Thinks By Me

This week brought very cold temperatures that caused a challenge for some of my runs. It is almost impossible for me to stay comfortably warm when it gets below 20 degrees. I did my first hill workout, which is meant to strengthen a different set of muscles and increase your speed. I did that on the treadmill on Monday because the weather was dangerously wet and we were in a flood state--I decided not to risk getting drenched by passing cars. The rest of the week had runs ranging between 3 and 5 miles. My week culminated with a 6 mile "long run". I had to put that off on Saturday because the temperature hovered around 14 degrees, and the weatherman promised a balmy 20 degrees on Sunday! I really don't like running on Sunday--it is a full day of church and family dinner and activities and I am usually too pooped out to take a long run. But I planned carefully, took some extra snacks to church to keep fueled up, and headed out the door while my sweet hubby fixed lunch for t...

I won! THESE! From HER! I can't believe my luck, because I had never even heard of them and had no idea they were my dream come true! Sweet Riots are itty bitty little nibs of chocolate covered cacao, one of those natural wonders full of antioxidants. Each teeny tiny nib has only 1-2 calories, but I tell ya, it was all I could do to keep myself from flipping the top and dumping the whole container in my mouth. I tasted one several of each (just to thoroughly test each one) and so far, my favorite is the 50% chocolate. I will be routinely re-testing though, and I will be sure to post if I change my mind ;) For now, all three packets are safely hidden in my glove compartment (or my large purse, as my husband likes to call it) for emergency purposes -- I do routinely have chocolate-related emergencies while driving hither and yon. And for safekeeping (from 13-year-old son who would NOT refrain from dumping an entire carton in his mouth--and who routinely sniffs out my top-secre...

Last September, after doing two half marathons (one in Nashville for my 40th birthday and one in Syracuse, NY) and walking half of one and all of the other, I decided to begin training to run an entire half marathon. I started in the middle of September using the Couch to 5K program since I've always been more of a kickboxer and strength-trainer rather than a runner. I finished the Couch to 5K program and ran my very first 5K, the Interlaken Steeple Chase in October. I also began searching for half marathons and was thrilled to find that a favorite charity of mine, World Vision, was sponsoring the 13.1 New York race in April 2010. After some convincing of the hubby, who was determined to come watch wherever I chose but detests large cities (especially ones named "NYC") I registered for the inaugural event of 13.1 New York. Joining this race gives me an opportunity to raise support for World Vision and also is a chance to participate in the very first race that th...

Suzy, over at Running on My Time (who, incidentally, I found through the Freihofer's Run for Women, which, I plan to participate in this June) tagged me to list 10 things that make me happy. I haven't blogged in a while, so I thought it was due time to share a bit. 1) My relationship with Jesus Christ. 2) The fact that I'm a mom (which I didn't think I wanted to be until I was). 3) Muh Main Man (who reaffirms that he's The One for me with every new day). 4) Coffee (Starbucks grande, non-fat, no-whip Cinnamon Dolce Latte, to be specific). 5) Running gear (like my new World Vision running shirt, in neon orange for the half marathon in NYC on April 3). 6) My 2-hour-a-day job at an elementary school office (it's like parenting on a mammoth scale sometimes!) 7) Having a goal and achieving it (like in November when I ran 5 miles for the first time) 8) The smell of clean sheets. 9) Volunteering at my kids school. 10) Summer (the hotter, the better). I'm...

We had an awesomely good Thanksgiving week - although it was just the four of us. We stayed home as we have travel plans for Florida during Christmas week, so we stayed put for Thanksgiving. It was laid back, calm and completely stress free. I underachieved a bit and didn't even get my tree up--although I did get some Christmas shopping done. My workout schedule was - Sunday - Ran 4 miles (10:51 pace) Monday - kickboxed 1 hr. Tuesday - strength trained with personal trainer 1 hr Wed - off Thurs - Ran 4 miles before dinner (10:33 pace) Friday - strength trained with personal trainer 1 hr Sat - off Sunday (11/28) - ran 4 miles (10:32 pace) This week I'll add .5 miles and make my runs 4.5 miles. That will officially be the furthest distance I've ever run without stopping for a walk break. Once I get to 5 miles, I have a pre-training schedule I'll do for about 4 weeks before I start in on my half marathon training regimen. Thanksgiving dinner was yummalicious. With ju...

I did my first 5k race on Saturday, Nov. 14 a few miles outside Ithaca, NY. It was only slightly nerve-wracking. I got up early, drove up all by myself and ran, not knowing a soul. Fortunately I have been to two other races(though not alone) so I did have an idea of what to expect. I had to leave my cheering section at home--the race was too far away to leave the kiddos at home for hubby to come along, and our wrestler had practice, so I couldn't bring the whole crew. The stakes were high -- the other two races I've done involved a lot of walking...,my goal for this hilly course was to run the whole thing. Happily I met my goal of running the whole way, -- not fast, but with toenails matching my running gear (it actually wasn't planned!) My time was 33:38 though I would have preferred a time of about 3 minutes faster. Hubby obliged me with a picture, but I think he was a bit anxious to get out to the tree stand for hunting--thus the blur.

