JT's 2nd Birthday!

This past Sunday was JT’s 2nd Birthday party in Hagerstown, MD at Monkey Joe's. Before our drive up there, Dan & I stopped & ate breakfast at Mimi's Cafe by the Dulles Town Center Mall & we highly recommend it if anyone is looking for a yummy breakfast. We had never been but the food was so good that we’re definitely going back. They give you freshly baked muffins with your breakfast people, yes we are definitely going back. So on our drive up to Monkey Joe’s, Dan was talking about how he couldn’t wait to get there & jump in the “bouncy balls” with Jackson. I kept reminding him that they do not have bouncy balls, they are bouncy houses. It didn’t matter because 2 minutes later he was back to saying “bouncy balls.” Needless to say he was very excited. We arrived around 1:15 p.m., fashionably late because the party started at 1:00 p.m. While we were checking in to see where JT’s party was, we were informed that adults could not get into the bouncy houses with the children. Dan was not happy when he heard this & actually gave one of the employee’s there a hard time saying, “are you kidding me?” “why can’t I go in there?” “well what if my nephew needs help?”, etc. Apparently adults are allowed in the bouncy houses on week days when the place has less children but since it was Sunday, there were a lot of kids around. So after the disappointing news, Dan proceeded to gripe & moan about how he couldn’t get in & how much he was pissed about it. I took several photos of Dan, JT, family, etc. so here you go:
JT with Aunt Aurie JT going down the slide with Uncle Teddy (he was a little scared).
Dan watching the kids have fun while he has to sit out. He's just dying to get in there. Taking JT to the 3 & under bouncy house. "This slide looks a little more doable guys."
Here's a video I took on his second slide down:


Little Rylee eating some lunch.
Ready to eat some pizza.
Loving everyone singing happy birthday.
Wanting to sit on Duck's lap.
The toy we got JT.

On Friday night, we drove to Target after dinner & picked JT up a CAT construction truck (no idea what kind it is) but Dan was very disappointed to find out that the toy he wanted to get JT, which was a humungous Dodge Ram truck that made several engine noises & racing comments, was for children 5 & above. A nice lady with 2 of her children were in the same toy isle as us as I’m trying to explain to Dan that JT is 2, not 5 & older so we needed to get him something more age appropriate, she took my side & pointed us in the direction of the smaller children’s toy isle; but not before Dan commented that he wanted to get the Dodge Ram truck & if he couldn’t get it for JT, he would buy it for himself. He loved that thing. We also bought JT 2 outfits for Fall which he was not too excited about opening because what little kid wants clothes for their birthday? I certainly didn’t.
We had a great time seeing everyone & watching JT have such a great time on the bouncy houses. The next time we take a trip to Monkey Joe’s, we’ll be sure to go on a week day so Dan won’t be so disappointed. ;o)
Jackson - we hope you had a wonderful birthday; you are such a sweetheart & completely spoiled rotten; you keep us laughing & we love you very much.

Columbus Day Weekend

Yes, I am behind on posting this because so many other things came up & I just completely forgot about it but better late than never, right?

So on Saturday, October 9th, Dan, Lexi & I drove up to PA for the long weekend. Since the weather was beautiful that day, we decided to take the top down for the trip because we take the back roads instead of driving continuously on Rt. 70. Lexi was riding on my lap with her big pink bed because she gets so car sick riding in the back on long trips. We had a wonderful time enjoying the nice weather, continuous breeze & Lexi was loving every minute of it. We even had people drive up right beside us to wave & laugh at Lexi because lets face it, she is just too cute. :o)
One we got up to PA, it was pure business because my Dad was having the Waynesburg University Baseball Golf Tournament on Sunday, which Dan was getting to play in. They had put together a ton of raffle gifts, long putt, long drive, etc. prizes. My Mom was the one that was responsible for wrapping & getting everything together, not including the food that she had to make for the event. Golf tournament time is a very stressful time at my parent’s house. Lots & lots of work go into it, but every year it turns out great & the alumni/golfers have such a great time, Dan included. So the night before I was helping Mom with the food, cutting potatoes, tomatoes, onions, pickles, olives, etc. She had made the potato & pasta salads & then we had hamburgers & hot dogs. Ben & I were able to have some one on one time while my Mom, Dad & Dan went to the golf course early to set up. We didn’t get out there until around 11:30 a.m. & I’m even surprised that we made it there that early because the directions that my Dad had given me were terrible & there was a good 25 minutes where Ben & I drove around trying to find the damn golf course. Since I am horrible with directions to begin with, I knew we would have problems; I was not a happy camper when we finally pulled into the parking lot...very frustrating.
One thing that I was very impressed by was the fact that my brother came up with the logo for the t-shirts & baseball hats that were passed out/sold. He did a great job. So after several hours at the golf tournament, we drove home around 4:00 p.m. & we were exhausted. We ordered pizza that night because no one wanted to eat leftovers & Mom definitely didn’t want to cook.
On Monday around lunchtime, Dan & I decided to head home so we could stop at a farmer’s market that I have been wanting to go to every time we drive up to PA. We also still had to go to the grocery store to get food for the week so it was going to be a long day. The weather was still beautiful on our drive back home so we left the top down. We arrived at the farmer’s market & checked out the things that they had, fresh baked pies, candies, breads, fruits, vegetables, etc. They also had a great selection of pumpkins but they were extremely over priced so Dan & I didn’t purchase ours that day; we decided to wait until we got back home. Here are some photos that I took:


