too big and I wasn't wearing them. With fall coming, I figured I'd better get them to where I want to wear them. The felted stuff just feels so cozy.
I think I"m going to break down and look into physical therapy for my hip. I think it's actually the IT band, and I've got a name of someone who's really good at taking care of these things.

Back on track!

2007-08-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

The luggage arrived, the laundy is done, now we're back in the normal life schedule we're used to. We're about the start school and life is busy. Tonight they posted the class lists but I was privy to the top secret identity of the boys' teachers BEFORE they were posted. Ahhhh, the joys of knowing "people". Someone on the inside, with close connections to some one with access to the school's computer system gave me the inside scoop. One surprise... Trent's in a 3/4 combo class. I think he'll be fine, and I'm actually kind of flattered after looking at the list of the 3rd graders in the class, they're all pretty high functioning kids. Cole got Trent's old kindergarten teacher, and I'm thrilled. she's the absolute gold standard of kindergarten teachers.
No news yet on the job front. I did get a call for an interview for a full time position across town. I politely said no thank you for that one. the right one's coming, I just know it.
Lots of exciting news on the knitting front.. I turned the heel on my sock, yay me! I also am taking a beaded scarf class with a friend in a few weeks and my sister might take it too. I found a pattern for a felted slipper that looks adorable. That might be a project down the road too.
I ran a 5k on Sunday and got 2nd in my age group, I think this is my first second place. I've done a few thirds, but never a second. My hip is bugging me, I think when this start of the school year stuff settles down, I'm going to have to look into physical therapy, yuck. I've been taking it a little easier lately, doing more biking and limiting runs to 3 miles or less. In a few weeks, i'm giving up my powerflex class and teaching a pilates class instead.
I just had a visitor. It's after 9:30 and somebody is too excited for the first day of school and can't sleep. It reminds me of when I used to be excited for the first day of school.

Lost, so lost

2007-08-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Hawaii. I should be relaxed, I should be in a post-tropical vacation high, with the sound of the ocean in my head and smelling the remnants of my last application of sunscreen. But no, I'm a little agitated, I feel incomplete. Why? Because our luggage did not arrive with us. It's scheduled to come in on an 11:30 flight today, and will be delivered to our house. My sock, the sock i'm less than half an inch away from building the heel, was in that luggage. It's never been this far away from me before! I'll feel much better when the suitcases get here, or maybe not. There is an awful lot of dirty laundry in them.

About to depart for Hawaii!!!

2007-08-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

It's now about 10 pm-ish, and I'm about four hours away from plane take off. We're off to Maui, for a week of the four of us, on the beach, relaxing, soaking in the sunshine. Free from a week of work, vacuuming, shopping, etc. I'm so excited! We spent the evening up at my sister in law's, enjoying the view from her deck. Why is it so sunny???? It would be much more fun to leave for Hawaii in a rain storm, or at least a few clouds.
I have my sock project packed in the suitcase. I hope to get some knitting in during the evenings. I imagine after dinner, we'll hang out in the condo, the boys can watch cartoons and we'll maybe sit on the patio. That fingering weight really takes a long time to knit. I have about two inches left before I start in on the heel, and it's taking forever!
Some good friends of my in laws are going to be grandparents, and I'm thinking I need to do something really big knitting wise for them. I've done a ton of baby hats, but I'm thinking I want to do more, maybe a sweater? This family is so deserving of this baby, their son was in a freak accident at age 12 and has been a quadraplegic ever since, (the accident was over 20 years ago), the daughter, (and mother to be) has had major issues with bulimia and finally at age 39, was able to get pregnant. This is such a breath of hope and promise for them. This definitely requires more than my typical baby hat!

Been a while

2007-08-06T18:52:00.000-07:00

Still knitting on my sock, size one needles definitely aren't the speediest project in the world. I'm really enjoying the yarn. It's some kind of fiber made somehow from shrimp and crab. I should have asked more questions when I bought it. I did smell it, it smells nothing like seafood, thank goodness, but the yarn lady did advise that people who are allergic to shellfish might need to avoid it. I realize how clueless I was. There were so many questions I should have asked: Why would you make "yarn" out of this? Who came up with this idea? Is there an advantage to this over wool? But no, I asked no questions and went on my merry way.
I think this project is going to take me a while. These are some tiny little stitches. I have another wool sock going, just in case I get bored with the tiny little stitches.
I think I'm going to knit some things for my niece's bitty baby. I found some free patterns on the internet, some cute booties and a hat. These look like a lot of fun!

