Start 'em Young!

Recently Dixie and Shane had a family home evening with their kids regarding earning money, or working, or something, i don't know what. The gist is this...they wanted to go on vacay, they wanted their kids to appreciate said vacay and earn some money to go. So, they told them that they could earn money by doing chores around the house, and they could earn money from other people too. Apparently they're quite good little cleaners (according to Dixie, and as good as 6,4 and 2 year olds can be). I'd witnessed their little mason jar on the shelf accumulating money and assured Dixie that I could use their services. Well, time, as we know it, just flew right by and I still hadn't experienced their handy work. Finally, with their vacation fast approaching and my house falling ever deeper into the pit of despair I went on a cleaning spree. And by spree I mean, I cleand my bathroom, and swept and mopped my kitchen floor. Anyway, I was busily working when the brilliant thought popped into my head. "Hey, I have 4 bucks cash (never happens) and I have some "jobs" for Dixies kids." So, I picked up the phone and gave her a ringy ding ding. When I told her it was TIME for her kids to earn their keep, she sent over 3 very excited kids. And here is what I had them do:






Owen washed down my very dirty and dusty front door. While I love myself a black door, it sure collects the dirt for all to see. He also wiped down all my kitchen chairs. PERFECT!






Livy washed the baseboards in my bathroom and kitchen (and frankly, I despise baseboards, hence they've never been washed in all the time I've lived here). She also cleaned the outside of my oven until it sparkled and shined.






Morgan wiped down my garbage can, my water cooler and the front of my fridge (well as far up as her wee little self could reach). Oh, and she also wiped the front of my bathroom cupboards down.






Seeing her cousins busily at work, Maggie HAD to be a part of it. She INSISTED on helping. So, I handed her a clorox wipe and let her go to town. She worked on the dishwasher, and bathroom and whatever else she felt necessary to wipe down.






As I witnessed this adorable scene, of wee baby children working away, slave labor if you will, I had to take a picture.



What is NOT adorable about his picture? All so happily working.


I know this is practically the same pic, except that in this one Maggie is fully doing the Farah Fawcett hair shake. That girl is obsessed with her hair lately.

Owen working hard at chair scrubbin.

When all the slave labor was completed, I informed Livy that all was perfect. Her simple response..."so, can we have some cookies, and where is our money?"

According to Dixie they proudly placed their 4 bucks in the jar, and it nearly filled up the jar, which in their world meant they were rich and ready for vacation.





I'm just glad I could do my part. AND thankful for willing little hands to get the "crap" jobs done. Best to "start 'em youn" I always say.

Found

In case you were wondering....the Gerber Baby has been FOUND. And he lives right here in my house.










Are you kidding me? I took this picture and when I saw it, my heart melted even more, if that's possible. How did I produce something with the most perfectly round head EVER! So, anyone agree? Does he have a future modeling for Gerber?

Look who can sit all by himself now. HOORAY!

Ok, these pics slay me. The reason he has that crazy pirate look is, the moment the light on my camera would light up, this was his immediate reaction. Apparently the light was too blinding and all he could do was WINK at me. It was cracking me up so much that I might have taken a few too many pics. I MIGHT have 10 of the same shot, I'm just saying.

Overheard...

This morning Maggie and Brooklyn were back in maggies room playing. I'm not entirely sure what they were doing, but this is what I overheard as I was cleaning up in the kitchen.

Brooklyn: ":gasp: Oh Maggie, this is adorable picture Maggie EVER I saw. So adorable. Oh, I love it." (this is verbatim, as I wrote it down immediately upon hearing it)

Maggie: "Yea....Dor-a-ble."


Who knows what picture was so ADORABLE, but the conversation was hysterical. Brooklyn went on for a minute more just exclaiming the darlingness of the mystery picture.


Speaking of adorable pictures...I took these a couple of weeks ago. Again, who knows what was going on, apparently a little "cawfee twalk" amongst the girls. They really are so funny together, especially when they're happy.




