Tag: iPod

I Can’t Go For That…But I Did

On By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

And so starts the holiday season. It’s the season of giving thanks, although that’s something we should consciously do every second, every minute, every hour of our lives. It’s the season for parties, for celebrations of the love we share. It’s a time for family gatherings, gorging ourselves with some of the unhealthiest of foods. It’s the season to toss out that exercise regime because you know deep down you’re not going to be able to really lose any weight. It’s the season for shopping, snagging deals, wrapping presents, decorating houses, and to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Yes, the holiday season is officially upon us.

First season at the new Yankee stadium
First season at the new Yankee stadium

Last week, the day before Thanksgiving, my husband and I decided to load up the boys and make a trip to Atlanta. We wanted to do a little pre-holiday shopping. When we go on road trips, it’s my responsibility to man the controls of our entertainment. I’ve always been one to sing and dance to music. I like to choose some of the cheesiest melodies and groove away. I stumbled across Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That”. My husband told our oldest son, that this duo was a true classic, some of the best singer/songwriters around. I looked at him and smiled. I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking about our first ever New Year’s Eve together almost 11 years ago.

Experiencing Niagara Falls
Experiencing Niagara Falls

We were at a friend’s house watching Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve. Hall & Oates were one of the featured groups and they were singing an all time favorite, “Maneater”. So every time I hear a Hall & Oates song, I’m immediately transported back to that first New Year’s Eve. All of this then led me to think about everything I’m thankful for and how it couldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t met this wonderful man.

Cruising in St. Lucia
Cruising in St. Lucia

We sat in traffic on the ride back, rummaging through our memories as I replayed all the Hall & Oates songs on my iPod. Our boys had fallen asleep which left us some very precious peace and quiet to really reflect upon each other and how far we’ve come.

I can still remember the day my husband first walked into my life, how he smiled as he slid through the door of my friend Jennifer’s apartment. He was, and still is, the most handsome man I’d ever laid eyes on. I watched him briefly before averting my eyes when he caught me staring. No way would someone this hot ever be interested in me, were the exact words floating through my brain. Luckily for me, I was the first person he came over to talk to.

Charlotte NASCAR race
Charlotte NASCAR race

We dated, broke up, dated again, got married, separated briefly, came to our senses and worked through our problems, and eventually brought 2 boys into this world exactly like us. We’ve had a roller coaster of a ride in the past 11 years, some of which I regret and would change, but everything brought us to who we are and where we are today and for that I’m thankful.

Tampa Aquarium
Tampa Aquarium

I’m thankful beyond words that my husband chose me to talk to 11 years ago. I’m thankful that he fell in love with me. I’m thankful that when he broke up with me, he came to his senses and realized that he wanted me back. I’m thankful that he asked me to marry him. I’m thankful that he didn’t give up on our marriage, when I had. I’m thankful that he became a Christian, thereby helping to insure our home has a strong Christian leader. I’m thankful for the children he helped me bear, the beautiful boys who are replicas of both of us, two of my most precious little gifts in the world. Without my husband, I can only imagine how I may have aimlessly walked through life never experiencing the true love and enjoyment of being a mother.

Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach

My children are my greatest accomplishment and no way could I have ever achieved that without my husband.

As the Thanksgiving weekend rolled along, I watched every movement my husband made. I watched him interact with our two boys, watching television, reading books, and helping cook. I watched every little nuance and my heart swelled with so much love and contentment. No way would any of this life have been possible without him.

I am truly blessed beyond all belief and for that I’m thankful.

Alcatraz
Alcatraz
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Run, Mama, Run

On By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

I completed my second ever half marathon this past Saturday. My first was 8 years ago in San Francisco. I did it with Team in Training from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. My time was pretty abysmal…2 hours and 56 minutes which equates to a 13:46 pace. A less than stellar performance. Of course, at that point in my life I had just started running. Now, with 8 years under my belt I decided to tackle another one of these half marathons before turning 40. Here are a few things I’ve discovered:

My race bib
My race bib

1. I completed this half marathon in 2 hours and 36 minutes, a 12:00 pace. I am better conditioned than I was 8 years ago; however, my clothes from 8 years ago still don’t fit me. It’s those darn kids! Having them will do it to ya!
2. Running without an iPod is way more enjoyable especially when you’re surrounded by chatty cathy women. I heard conversations ranging from, “do you know if shingles are contagious?” to “I’m very gassy this morning. I hope that doesn’t affect my time.” Yes, folks, that is correct, and this conversation was between two ladies.
3. I will NEVER be able to run a 5 minute pace for a half marathon and I’m completely ASTOUNDED that the winner of the race did that! Heck, I can’t even do a 5 minute pace for a 5k.
4. Starting at the back of the pack is the best thing.
5. It really is exhilarating to have mere strangers cheering you on at various mile markers. This one group of ladies seemed to be following me! Maybe it was the pack of women I was running with, but they called out my name and rang their cowbells.
6. Mile 10 is when I really start getting hungry.