The drive to knit

2007-07-29T22:33:00.000-07:00

What is is about knitting, I find m,yself lost if I don't have a project to work onl Last night at soccer, my darling youngest son sat on my current project (a fingering weight sock) and broke one of the size one needles I"m using. I plan on getting another set tomorrow, but I found myself starting another pair of socks with some worsted weight leftover yarn, and a set of size 5 needles I have. I really don't feel at ease with myself if I don't have that project handy.

Sock Knitter, I Am, plus a Harry Potter spoiler

2007-07-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

I'm discovering I love knitting socks. I love that they're a portable project. I can bring it anywhere. I especially love knitting on the sidelines at soccer games. I really like having the chance to repeat what I've done in the second one. I've finished a thick, worsted weight pair of socks for me, and now I'm doing the same pattern in a fingering weight. Socks are practical, especially here, and I like the idea of my toes being wrapped in a something I've made by hand. I look forward to more adventures in socks.
On the fitness front, I'm definitely down for the Humpy's Half. I'm going to attempt a 10-11 mile run on the treadmill on Friday, and I think I'll be ready for the race. It will be nice to run it with my sister in law, and my mom's doing the race too. I'm hoping Michael will run the 5k with Trent. I think it'd be a great experience for them both.
I just finished Harry #7, and I'm feeling a wide range of emotions. I definitely feel happy I made it to the ending before hearing any significant spoilers. Part of me also feels a little sad. I've been reading the books for a long time now, and I almost feel an old friend has left. There will be no more midnight releases, no more pre-book discussions. Who lives? Who dies? I'm already excited for the promised character encyclopedia.

Soccer, Harry Potter and socks, oh my!

2007-07-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

We're getting to the end of the soccer season, and it keeps us pretty busy. Trent has recently turned on the heat in his play. Cole has definitely been a little firecracker and I think older brother is afraid of being left in the dust! Tonight he almost scored a goal. I've been watching him play for four years now, I am still patiently waiting for that first goal. I think it's coming, he's getting the fever!
I've been preparing myself for the Harry Potter book release. I've been rereading the spoiler book, (appropriately named, "What will happen in book 7". I know I'm not the only one over the age of 15 to have a copy of this book, I bought a copy for my brother. I'm excited for all of the Harry book nerd discussions we'll have.

I finished my socks, and now I'm knitting another pair in a finer gauge. It's going well.

2007-07-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

All right, deep breaths, deep breaths. Mount Marathon is over, and prior to the event, I said this was going to be it for me. After this, I was just going to enjoy my summer, not stress about training, etc, etc, etc. I like to myself.
Now it's over, and I feel kinda lost. What am I supposed to do now? I find I need that finish line, that reason to train. The Humpys half marathon is the perfect event, perfect length, perfect date. I think I'm going to do it.
Busy grandparents make kind of a challenge in planning a weekly long run, but I thin I've found the compromise. Friday mornings will be Movie Friday. The boys will get to rent a movie to watch and I'll rent the chickiest chick flicks in history. I'm imagining lots of movies with Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts. They'll do the kid thing on the tv in the living room while I use the upstairs tv as I run on the treadmill.
On the knitting front, all is well. I'm chugging along on the foot of the second sock, looking forward to it's completion. Next, I'm thinking it's another pair of socks. My mother in law has been dealing with some health issues, and I can see myself making this project a "prayer sock". Hopefully my positive thoughts will absorb into the project and eventually seep into her body through her toes.

Mount Marathon Survived!

2007-07-06T22:33:00.000-07:00

I was looking over my list of fears of Mount Marathon, and I'm happy to see that none of them were realized.
Fear #1- The mountain would be too slick. The weather gods, or the Mt. Marathon gods, were smiling, or maybe it was just dumb luck, but the weather couldn't have been better. It hadn't rained for several days before the race, and we woke up to partly cloudy skies. Overall, the trail was maybe the slightest bit muddy, but nothing that really slowed me down. It had rained several days before the race, making the scree at the top a little less loose, but weather provided me no excuses for less than stellar performances.
Fear #3 I might get hurt. No blood, no wounds, no serious injuries. I came off that mountain looking pretty good. It was rumored that a girl was taken out in a stretcher due to flying rock to the head. One of the girls I knew turned an ankle coming down at the halfway point. It had swollen up pretty well by the time she got to the finish line.
Fear #2 I'll be slow. I did it in 1:37:32, which I'm pretty proud of. I had no idea what I would do for time. I was seriously hoping for less than two hours. I felt strong, that I'd given it my all.
It's over, I'm happy, and I'm already thinking about what I'm going to do train for next year!