Can you even believe it Brookie? She asks. Would you look at Brooklyns crossed leg and sipping on her cup. Seriously!

They have had the BEST 2 weeks together. Every morning the first words out of Maggies mouth are "Daddy sleeping? Daddy owie his tummy?" And then as soon as Brooklyn shows up, Maggies exclaims with total excitement "Brookie is HOME!" I wish I could record their mornings of play. They go back and forth between the front room and Maggies room (as that is the only places they CAN go) and they're always on the go. Either going to "the gym", taking a shower, going to the doctor (docker), going home, etc. One morning I found them sitting on the coffee table, Maggie was using an old makeup brush on Brooklyns face and I heard her saying "Brookie you bootful." They will each take turns putting "makeup on" and telling eachother how pretty they are. And if they aren't beautifying themselves, then they're playing Mommy to their babies, wrapping them in blankets, feeding them, putting them to bed, etc. Seriously, it is so freaking adorable. Even though they make big messes and frustrate me with their whining and fighting at times, they ultimately are just so freaking fun and cute and always crack me up. I'm grateful for each day that I get to be home and experience their take on the world.

Meanwhile...

Whilst I've been waxing philisophical and all Triathlony, life has continued forward, my kids have just continued to get cuter and cuter and make me smile more each day. We've visited friends and family, had a birth, had a wedding, changed dressing in the wound, scraped knees, kissed boo boos, had continued sickness, rolled over, etc. It's amazing how much happens in the course of one day, much less in the course of weeks. Of COURSE I've taken pictures a plenty of the day to day. So, if you'll forgive me, and indulge me, here are just a few (more like a lot) shots from the last couple of weeks.

We'd like to thank Aunty Tracie for this ADORABLE little ensemble. I really should just start a whole seperate blog to chronicle Maggies adorable fashions from day to day. Somedays it's just a crime that noone sees her and her get ups.

Max with the sad, and the snot and the goop. This poor kid, he has a couple good days with the eye being goop free, then it's back with a vengance. A day off from snot-a-thon, then it's back. And really, he's so good natured most of the time that it's not so bad. But, I sure wish HE could feel what "good" felt like, not just "eh" all the time.

Max got his first official bath in a real bathtub at Gramma Shumways. He enjoyed it immensely.

Oh, you Know, I was feeling artsy. Just go with me on this.

Sometimes, she gets captured in a picture and it's just so...holy cow she's pretty. I KNOW I'm her Mom, but really, what isn't cute about that?

Maggie QUITE enjoys wearing Mommy's "gasses". She insists on it much of the time. I WISH I had a picture of her in church yesterday. She put on my glasses, and proceeded to drag my HUGE purse up and down the aisle during Sacrament meeting. Eventually she got my cell phone out, was "talking" on that, with the glasses, dragging the purse and making her way to the door. It was PRI-T darn funny. The lady behind me leaned forward and said "Is she working the catwalk or what?"

We stopped by P & L's for some quality time before the baby arrived. Of course It was delightful, as any time spent in their home is.

We got to go to cousin Wendy's house a couple of times so she could do Jeres dressing change there. Her house was fun, there were cool rocking horse things, and cars to drive and boys to play with. This picture of Maggie is just so wierd and funny, PLUS a real smile. Have I mentioned she LOVES to drive? Yeah, well she does. That's a girl who takes after her Mommies heart.

Another day at Wendy's. How cute is this mini bench with Mags and little Lincoln on it?

Max, just chillin, enjoying a good picture book. He enjoys some good bumbo time these days. He's working on sitting on his own, we're reallllly close. My Mom keeps insisting on sitting him so his bottom can flatten out. So funny.

We stopped by to talk to Bampaw, and Maggie REALLY loves her Grampa.

Then later that day we stopped by and saw Gramma Peg. Maggie was entranced by an airplane right about here, hence her sort of "der" look.