I just had to get Lexi's picture in this little spot. :o)
Our trip up to PA was nice & busy. I really enjoyed spending time with my family & getting to see the alumni. Dan enjoyed golfing with some of his buddies & getting to see the guys that he played baseball with. We also won several items from the raffle, an under armor fleece for Dan, a toboggan, & 2 WU baseball hats. The tournament was a big hit, they had 100 golfers & at the end of the day, the team raised approximately $8,000. Thanks to everyone for coming out & supporting WU Baseball!

Sprain, Sprain, Go Away!

For those of you that befriended me on Facebook, you have already heard that I sprained my ankle last Sunday at Burke Lake Park. What you don’t know is the story behind it, so here you go…
S & I decided to try out Burke Lake at the recommendation of our office manager, Nancy, because she said it was so beautiful there & the trails were fun. S & I had never been so we decided to go for something different. We met at our office on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. & carpooled over. S found out the night before that in order to get into the Park you have to pay $8.00 per car, but only if you are not a Fairfax County resident. S & I are not so that was pretty annoying that we had to pay money just to run for 30 to 40 minutes. Thankfully, when we arrived it was too early for anyone to be in the booth so we got to slip right in without paying. Money!
We parked by the amphitheater & got out to stretch; it was freezing outside. We tried to do a warm up walk but then decided that we had better start running because the walk was not warming us up. After we started down the trail, I noticed that the trails were actual trails; I was thinking that they would be cement but they were actually dirt, rocks, leaves, branches, etc. Instantly I knew this was a bad idea & told Sandra to keep her eyes on her feet & watch out for rocks & branches because you can twist or sprain your ankle on that kind of terrain (ironic?). I started out liking Burke Lake because you were surrounded by trees & we were running along the lake which made it even prettier & of course colder. S & I’s training program required us to run a 30 to 40 minute run that day so I told S that we were going to go for 35 minutes because you always want to exceed the required time while training because if by chance you are having a bad run later on in the program you will be able to shorten your run that day because you are ahead of the program already & you won’t lose any training or time. S was fine with that so during our run, I was leading with S following, & every couple minutes I would ask how she was doing & she would say, “good.” This should have alarmed me because I have never heard S say “good” while we were running; usually it’s, “I have to stop & stretch my calves because they’re cramping;” “I can’t do it,” etc. but I just let it go & didn’t think anything of it until we only had 5 minutes left. When I asked her how she was doing she said, “I’m bored.” I told her to take the lead & S said, “but why?” My response, “because this is the longest run we have done since we started our training & you are not out of breath, you are not uncomfortable & you should be, so I told her to get in front & pick up the pace for the last 5 minutes. Shortly after S took the lead was when I went down like a load of shit (to quote my Dad). There was a rock that was sticking up from the dirt that I did not see & of course my ankle caught it & ended up rolling out; I fell on the palms of my hands & my right knee. I rolled over onto my butt & didn’t move for several minutes trying to let the throbbing in my ankle subside. While that was happening S was beside me & a family of 3 who were walking their dog stopped to help me, which was very sweet of them. I then checked my stop watch for the time & noticed that S & I only made it to 29:05. I looked up at S & showed her the watch & she said, “what?” I told her that we ran for 29:05 & then I said, “shit!” We were 6 minutes shy of our 35 minute run & I was pissed. S then commented to the family that I was the only one that would ever say that after I hurt myself. After a short rest, I stood up with the help of S & the kind man & started to walk normally. Everyone thought that I wouldn’t be able to move but thankfully I was OK...for a short period of time. I was thinking that once the family left, we could start running again but after a few seconds of walking, the pain set in & the throbbing started. It freakin’ hurt. As I gimped my way back to the car with S’s assistance, we decided to stop by CVS on our way home so I could get some supplies.
Once I got home, Dan helped me take off my shoe so I could start the icing process. After my shoe came off I was in so much pain that I just started sobbing. It felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife; I never remember my other sprains in high school feeling like this one. The entire time I had to ice I was completely miserable. It was a very long afternoon & a very long night.
On Monday morning I used Dan’s crutches so I could get around at work that day. By the end of the day, my armpits & hands were killing me from using the crutches. I seriously think they hurt more than they helped. On Tuesday I was using 1 crutch instead of 2. On Wednesday I was crutchless & very gimpy. Thursday was better but still pretty gimpy & Friday was the best day of the week. I was finally able to put a shoe on instead of wearing flips. I’m hoping my sprain improves by Sunday so I can at least try to jog; I’m not asking to be at full running speed, just some kind of normal movement would be nice. This whole process is very frustrating but I guess I should be thankful because it could’ve been worse: (1) I could’ve broken my ankle & been out for several weeks, if not months; and (2) I could’ve sprained my ankle closer to the 5K race & would not have been able to participate with the girls (that would’ve really upset me). I just have to keep in mind what my Dad always tells me, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
A special thanks goes out to my girls at the office for helping me all week & making me take it easy, even when I didn't want to. I can be very stubborn sometimes, as S has found out. I love you girls!

