Thankful yet Shaken

Thanksgiving Break was exactly what I needed to refresh, recharge, and reflect on the things that are important in my life.  As I get older, I feel more aware of life and how quickly it can change.  I loved having 5 days to hold those dear to me close and think about how beautiful my life is.  I am blessed to have an incredible husband and baby.  Our families are wonderful and supportive and we couldn't ask for better parents and siblings.  They love us and Ethan with their everything and for that I am thankful. 

Anyone that knows us personally would know that this past year, Mike has made a big commitment to eat right and workout.  He started with a personal trainer, got super strict with his diet, and overall, made healthy choices about his lifestyle.  Right now, he is probably in the best physical shape of his life and although it is easy for me to roll my eyes when people say, "WOW Mike, how much weight have you lost," I am so very proud of him.  I wish I had his determination and will...he really sticks to something when he gets going.

It is amazing how fast life can change.  On Thanksgiving evening (well actually Friday morning since it was after midnight), Mike's personal trainer, was crossing the road and was struck and killed by a drunk driver.  He was only 26 years old.  Mike worked out with him on Wednesday and he was gone on Friday morning.  Pretty unbelievable...and Mike took it pretty hard.  Anyone that has had a trainer understands the incredibly close relationship you have, especially after a year.  A trainer is someone who sees you at your worst and motivates you though it all.  He helped Mike meet his goals and I know Mike really appreciated him not only as a trainer, but as a friend.

My heart just feels so heavy for this kid and his family.  We went to the visitation and it was just unreal.  When you go to a visitation for an older person, you see pictures of their life.  Their marriage and their kids.  Their family vacations and reunions.  You see that person grow older in their pictures.  But when you go to a young person's visitation, you see baby pictures.  You see homecoming and prom pictures.  You see pictures with friends at bars and parties.  You see a life that has not yet been lived.  And THAT was hard to take in.

And I can't help but thinking about the drunk driver.  Another life that is ruined.  He was 26 years old and made one bad decision that will haunt him for the rest of his life.  He will be in jail for a long time.  Did he have a job? a wife?  a kid?  I have no clue what his blood alcohol level was at the time of the accident...was he blacked out or just have one beer too many?  How many of us have made that same mistake of getting behind the wheel after a dinner, happy hour, or party?  It is terrifying and the consequences are forever. 

A long post to say, that this is a story and feeling that I can't quite shake.  I think it really stems back to this...I don't want Ethan to grow up.  I don't want him to be a 26 year old that could be (and will be) crossing the street late at night.  I don't want him to be a 26 year old that gets behind the wheel (or in the backseat) after he's had a few beers.  At the end of the day, we cannot keep our children locked inside.  I remember always hearing that having a child means that you have your heart walking outside of your body.  It is true.  I can't imagine Ethan going off to the college.  But I guess for now, I need to stop worrying about the future and the horrible things that can happen in this world, and instead, continue to hold my baby close and count my many blessings. 

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Mish Mash

Oh man...I hate that such a negative post has been looming on my blog over almost 2 months!  Time to change that and include a quick update on what's going on in our lives.  Such a busy time for this little family!

Ethan
Man, this kid is growing so fast.  He is at such an awesome age (16 months) and he really is so so smart.  He has TONS of words and new this week:  bubbles, outside, balloon, and yummy.  Our Parents as Teachers Educator came over and confirmed that Ethan is as much as a genius that we expected :)  (Don't all parents think their child is the smartest and cutest on the planet?!)  Life with him is just so amazing right now.  I'm not coming down from this "Mommy High" anytime soon!  I just gobble up every minute with him that I can and love every second.


Mike
Oh, my poor husband.  He has been working so sooooo sooo hard lately.  He has been burning the candle from both ends for awhile now and today marks the start of his crazy wedding season.  Pretty much from now to November, he will be shooting weddings and sessions every day of every weekend.  He has been working all day at his full time job, then he comes home to work on getting our house ready to go on the market, and then stays up late with those projects or works on his photography.  He has done such INCREDIBLE work around the house by fixing every little issue that has come up, painting, landscaping, and our house looks great!  I don't know how he balances all of his work, our house, and being such an awesome daddy and husband. 