One Sunday we stopped by Gramma Dars (don't be confused, all become Gramma and Aunt around here). Gramma Dar has the GREATEST little house in her backyard, JUST the right size for Maggie. She and her new friend Navi (sadly no picture of her) played and played in the house. I freaking love the shot of her in the doorway, you can see how perfect the size is. I'm only bitter that I NEVER got to play in this house when I could still fit in it. Really and truly Dars house is a wonderland for kids and adults alike really.

So, there you have it. A sampling of happenings around here. Jere continues to heal, SLOWLY but surely. This open wound thing has really been dragging out and makes his spirits low. But, the doctor says it IS improving, so there is hope. He's already lost 46 lbs. in just under a month. It's crazy to watch him everyday literally melt a little more away. Now, if only we could get him feeling better. Tomorrow he flys to LA to shoot an industrial video for Univ. of Phoenix. This is a really great thing, except that he feels like total crap and has nooooo energy. Please, keep him in your prayers for this one. It also sucks 'cause we have to go buy him a dark colored dress shirt at the fat mans store that will cost us a freaking fortune, and he'll only be able to wear it for a very short time. UGH!

I'm winding down this school year of students, getting ready for recital and then it's workshop time once again. SERIOUSLY, how does this happen so quickly every year? Wish us luck.

Picture posts and eyeball strain,

Allyson

Who is retarded? That would be me. I finished and posted the entry and then thought, "HEY, I thought I put a pic in there of me and the new baby." DUH, there it is. Porter and Lana's little Crew William was born on May 7th and he is freaking ADORABLE!!! No really, he's extra specially cute. We're so happy to have him here with us.

She Swims, She Bikes, She Runs

Hmmmmm, where does one even begin to discuss the biggest thing she's ever done (next to birthing a child)? I really don't even know where to begin. Let me just say that it was amazing. It was fun. It was HOT, but it was DOABLE! I am officially a Triathlete, and I love it. I can't wait to do many more of these events, and I'm officially challenging YOU to join me. Really, any of you readers out there who might be sitting on the fence about whether or not you could EVER do one of these things. Jump off right now, come to our side, you can TOTALLY do this. If me, and all my chubby glory can do this, then YOU CAN TOO! If Dana, who hasn't seen the inside of a gym in years, or done exercise in that long either can pull it together and do this, then YOU CAN TOO! Anyone can do this, and it's soooo worth it. There are people of every age, body type, social type, etc. that participate in triathlons, and you can too. That's all I'm saying. So, now I give you a pictorial of the events.



The night before the five of us went down to pick up our race packets and check out the area. Aren't we all so cute and sassy? I thought so too. We got nifty little bags with shirts, swim caps and little samples of various things. Dixie was giddy as a school girl on Christmas Eve. I was a bit more subdued, more like "hmmm, it's tomorrow." Then I promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home.

The morning of the race dawned BRIGHT and early. I was awake at 5:30 a.m. to have a little egg and get dressed for the day. I had my bag packed with all the necessities and meandered over to Dixies. Here is a little shot of her loading the bikes up on the car. Again, she was allllll atwitter.

All this picture proves is, we had matching shirts and this is why makeup was invented. I mean Holy hideousness.....get me some mascara STAT!

The excitment was in the air. The feeling was palpable, everyone hopped up and excited for the big event. We got there NICE and EARLY to set up our areas, lay out our towells, shoes, etc. Put our bikes up on the racks and just get ready. Here we are, in all our pre-race glory. Don't be scared of us, we're harmless really. No need to fear, Jenny went and got some "real" sunglasses before the race and the nerdy white ones were gone.

I'm putting on my race bracelet here. There is a micro-chip in them and they track your times between each event. In case you were wondering, I was number 444.

This is my friend/cousin Karen K Heslop. If you refer back to my entry "Old Friends are the Best Friends" she is one that I was with. Apparently, when I mentioned I was doing a triathlon that day, she became inspired. And only a month ago, she told me I'd inspired her and she had signed up to do the triathlon too. How FUN is that? She did awesome in the race.