The only downside to this race, was that I didn’t have anyone to greet me at the finish line. Davey didn’t get to cross it with me. He was at his last soccer game, a rescheduled game for one that was cancelled due to bad weather at the start of the season. That saddened me especially as I hobbled back to my car and climbed in to drive home. I’ve always had someone, even if it was only my husband, who greeted me at the finish line. It’s always been nice to finish with a high five and a hug from the person you love.

My medal
My medal

I did receive a medal for completing this race, something I’ve never received before. Nothing flashy or gawdy, just a medal. I put it around my neck and grabbed my complimentary breakfast of banana and yogurt. When I got home, all three of my boys greeted me. Davey said, “good job, mama, good job.” And as I showered, my husband finished up my true medal. It’s made from a seashell he and Davey found at the beach this summer. The shell is in the shape of a heart and on the shell, he put finger prints of the boys in orange and purple (Clemson colors). It’s way better than the medal given to me at the completion of the race.

My way cooler medal
My way cooler medal

So, will I do another one of these? Probably not. I think I’ll stick to my 5k and 10k races. They’re much less brutal on my legs.

The Trip That Almost Wasn’t

On By Doser3In Dreaming of Mommyhood - GeneralLeave a comment

Traveling is a lot more tedious and even strategic now that my husband and I are parents. Long gone are the days of worrying about just the two of us. So what if we only have 30 minutes to make our connecting flight! We can just make a run for it…those were the words we use to share with each other. Not so much these days.

We’re very fortunate to have a son that seems to be flexible and willing to travel. He’s a frequent flyer already, having logged his 18th plane ride this weekend. He was flying, and rather superbly I must say, at 2&1/2 months. That doesn’t mean traveling is as seamless as it once was, when it was only my husband and me.

Gone are the days of listening to my iPod, reading a book, or even picking up a celebrity magazine to pass the time while waiting to board a flight. If we have a delayed flight that could cause us to miss our connecting flight, then we have to seriously reconsider our travel, much like we did this past weekend when we were told that we wouldn’t make our flight in Baltimore. In the olden days of just husband and wife travel, we would have just dealt with adding an additional flight through Chicago into our travel, even if that meant arriving at our final destination after midnight. Not the case anymore.

So, we decided to delay our travel by a day, reroute out of our local airport, and take the over $150 in travel vouchers. Of course that meant keeping our little rebel, aka Davey, cooped up in a car for another 2 hours as we drove back home. You can only imagine the amount of energy he had once we finally walked back into our house. It was like holding a wind up toy, winding it to its max, and letting it go.

The next morning we rose before the crack of dawn, 4:30 to be exact, to try our travel again. Take 2! And what we thought would be seamless wasn’t so much the case. Nothing is more excruciating for the parens of a toddler, than watching the seconds click by on the clock as you continue to sit on the Tarmac. Seconds become minutes and minutes quickly add up to a cranky toddler who can’t understand why the plane is not his own personal playground.

And what’s worse is that after the minutes pass by and you’re pushed out from the gate, you hear the pilot state that the necessary little generator needed to actually start the engines is tanked. Yes, that would be correct. We were then pulled back into the gate to fix our issue. My husband and I looked at our watch and realized that we may actually miss our connecting flight this time. What are the odds?

We developed our plan of blocking, quick exiting, and picking up anything we checked at the gate. And when we landed, I was quickly thankful for the fact that I am a runner, that I am strong, and that I’ve managed to stay in shape during this pregnancy because while lugging the extra weight from the baby in my belly, and a 35 pound toddler, I managed to still navigate the airport, stay ahead of my husband, and make it to our connecting flight. Whew!

Needless to say, I think I’m already developing an ulcer as I worry about how we’ll manage this once the second baby arrives.