The House
Our house will officially be on the market next Sunday and we will have our first open house.  I can't believe this is happening.  The POD will be picked up on Tuesday, the photographer will come on Wednesday, we will have a garage sale on Saturday, and then open house on Sunday.  Pretty incredible!  As I have mentioned before, leaving our "small town" Kirkwood will be very hard.  But we are excited about a couple of bigger homes that we have found that are closer to our parents and my work.  We know it will be a sad transition but one that is necessary for our family.  (The picture below was on our first day in our home in 2008.)


Running
Ohhhh, running.  Training for the half marathon was going really well.  UNTIL a few weeks ago.  After I ran, I had a lot of aching pain in my right knee.  I gave it a rest and tried again the next week.  Same thing and I was barely able to walk for 24 hours.  I iced it and took ibuprofen and it the pain went away quickly.  I decided to give it one last shot today.  My sister and I were attempting 7 miles in Forest Park (and in the back of my head, I knew my knee wasn't going to make it.)  It started aching at 1.7 miles but I wanted to try to get a bit further.  I had to stop at about 3.2 miles because of shooting pain.  I am so disappointed.  I've never had knee pain and I've been running off and on for about 4 years.  I'm going to my chiropractor on Monday (he also specializes in sports medicine) to see if this is the end of running for me.  I have a feeling that it is.  I cried when I had to stop and my sister had to finish the run without me.  I could have done it.  The rest of my body and my mind could have done it.  Why why why is my knee failing me now :( 
*I've decided to describe the pain since I have a lot of runners that read and comment!  Help me out, ladies.  The pain starts a couple of miles in.  It is the outside of my right kneecap.  It generally aches and today was the first day with shooting pain.  When I get home and rest, it starts to feel stiff and it very painful to bend it.  It is especially painful to go downstairs, but it is ok to go up.  I can bend my knee when pulling it forward (like at a 90 degree angle) but it really hurts when I bend it backwards (like to kick my tush).  The pain lasts about 24-48 hours and then completely vanishes until my next run.

Weight Loss
I think I have gotten the most comments when I post about weigh loss and my body image issues.  I started trying to lose the baby weight when Ethan was about 8 months old.  (I realized the 9 months on, 9 months off thing was just around the corner.)  I started in February and by March, I was sad and frustrated.  But I didn't give up.  This summer, I took a stroller fit class and started training for this 1/2 marathon.  I got on the scale last weekend and it showed that I have lost 15 pounds since I started trying in February!  It's awesome to FINALLY (after over a year) fit back into my prebaby clothes and feel OK about my appearance.  I like having my confidence back and it feels great to have people tell you that you look good.  I am my sister's Maid of Honor (I hope she doesn't call me the Matron of Honor...that sounds old) in June and I'd love to lose 10 more pounds by then. 

Baby Fever
Of course, I have waves of it but it's pretty much been at bay for a couple of months.  I am just totally enjoying Ethan and everything life is offering us right now so we aren't there yet.  We want to move and get into the next year before we start entertaining the idea of #2.  Also, Ethan is just so perfect and it scares me to think about what #2 could bring...don't they say if you have a great first kiddo that your second will surely be a terror?  Haha :)  (Or vice vera, of course!)

Congrats if you made it to the end.  That is what has been going on in our lives and the reason that I haven't been able to blog as often as I'd like.  Summer and Fall in St. Louis are my favorite seasons with so much to do.  Last night, we did the Balloon Glow in Forest Park and today enjoyed the Green Tree Festival's parade and will go the craft fair after naptime.  Love this time of the year and this weather!   Hope you are enjoying it too!  Happy Weekend!  XOXO

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Ethan's First Birthday- Carnival Party

For Ethan's first birthday party, I wanted to do something special.  I wanted to find a fun theme that would work for his outside party at a nearby park.  I scoured Pinterest and found so many carnival/circus ideas (see my inspiration board here!)  Honestly, I had no idea how much work it all would take.  I've now decided that Pinterest is the devil and although it provided me with TONS of ideas, it also made this party almost impossible to prepare.  Working full time (and having a husband with 2 jobs) and taking care of a child doesn't leave much time for party planning.  I enlisted the help of my family and the night before Ethan's party, we cranked it all out.  (It also didn't help that I ran a 5K and was out of the house from 7-9 am on the morning of his party.)  It was crazy but we did it!  (I already feel sorry for our future children who will never have this much energy or creativity put into any of their parties.)