Don't worry, it IS hard to be this hot. This is just before we moved over to get ready and get in the water with our heat. Dana and I chose to do the buddy wave, which for future reference we would not do again. We left 15 minutes behind where our age groups left, and that's a lot of time. Oh well, live and learn.

There I am, getting prepped for the big swim. The water was cold at first, but you got used to it quickly. In fact, it felt reallllly good. I was really ready for the race to start. Finally, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,GOOOOOO! I took off and never looked back. It was actually nice to be in open water and have no walls to worry about. I was in a really good groove and I made great time. I passed people from 2 heats in front of me (but to be fair, they were old ladies). Before I knew it, I was back at the dock and getting out of the water. I'd done the heat in 18 minutes, and left quite a few people behind me.

This is as good as I've got to show off the aquatard glory. Jere mistakenly had turned the camera to video at this point, so all I have are 1 second videos. Sorry. It was slightly embarrassing, but I got over it. Truth be told, i actually looked better in this than in my shorts and giant t-shirt later. Anyway, I sauntered over to the transition area (didn't know they counted this in your swim time) mostly because I was a bit shakier than I thought. It took me a second to get my feet under me, but I did it. And now it was ready to get ready for the bike.

I'm just about ready to grab my bike and head out of transition for the bike portion. I actually drank gatorade, ewwww! The moment I got on the bike and started riding something seemed wrong, but I kept going. I just thought that maybe because I always rode the bike with music (and this time I didn't have music) that I hadn't noticed how loud and annoying it was. So, I push onward, and when I got about 1/4 mile into the course it turne and head really up hill on the freeway onramp. Jenny passed me at this point and I said "something is wrong." And then she said "your front tire is totally flat." AWESOME! Are you freaking kidding me? So, I make it to the top and tell the cop up there that I have a flat and don't know what to do. He calls the race people and tells me that someone will be by to help me. So, I wait for what seems forever, watching more and more people go by. Finally, he says that they'll meet me at the bottom of the hill. So, I ride my flat tired bike down the hill and proceed to wait for another ETERNITY. At this point I'm just bawling on the side of the road, 'cause I'm pissed. Literally forever has passed when finally an extremely kind racer stops and tells me she'll help. But, she didn't have tools, 'cause I was riding a crappy old bike. So, she literally stopped cars on the side of the road until she found somone who had tools and was willing to help. This nice man and her totally took my bike apart, fixed the tire and THEN the dumb race mechanics showed up. All in all I had lost FORTY minutes at this point. Let me explain something, forty minutes in race time means people finished the race had lunch, went shopping and came back. I mean really, that is a LONG, LONG time. When I was finally on my way, I was just soooooo pissed. There is no other way to say it, PISSED! But, I peddled on and did what I could. It sucked to literally feel like I was the only person out there. As I was finishing the first loop, coming around the corner to the starting point, I heard a big pop and whoosh. You guessed it, my EFFING back tire blew. So, now I'm standing at the starting point and I'm back to square one. Thankfully, after a minute or two, Dana showed up, having just finished her race, and she handed me her bike so I could finish the freaking race. So, off I went, me myself and I, biking my heart out. As I was finishing my second lap, and I could hear all these people, or see people "cheering me on." I was so mad. The last thing i wanted or needed was to feel like a charity case. It made me so mad to think for one second that anyone thought "Oh the fat girl is still trying to finish." I just wanted to scream at everyone, I LOSTFORTYEFFINGMINUTES, I coulda beat all of you." "This is NOT hard for me, I could do it again tomorrow, do NOT pity the fat girl." Instead I cried and pushed on. The WORST part was coming in from the bike and transitioning to the run. My sweet, sweet family was so supportive. I mean, My Aunts Lucy and Judy were there, my cousins Kim and Heather (who was visiting from Alaska) were there, Jere, my parents, and more all just standing there yelling for me. At that point I was so angry and embarrassed that all i could do was cry. Thankfully, Jenny chose to walk the 3.1 miles with me.

