Happy Birthday Hubby!

Tomorrow is my beloved husband's 35th Birthday! To him it is just another birthday, but, I gotta feeling that tomorrow's gonna be a good night, a good good night:)

Chad turning 35 reminds me that we have been together 10 years now. In fact, I remember, when my sister, Dani, was trying to get me to go out with him back in 1999. I was about to celebrate my 21st birthday, and she kept telling me, he's 25 and such a great guy. My response, almost every single time, was that 25 is WAY TOO OLD! Finally, I gave in and agreed to just 1 date, wow has time flown by since then!

We have been through so much...law school, a new baby during law school, followed by a move out of state to a town where the most interesting thing is a cow in the center of town, and another new baby....job changes, and a period of time without a job. Many fun times spent with friends and family including trips to Disney World and Maui. I am so looking forward to our next trip to Maui too!

So, anyway Happy Birthday to:

• The biggest Iowa Hawkeye Fan I know!
• The current Plum Tree National Golf Club Champion!
• The best father in the world, even when you are teasing those adorable little girls!
• The love of my life!
• My best friend and biggest supporter!

I love you so much, Babe!

She is just like me!

Last night Haley and Olivia were getting ready to go to a soccer game with our neighbors. Haley took Olivia's money and candy and put it in her pocket. When Chad and I told her to give it back, she threw it across the room. I told her to sit down in time out because she was not going to the soccer game, because of the fit she just threw. Next thing I know, she is completely out of control screaming and hitting every thing in sight including me. At one point she was yelling at Chad (I'm not exactly sure what she was saying, but something along the lines of please let me go!) I was pretty angry, but trying to hold back a laugh, because I distinctly remember having a very similar fit when I was about 10 years old. My parents would not let me go to a basketball game, because I was being mouthy, and I lost it. Chad tells me all the time that she has my attitude, and up until last night, I thought that was a good thing! I ended up holding my ground as the parent and did not let her go to the game, although it would have been so much easier to just let her go, so she would stop yelling. I guess my new prayer is that she will put that "tude" to good use!

Run with Carl Race Recap!

After 5 quick miles yesterday, I realized that I love racing! My sister-in-law, and running buddy, and I ran the Run with Carl 5 mile race in Bettendorf, Iowa yesterday. She warned me the night before that it was going to be a hilly race, but I was feeling pretty good about hills after nearly killing myself on Sunday running near my parents house.

So at 8:15 the race started going UP HILL! I should have known that was a sign of things to come. The "pack" pace was pretty quick in the beginning, and at one point I looked down at my trusty little Garmin and saw that my pace was 8:16. I knew I could not sustain that pace for 5 miles, so I slowed down a little bit and settled in right around 9:00 per mile. In fact at the first mile marker I was at 8:58. I was feeling pretty good, and decided to pick people to pass. At one point, I picked a guy in a red shirt, and just before I finally caught up to him, he stopped and walked off the trail, I have no idea where he went, but I do know that I suceeded in beating him:) The next person I decided, I needed to beat was a women in a black shirt that said STAFF on the back. She had started right near me in the beginning, but was now a little ways ahead of me. Just as I caught up to her, she started to walk! Man, I must be intimidating, every person I chose to "pick off" made it so easy! I even found myself passing 3 or 4 people every time we encountered a hill.

As I passed the 4 mile marker, I realized that I might be able to make a 45 minute total race time, if I kicked it up just a little. The only problem, was that the last mile I was faced with 2 hills. I did okay and even passed a couple people on the first, but man the last 1/2 mile of the race was up a HUGE GIGANTIC hill. I was giving it all I had, and ended up going up the hill next to an older gentleman! Thank God for him! When I started to let up a little he yelled at me, to keep going! And when we got to the top, he telled at me to kick it up and finish strong! Thanks, older man in the yellow shirt (who by the way was not breathing nearly as heavy as I was, and made it look so EASY!)

I crossed the finish line at 44:11. I was super excited for my overall time! Looking forward to next weekend's 9.5 mile race!

.....I've come a long way....

Monday night my awesome husband decided he would like to go for a run with me! Monday is usually one of my rest days in my training, but since he volunteered to go with me, and I know how much he despises running, I didn't want to let this opportunity pass me by. He suggested Harvard Hills Road, which I advised against, but off we went. He told me that he could do no more than 2 miles, so I planned using my Garmin to get us back home right at 2 miles. I had Belle on my arm, who hadn't been on a run in quite a while, and was running pretty fast, even for me. Chad did great. We came back into our neighborhood, and he hit me on the back and said, "I need to cool down, we can't run all the way home." I looked at my Garmin and we were at 1.6 miles - I was proud of him. I couldn't tell who was breathing heavier, Chad or Belle, but they both survived. I then had an amazing revelation....I was not even sweating, nor was I panting like Chad and Belle! I was so excited, looking back to 9 months ago, when I started this journey, I could barely run one mile on my treadmill without dying. Here are a couple pictures from Christmas 2008, when I decided that I needed to lose weight, and get on track. I honestly didn't believe I was very big until I looked at these pictures.

Next Saturday, I will be running a 9.5 mile race! Technically it is 16,726 yards, the distance that Walter Payton ran during his football career, but I've been told it is 9.5 miles. This will be the longest race I have run in my short running career, and I can't wait. Tonight, I head out for the longest run in my short running career, just over 9 miles. Here are two pictures from this summer. I am so happy to see the changes in my body! Not only do I have so much more energy and endurance, but I am only 7 pounds from the goal weight I set back in January. I feel great, and am honestly not working too hard to get to that goal. If I don't reach it, I don't care!

(I'm still new to blogging and can't figure out why it is shrinking my pictures!)