Without further ado...Ethan's party!

I LOVED how the popcorn cupcakes turned out.  So easy and so cute!

Party favors

Hot dog bar for lunch

Now for the fun part!

Adorable birthday t-shirt from LeeLynn Crafts.

My mom let us repaint our childhood highchair that she now uses for Ethan.  Thanks for the idea Young House Love.

Happy birthday, Ethan!  Thanks for all of the friends and family that helped make Ethan's day special (and for helping me not lose my mind preparing).  Xoxo

Cupcake holders and cuffs, popcorn bags, plates, silverware, table cloths, stickers, lollipops- Oriental Trading Company (they have TONS of carnival decor and item)

Plastic Popcorn Holders (for favors and chips), red bowls, balloon bases, foil tins, ketchup/mustard- The Dollar Store

Hot dog Wrappers and Cracker Jacks- Amazon

***Since I was asked, the dress is from Old Navy.  They only have it in navy blue and a small.  The dress runs big (I'm wearing a small).  I bet you can find it in the clearance area in-store too!

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5 Years

Exactly 5 years ago...this picture was taken...and my whole life was about to change.Although June 25th isn't our official anniversary anymore, it still is a special day in our relationship. We met on the 24th, sparks flew on the 25th, and I told my mom that I met my future husband on the 26th. I'm glad I was right. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!
***I just realized this is my 500th post too***

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Best Day Ever!

Who would have thought that I would ever describe an experience that was centered around running as the "best day ever"?

We woke up bright and early on Sunday morning at 4:45 am. We put on our race attire, did a little stretching, and ate our bowls of oatmeal and PB&J sandwiches. (Funny side story...kind of. Mike realized as he was making breakfast that we only had 1 packet of oatmeal left. Then, he decided to make a PB&J and realized that we didn't have enough peanut butter for 2 sandwiches. We shared but the lack of food made me a bit nervous for him.) Before we left the house, I insisted that we had to snap a couple of pictures. You know, in case one of us died...We met over at Kate and Peter's house at around 6:00 to catch a ride with them. By the time everyone arrived and we were in the car, it was 6:30. I started to get nervous (I don't even know if nervous can best describe the anxiety that I had going into this day) that we would miss the 7 am start. We parked, hit up a port-a-potty, took the picture below, and started running toward the pace groups behind the START line. Lining up in that corral was really nerve-racking and the anxiety started kicking in again. At least we hadn't missed the start. Before I knew it, we were walking and eventually running across the start line. I could tell within minutes that this run was going to be different. The massive amount of people running at the same time was just incredible. Running down Broadway toward the Brewery, we were able to see an amazing sight. 17,000 were running down the street! My favorite part was only 1.5 miles in. Suddenly, across the street, the fast marathoners were looping back past us. They were only mile 4!

The first 6 miles of the course was wonderful. There was a small incline up Broadway, a few steeper hills through the Brewery and Soulard, and the big hill up Chouteau. Other than that, it was a pretty flat leg of the race. I heard that the other parts of the race had a lot more elevation changes so I guess I lucked out.

Before I knew it, we were at 6 miles and it was time to say goodbye to Mike. He was in great shape and surprising, so was I. Honestly, I have NEVER felt that good while running. I felt like I could keep going. I felt wonderful. I think I might have even smiled for most of the 6 miles. I said goodbye to Mike, met my relay teammate, Lynne, to pass on our timing tag, and she was on her way. I am not sure about official timing but my Garmin said that I ran 6.2 miles in 1:06. I was pretty darn happy with that. The atmosphere and the energy kept me going. All of the people around and the supporter just keep you going. It really is the coolest thing ever.

After about 30 minutes of walking around downtown, Kate and I found a good place to watch the finishers of the half marathon (right at mile 13). Our friends were rolling through and I was just waiting for Mike. We had no clue when he would be done but we guess between 2 hours and 2:30. At about 2:20, I saw this cutie running toward me.(The first thing that my dad said when he saw this picture is that he couldn't stop looking at the old lady who beat Mike. But that is the coolest part! There were so many older and larger people that were amazing runners. There was a man juggling and he was going faster than we were!)