We've had our washer and dryer off our kitchen since we built our house, but we have sorely missed having a proper coat/boot closet, especially in the winter time, since you enter right into our house. We don't have a mud room or entry where we can take off boots and wet clothes. To solve the problem, we moved our laundry to our basement and my sweet hubby installed all sorts of shelving and a coat rack for me. He gets extra brownie points for doing it in the midst of deer season! Little Chic and I painted the walls before he got started.

Week ending 11/7 Workout schedule for this last week Monday kickboxed & ran 2.75 mi Tuesday 1 hour strength training Wednesday ran 2.75 mi Thursday 1 hour strength training Friday kickboxed Saturday ran 2.75 mi (hit my best pace 9:55/mi) I'm excited to run my first ever 5k this next Saturday, 11/14. Since is so blasted cold around here, the running season is pretty much over, so I have to drive past Ithaca to do it, but I've been looking for a race, and this is pretty much all there is to choose from. It's the Interlaken Steeple Chase put on by a church in the small town of Interlaken Menu for next week: Sunday evening dinner-Chicken parmigiana (my kids' favorite meal) Monday-Beef & Broccoli soup, Sandra Lee Tues-Tortilla bake, Kraft Food & Family (PTA meeting night, 6:30pm) Wed-Chicken linguine with creamy pesto, Sandra Lee (Choir practice night, 6:15pm) Thurs-Mac & Cheese with salad (Leadership team meeting night, 7pm) Friday-Stromboli (Wildtree Herb...

In lieu of not blogging at all, as I've been prone to do for the last year I'm toying with the idea of using my blog to indulge myself for a while in journaling the current happenings of my life--though they won't be of much interest to anybody else, I'm sure. I will probably keep things like my weekly menus, perhaps my workout schedule and progress log and maybe some other riffraff that only I care about. You're certainly invited to snoop about, although the fodder won't be very compelling. It will, however, give me something to look back at when I'm old & decrepit (you know, like old picture albums and remember the "good old days" ;)

My friends, Angela & Sue and I will be at the ARC of Onondaga County's Half Marathon on Saturday, September 12, 2009. I'm participating in memory of my sweet friend, Crystal, who had wanted to join in the next time I did a half marathon. When we talked about it back in April, I certainly thought we'd be doing one together more than just in spirit. I had found this race and was contemplating entering, but I hadn't even had a chance to ask her to join me before she died. I decided to participate the day I found out about her death, in her memory. Thanks to my sister, of Camie Designs , for providing this cute logo for me to wear on my shirt.

Crystal & Jennifer chatting it up at Jackson's Pumpkin Farm, Fall 1999. Crystal has been one of my best buds since we met and immediately hit it off in February of 1999 when I began attending Owego Nazarene Church. She was eight years younger than me, but we had so much in common: we lived on the same road and had kids almost the exact same age, and her personality complimented mine to a "T". We quickly began hanging out every day, doing fun stuff with the kids by day and scrapbooking or crafting by night. It put a big dent in our face-time when she and her husband moved several towns away but our friendship endured and we regularly found a way to get together and kept in steady contact as our kids got older and we moved on through our stages of life. I was heartbroken when I learned this morning that my good friend, Crystal, died in a car accident. She was driving with her youngest boy, Ethan, when another driver hit her head-on. We are praying for Ethan to fully...

Happy 20th Anniversary, Sweets! Thanks for lettin' me marry you!

Muh Main Man turned 45 today, and Little Chic wrote a special poem for him. It was so sweet and we both got quite a kick out of it, especially since she inherited her dad's creative spelling. FAUTHERS... Fauthers fix broken hearts Fauthers fill our brains with smarts. Fauthers wipe away our tears Fauthers ears can always hear. Fauthers know just what to say Fauthers make all the sadness go away. Some are sweet and some are kind Some are cruil and wack your behind! Daddy, you'r the best And you beat the rest. She's a daddy's girl, that one! And fortunately she also inherited her mom's love for the proper use of an apostrophe.

I have been bugging Little Chic to cut her waist-length hair for a long time. She did take about 4 inches off it about two months ago, and ever since, has been toying with the idea of something drastic and cool. Today was the day! I love it, but it's a little sad too--seeing how it makes her look all mature and teenager-ish.

This little narcissistic activity can turn out to be kinda hilarious. You Google your first name followed by the word "needs" i.e., "Jennifer needs" and see what results come up. A few of mine were not family-friendly blog-worthy, but here were some of the ones that were: Jennifer needs a smack daddy (defined in Urban Dictionary as "somebody who's keepin' it real; a friend) Jennifer needs to give birth in the next week Jennifer needs to play by the rules Jennifer needs to accept that she's gained what looks like some major pounds Jennifer needs a muzzle. Let's just hope the Jennifers that Google gossips about have last names that start with "Aniston" and "Lopez" rather than "O" !!

During a day of too much heavy stuff, THIS made me laugh out loud. PS - Stuff Christians Like is a parody site that finds the humor in some of the things that are common among Christians and/or churches. It's meant to be all in fun.

For girls who like to help mom cook! (And for Thirty One Gifts where you can get adorable monogrammed aprons!) For doctor's who give special treatment to their favorite patients (and figure out that Muh Main Man has pneumonia, just a few short hours before Thanksgiving dinner). For grace and blessings that have given us the life we are living. Blessings to each of you on this Thanksgiving Day 2008!

Little Chic got her first deer! She dropped it in its tracks and dragged it down the hill all by herself--all 106 pounds of it! I'm not sure who was more excited--her or Muh Main Man!