I’ll keep you all updated on my healing progress & my attempts at getting back into my running program. :o)

5K What?

Since Sandra Lue (S) & I have been running/working out after work lately, I came up with the idea of training & running in a race to keep us moving. S has never ran in an actual race before & has never really been an actual runner but she has been doing so well since we started & has not given up once. I have ran a few 5K races, one 10K race (with Dan), and I was addicted to running my last year of college when I would run daily with Sarie. She was the one that actually taught me to love running instead of just doing it as exercise. It is a great stress reliever for me & also boosts my confidence. So a few weeks ago, I talked to S & L (Leesie) & asked them if they wanted to run in the Centreville Turkey Trot 5K Race on Thanksgiving Day. Surprisingly, it did not take that much convincing. L’s response was “let’s do it!” S was a little less excited & said, “Alright, how far is a 5K?” We have also added a few more to our group, L’s husband, Chip, and S’s fiancé, Santiago, that will join us on race day. Unfortunately, Dan will not be joining us because he will be in WV carrying on the tradition with his Dad, brother & brother-in-law of hunting the morning of Thanksgiving. After the race, Lexi & I will drive up to WV to spend Thanksgiving with the in-laws.
After we signed up for the race, L & I found a workout program to help us train for the race which we start this week; it is a 6 week program. I’m so excited to be training/running in this race with some girlfriends which is something I’ve never done before; I’ve always either ran by myself or ran with Dan. Of course, when Dan runs in a race we don’t actually run together because he takes it so seriously. He leaves me behind as soon as we cross over the start line. I don’t blame him though, if I ran like he does, I would want to beat everyone that I could too.
Now that we have been training/running for over a week, I can share with you some of the funny things that happen during our runs. When S & I first started, she did not want to utter a word while running, meanwhile, there I am talking about the running rules that I listed in my previous post & asking her, “how are your feet?” “how is your breathing?” “does your side hurt?” “how are you doing girlie?” I would look back at her & she would give me a look like, “I’m going to seriously hurt you if you don’t shut up & let me concentrate on my breathing.” I got the hint after a while & closed my mouth but still uttered words of encouragement, i.e., “great job girlie!” “only 5 more minutes!” “you can do it!” “size 8 wedding dress here you come!” :o) One day we decided to run & do some endurance training so I took a 4 x 4 workout that my Dad does with his baseball team, which includes (1) back peddling; (2) karaoke; (3) jogging; and (4) side lunges. S was starting to lose energy while doing the last move, karaoke, so I broke out singing the song “Dancing Queen…young & free, only 17…” I thought this might help her but it actually just made her laugh to the point where she couldn’t run anymore. Last Friday when L was able to join us for a run, we were on our way back to the office & coming to a hill which I say to them, “don’t stop on a hill girls…don’t stop…don’t stop!” And then I break out singing Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’…hold on to that feelin’…street lights, people…!” They both laughed & everyone that was around either working out, walking their dogs, etc. stared at me like I was crazy. It was pretty funny & it served its purpose…to keep the girls running up the hill. I’ve had a lot of fun training with the girls & I’m sure I’ll have more stories to share as the race approaches.