This was a shot of us on the Mill Avenue bridge. We were nearing the finish line at this point. On this part of the race (the whole 3.1 mile part) I developed a blister like you would NOT believe. I have never had a blister, in all this training. I've worn the same shoes, and no blisters. But today, a blister, a hideously huge and excruciating blister. So, needless to say my time was not as stellar as it could have been.

There were a couple of girls behind me that passed me, and I said, a big HELL NO to that. So, I ran the last 1/4 mile in and beat them (and 2 others). Here I am in all my runners glory, getting ready to cross the finish line. I wish I hadn't had the set back, 'cause it sort of tempered the coolness of crossing the finish line. But it WAS cool, none the less.

Here we are....all newly accomplished triathletes. Well ok, Dixie is seasoned, but the rest of us are newbies. It felt awesome to accomplish this goal. We even got these nifty medals. And for the record...Dixie DID say that this was the hardest tri she's done, so that made me feel good. It just means that the Thanksgiving Day one will be CAKE!!

All in all, if you could erase that STUPID 40 minutes lost, it was a fantastic experience. And, minus that time loss, I actually did quite well for myself. I would have finished in the middle/top of my heat. So, that's how I shall see it, because those 40 minutes were NOT my fault. Not even gonna discuss the blister. Let's just say, taking my shoe off that day nearly killed me. It covers the entire back of my heel, top to bottom, side to side. The skin is completely off and it HURTS!! Good thing I'm totally tough!

So, there you have it, a day at the tri. And once again I am putting it out there for you....a CHALLENGE! There is a tri on Thanksgiving morning, that gives you LOTS of time to prepare and it's even shorter than this one. Create a goal, have something to work towards and you WILL be able to do it. And if that is just too much, then just start slow with some simple workouts. Taking care of yourself is important and WORTH it. YOU are worth it. Ah hell, we're ALL worth it.

Oh yeah, here is a shot of my only casualties. I didn't put sunscreen on my legs, and my calves took the brunt. Look closely, can you see the number 36 sunburned on my right calf. So FABULOUS!

Final stats: 26 lbs. lost in training, many more inches (so wish we would have measured). 48 lbs. lost since having Max in October. Here's to another 80 lbs.

Flat tires and blisters,

Allyson

The power of one

Well, "it's the day before the Tri y'all." You know what that means.....
Only ONE more day 'til I put it all on the line. One more day until I swim in a nasty smelling, fish filled Tempe Town Lake. One more day until I wear an aquatard and a swim cap in front of HUNDREDS of people. One more day before I mount a bike and ride the streets of Tempe and then walk a path around the lake in HIDEOUSLY hot Arizona weather. One more day until I fulfill a fitness goal once thought insurmountable.



Another aspect of that power of one.......
On Thursday I ran for an entire MILE without stopping. Did you get that? ONE MILE, me running, not stopping. It was a miracle, it was awesome! I might have done a little booty shaking, jump for joy dance right at the finish line, I'm just saying. There was a time when walking for a mile seemed utterly impossible. Shoot, there WAS a time when walking from my car to the door seemed undoable. I have NEVER in my entire 35 years of walking life run a mile. In Junior High when it was the mile day in gym, I would walk pretty much the whole thing and BARELY make it in time. There were times in my life when I was walking or exercising but still, the thought of running was just ridiculous. When we began this training process I would walk a mile on the treadmill and it took forever. I made occassional stabs at running, in short spurts. Somehow, over time my ability improved. One day I was running in longer jaunts. Then one day, there it was.....a WHOLE mile run, by me! I now know that I CAN do it, and that with one mile down, another one is in my future.




SIDENOTE:
Dear fellow track goers,
It seems to me that if my big white american booty is able to lap you not once, but sometimes twice, then perhaps you might not be pushing yourself hard enough. I realize that you have your daily schedule, and you're feeling good about coming down to the track and walking your mile. BUT, if you're wondering WHY you're not losing weight, the answer may be in the fat girl walking circles around you. I'm just saying.