** Pre race jitters were calmed through the knitting of my socks. I did have a slight trajedy on the boat , I thought I'd lost a knitting needle and almost lost 16 stitches on the sock, but I found the needle, picked the stitches back up, and I'm back on track nolw.

2007-07-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

I find myself running through many Mt. Marathon scenarios, maybe if I write them down, they'll get out of my head.

1. The mountain will be one big mudslick. I've been watching the weather, and I'm praying it doesn't rain. After attempting the mountain one time in a pouring down rain, I'm hesistant to take on that challenge again. I remember clawing at the mud, pulling myself up by a step and then sliding back down two. I can't imagine what the scree at the top will be like when wet.
2. I'll be so slow it will be embarassing. I have visions of old ladies passing me, as I gasp for breath, hanging on to a tree branch. This one is especially worrisome when I think of ALL the people I have told that I'm doing this crazy event. Maybe I should have kept this a secret.
3. I might get hurt. There's a terrible video on YouTube that shows a lady sliding down the mountain on her face. Please don't let me be the picture on the front page of the Daily News that says, "Mountain takes a bite out of racer:"
I'm going to try and stay positive, tell myself I'll do my best, and know I've trained hard and it's in God's hands now.

Future doctor?

2007-06-26T08:38:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Cole had one of those days where he kept having to use the bathroom. I don't know if he actually did much when he was in there. It was errand day, and in less than a couple of hours, he used the bathroom at Walmart, on the side of the soccer field and then the men's room at Quiznos. While he was in the Quiznos bathroom, I commented that he seemed to be using the bathroom more than he typically does. Trent agreed, and seriously added, " I think maybe he has an enlarged prostate."

Sock Number One Completed!

2007-06-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished my Railroad Rib Socks! And they look fabulous! Clearly from my overuse of the exclamation point, I'm obviously excited. I finished it up as we watched Night At The Museum. There were two different finishing options, one involved grafting, and the other finished it off similar to a hat. (Use a needle to gather up the last stitches on the rounded toe) I was kind of tempted to try the grafting method, but it seemed a little complicated, and I panicked that I'd ruin the whole thing.
For the last two hours, I've been wearing my one completed sock, my own personal declaration of skills and persistence. It's probably some kind of knitting taboo, real Knitters don't wear the sock until both are done. (Well, knitters and sane people in general)
Today's workout was a 4 mile run with my sister in law. We had a great visit, ran at a good pace. Tomorrow I think I'm going to do Flattop with my sister. Mt. Marathon is a little more than a week away and I'm trying not to get too nervous!

2007-06-22T23:53:00.001-07:00

As my user name probably suggests, more than likely I'll use this space to talk about my fitness training, knitting and my life as a mom.
Today, I"m incredibly sore. My sister and I made our first scale up Mt. Marathon. This 3020 foot peak challenged me to run it on 4th of July this year. Well, actually it was my sister who first expressed interest in entering in the lottery to do this race, and I decided to join in the fun. Both of us got spots in the race, so now I'm really wondering what I'm getting myself into. Our time was so slow, so slow I don't even want to post it here. But we learned a lot, and got a lot of good advice and left Seward with the confidence that we can make it to the top. Anyway, after that challenge, I did an intense workout with my trainer on Thursday. We did a back pedaling workout. I even requested this! In this workout, you work backwards on the treadmill. It totally gets the hamstrings and glutes. I swear it gives me a mini butt lift.
So, I think both of these workouts are catching up with me. I taught a powerflex class today and I'm not sure what I'm doing tomorrow.
Knitting... my Fiber Trent Railroad Socks. I successfully built (is that the right word.... built?) the heel gusset today, and now it's full speed ahead on the foot. I know I'm a knitter, and not a Knitter but all the same, I'm definitely proud of my work so far!
Mommy moment of the day: Today we had a quick time to play at Elderberry Park near downtown. The boys found the bucket/ pully mechanism and had the best time lifting the buckets up, dumping out the dirt. I imagined they'd tire quickly, maybe gravitate over to the swings or find themselves dangling from the monkey bars. Their tireless endurance impressed me.