The Battle Begins: Body vs. Mind

Last week Sandra Lue & I started exercising after work. On Tuesday & Wednesday we ran the stairs in our building with our work clothes & flip flops on. Yes, we weren't so smart & we were told several times by other co-workers that we needed to wear tennis shoes. We ended up doing 2 sets of stairs, up & down. We counted the steps which were 166 on one trip up. Needless to say, I was breathing heavy & completely out of shape because this was the first exercise that I have done since I had pleurisy. I was nervous how my lungs would take it but I was surprisingly alright; no pain & no trouble breathing besides the out of shape feeling. On Thursday, we decided to kick things up a notch & run 3 stairs...so much harder. We made it but my calves have never hurt so bad. I was sore for several days. On Friday, since the weather was so nice, we decided to go for a run outside (this time we brought running clothes & tennis shoes). We started off at a good pace & ended up running up to Fairfax Corner. We decided to keep going & continue speed walking & some running inbetween. After we got back to the office, Sandra Lue tracked our run/walk with her car & texted me to say that we ran 1 mile & totaled 3.6 miles all together. Holy cow! I didn't realize we went that far. I guess its true what they say, "working out with a buddy is much more fun." The time went by so much faster & we kept each other moving & by moving, I mean literally pushing each other at times. :o) We had several of our co-workers drive past us while we were working out & the worst part was that they all saw us while we were walking, not running. S was the one that pointed this out & we laughed so hard.
During the time that we were running, I shared my "running rules" with S that I have learned over the years: (1) Never stop on a hill! You can slow your pace but don't stop; it takes more energy to stop & start up again than it does to keep moving at a slower speed (this tip I learned from Sarie). (2) Try to run where there's traffic & people; there is a greater chance of someone you know seeing you running & if by chance you give up & walk, they will probably mention it the next day which will give you more incentive to keep moving during your next run (Dad taught me this). (3) Use down hills to your advantage. They can allow you to catch your breath, stretch out muscles that may be getting sore or tired & to increase your speed as well as shorten your run time (Sarie). (4) If you can carry on a conversation with someone while running & keeping your pace, you're in great shape (my Dad heard this from someone). Hopefully these running tips help you like they help me; they're in the back of my mind the entire time I'm on a run. :o)
Now you're probably wondering why all of a sudden S & I started working out. Well...Sandra Lue & her fiance, Santiago (remember them): are getting married at Riviera Maya, Mexico in May 2011 & she purchased her wedding dress a few weeks ago! She told me she wants to get in wedding shape so her dress fits like a glove. I decided to hop on the banwagon & get myself in shape as well. We're planning on continuing this exercise routine until we reach our goal weight/size. We've even talked about driving over to Burke Lake Park after work to get a run in. I've never been so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Happy Hour - Extra Happy

Several weeks ago, the girls from work & I went over to Uncle Julio's at Fairfax Corner & had some margaritas & mexican food. The guacamole there is to die for! Yummy, yummy. We were so excited for this particular happy hour because Cami was finally able to join us. Yay! The 4 of us had so much fun & I don't think we stopped laughing. Once the drinks kicked in, the pictures get a little silly so here are the photos that Leesie & I took: C & S
Me & L
L & C
S & Me
Then came the food - soooo good:






And now the drinks kick in:

Laughing so hard I'm surprised I didn't pee my pants.
This is the photo I framed for Leesie's birthday gift.
Attempt #1.
Attempt #2.
Attempt #3.
Attempt #4.
I really don't know.
Don't ask.
As you can see, we had a lot of fun - can't wait to plan another one. :o)