Sincerely yours,

Chubby chic






I'm not gonna lie, for the first time in this whole process I am really nervous. Truly nervous about the fact that I could fall off the bike, or maybe the swim will be more difficult than I thought, or what if I get dehydrated, etc. What if I don't have all my stuff packed, what if, what if. It all feels a little overwhelming right now, so I try not to think about it too much. I just take a deep breath and then watch some Top Model or something.




But here is what I know....I am capable, I am powerful, and I will do it. I'm excited for one day to pass and another to come. Because I know that there is power in the number one...one day at a time, I get stronger. One mile at a time I improve.



One is a powerful number.

A Kind Deed and a Fun Evening

In the process of all this craziness with quarantine, Jeres surgery, etc. Many of you have offered help in any way. I was asked many times if there was anything you could do for us, etc. I kindly declined all offers, as I felt we had things under control and I certainly didn't want to put anyone out (well, except Wendy and her nurse skills, 'cause I could NOT do the dressing changes). But, one night, while on facebook, I started talking to my cousin McKanes wife Emily. We had a great conversation and she asked if there was anything they could do. I assured her we were ok, not to worry. But, then she asked if they could bring us dinner. And in a moment of UTTER weakness, and perhaps humility, I accepted that. Mostly I've felt bad for Maggie, because I pretty much gave up cooking when Jere had surgery. It all seems ok, except dinner time comes and I'm scrambling, throwing in a pizza, or making her a sandwhich or something. So, I felt bad that suddenly she was getting the short end of the stick. Plus, the idea of a meal sounded good. So, I agreed to let them bring us dinner, the date was set.











Last Tuesday night McKane, Emily and their darling little boy Bekam came over to our humble ghetto with dinner in tow. They even stopped at Taco Bell and got Jere some pintos and cheese, so he didn't feel left out. We had a DELICIOUS meal of chicken alfredo and the yummiest salad! Mac and Em sat down and ate with us and it was soooo fun. After dinner we hung out and chatted and had a good time. Unfortunately, I failed to take any pics of them, but I got some cute shots of Bek and Maggie eating their giant chocolate chip cookies.







Meet Bekam. This boy is freaking adorable, and such a sweet little guy. He and Maggie played really well togther. We definitely need to do that more often.

Enjoying their cookie goodness. Seriously, so cute these kids. Bek just turned 2, so he's only a few months older than Maggie. (Oh yes, do note the ADORABLE pink converse Maggie is sporting. Aunt Dana is too kind to us. Now Maggie has a new pair of FAVORITE shoes, in fact they're the ONLY shoes she wants to wear every day!)

I can't tell you how much fun it was for us to have them in our home. We realized that we need to hang out more often. I'm soooo thankful for the GREAT cousins I have, and the fact that I have actual relationships with so many of my cousins (and I have a lot).

Thanks Mac and Em for a wonderful meal and a delightful evening!

Happy tummies and humbled pride,

Allyson

Blogger Blah's

I don't know what it is, but I have just not been able to find it in me to really blog lately. I've hardly kept up on all my favorite bloggers as well. I realize it's partly because I'm redonkulously tired all the time. It could be that I was a little more overwhelmed by all the happenings around here than I thought. It could be that Max requires a little more attention, or that Maggie just goes around saying "mommy, MoMMY HO ME!" pretty much all day. Though I must interject here that for the lasst 2 days she and Brooklyn have had a BALL with eachother and have kept themselves quite entertained. Halleluia! They just stopped wrestling on the floor, that was something new. Currently Brooklyn is hanging with her head over the coffee table, and Maggie is pondering the possibility.






Anyway....if it makes anyone feel better, I haven't really watched all my DVR'd shows either. So, what the heck have I been doing? It feels like the days fly by and I have little to nothing accomplished. Maybe I should write a list:


1. Every day i get the kids dressed and hair done. I also get myself completely ready and dressed. Let it be said, I think this is important. I can not STAND to be in my pajamas, I feel lazy and grubby.
2. I've cleaned out my purse (trust me, it was scarey)
3. I found my kitchen table under the avalanche of papers
4. I've mopped the kitchen at least twice in the last 2 1/2 weeks
5. I've picked up and straightened my house at least a million times
6. Laundry
7. I've vacuumed many times
8. Made the bed (we don't do the whole deal very often)
9. Cleaned my bathroom 3 times
10. Taken stuff to D.I.
11. Taken Jere back and forth to the doctor
12. Taught lessons
13. Looked at many houses
14. Visited friends
15. Changed a million diapers
16. Payed bills
17. Gone to the store
18. Taken my kids to the doctor. Will ANYONE be surprised to know that Max STILL has an ear infection and we're on round FOUR of anti-biotics. Next is the ENT and tubes. WOO HOO!
19. Gone clothes shopping with Dana
20. Worked out
21. Made a thousand trips to CVS and Walgreens for supplies for Jeres nasty wound.
22. Talked to lots of people on facebook.
23. Laughed at Maggie and her hilarious talking. She's so smart, it's just fun to hear what comes out of her mouth next.
24. Emptied garbages.
25. Lost 7 lbs.






Well ok, so I have done something. It just seems like on a daily basis, I don't know WHY I can't bring myself to blog. I promise to make a better effort, if for no other reason than my dear friend Jenny needs something to read whilst stuck on bedrest. ahahahahahahaha






With that said, I'm gonna do a post about my last Tuesday night.







Silence and lazy fingers,



Allyson

I Did It!

For a couple of months now Maggie will proudly exclaim the phrase "I DID IT!" This applies to anything she has accomplished, whether it be climbing on the table, getting up on the couch, buckling Max's carseat (when he's not in it), opening a tricky thing...whatever. She is just really proud of her accomplishment and wants me, or anyone, or the whole world to know that SHE DID IT!






Well, today I want to stand up and EXCLAIM in great excitment....I DID IT!







I went to the track by myself this morning (as I had rather rudely stood Dixie up yesterday) to get a walk/run in. I started out with my usual walk for the first lap, trying to work myself up to a jog or even just a faster walk. As the second lap approached I decided in my head that I would just go for it. I would jog and I would go for as long as I could. Keeping in mind that a lap and 1/2 was as LONG as I'd ever done and I thought I'd die. So, I began my jog, and I just really concentrated on how my feet were hitting the ground. I was trying to find my stride and not just be a super huge bootied heffer trying to get around the track. Anyway, got around the first time and said to myself, all you have to do is make it another 1/2 lap. Got to that 1/2 way mark and say, just 100 yards more, got there and said, "hell, you've come this far, might as well make it an entire lap." Don't worry, by this time I was having a little struggle to breathe and my legs felt like perhaps they were filled with led and might DIE. But, I did it. I DID IT! I ran an entire 1/2 mile without stopping. I know that just seems so pathetic, but for me, it was a really, REALLY big accomplishment. I honestly thought I would NEVER run 3 steps, much less a 1/2 mile. I finished out the first mile walking and then headed into my 2nd mile. I like to do walk, sprint, walk, sprints for this mile. So, technically, I got another 1/2 mile in running, it was just interupted. None the less, I had a really good "run" this morning and did 2 miles in 28 minutes. When I started this adventure I was doing 2 miles in about 35 minutes or more. So, needless to say, it was very exciting and I felt good about my accomplishment.






Now, if I can just make it through tomorrow. Dixie is gonna take us to the track and kick our sorry butts in a bootcamp style workout. I'm scared.








Finally, I'd like to just say that I am officially only 4 lbs. FOUR POUNDS away from losing the 50 I gained with max. Yep, since Oct. 20 (having Max) I have lost 46 lbs. I'm happy about that. Now, only about 90 more to go. UGH!









Fat chicks and jogging pants,



Allyson