I shouted and asked if he wanted me to finish with him. Earlier in the week when I asked him if I should meet him at mile 12 and finish with him, he told me no. But this day, he eagerly said yes so I jumped into the race and ran the last couple of minutes with him. I was so proud of him at that moment and I wanted to cry. After we crossed the finish line, I snapped another picture of my half-marathoner with his medal. Not looking too shabby for just finishing 13.1 miles, huh? Mike left to go back to Kate and Peter's to shower and change, while I met with with friends that finished the half. I had to wait until my relay team finished the whole marathon so we could cross the finish line together. It was such a beautiful day and I was so lucky to be able to meet us with friends and talk about the run.

At about 10:45, I got a text that our final relay member had started her run. We figured that we needed to line up to meet her at about 11:45. We stood at the top of the huge hill called Market Street and waited for our teammate to come. A few minutes later, we saw her coming up the hill. Our 4-person relay team rallied together to finish the marathon strong. We held hands crossing the finish line and were so proud of our time. When we first signed up, we had to guess a finishing time. We guessed 5 hours. Then after much discussion, we changed that finish time to 6 hours. I am proud to say that we finished the marathon in less than 5 hours! I think our time was 4:50ish. Here we are right after we got our medals...That's Tess, Kate, Me, and Lynne (Tess didn't get the memo about the blue shirts. Or putting on the medal. She does that sometimes.)

We ended the day back at Kate's for a bunch of food, drinks, and race talk. Nothing like mimosas to make you feel better after a long day... This day was really amazing. Inspiring. Wonderful. The best. I am SO proud of my friends, my husband, and myself. Only 7 months ago, my running journey began and I posted THIS about signing up for the Turkey Trot. At the time, I couldn't fathom running for 30 minutes straight. Reading through those Couch to 5K posts is fun...I really struggled. I still struggle and have bad days. But I would have never thought that 7 months later, I would be able to run for 66 minutes without stopping. NEVER. I want to run a half-marathon now. I know that it is going to be a big jump and a lot of work but I am ready for it. I am not sure which one I am going to sign-up for but it is in my future. Thank you for all of the people that have supported and encouraged me through this entire process. Thank you for all of you that ran on Sunday morning and inspired me to continue my journey. The running community is an amazing one and I am glad to be a part of it.

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My husband is legit!

Too legit to quit, actually!
http://www.mnc-photography.com/

I am the proud mama who can't hang this on my refrigerator so I am "hanging" it here. So proud :)

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Happy birthday, Mike!

Happy birthday, to my favorite man.You are an amazing husband, wonderful friend, and such a great father to our baby, Mia.We love you very much! Have a great day!

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Blog evolution

As my 2 year blogoversary approaches in January, I am enjoying a look back at all of the fun I have had in the past 2 years. The blog started as a fun way to talk about my wedding plans and DIY projects. Everything was pretty random after the wedding until little Mia came into our lives. I felt like she was all I wrote about. Recently, I started running (in case you didn't know) and my blog evolved into a running blog. Mike started photography and I am sure that my blog readers are getting sick of hearing about that too! Well...I don't care!

A couple of weeks ago, we/he shot 3 sessions in 2 days. Here are some of my favorites from the weekend. First, our friends Nick and Mimi and their baby, Collin.Next, we met Maggie, Dave, and their pup, Charlie...
The next morning, Mike met our friends Josh and Stacy (and their baby on the way) at Josh's fire station. I'm pretty impressed (but obviously biased). Thanks everyone who is following his blog and commenting on his posts. I know all of you bloggers love comments and they mean a lot to him too. Thanks for supporting him! I know he really appreciates the feedback, advice, and compliments.

I am looking forward to posting my own pictures soon. Mike will be photographing Stephanie's wedding in August and guess who the second shooter is?!?! ME! I have been tagging along with him and I really can't wait to learn more about photography.

I will continue talking about my running journey. I just committed to my first 10K run. I will be running the GO! St. Louis marathon relay with some of my girlfriends. I am a little nervous to train through the winter but I look forward to being about to run for 6 miles!

Just wanted to give a shout out to all of my readers for hanging in there with me and my ever evolving blog. To those of you that thought this post was going to announce something exciting, I'm sorry. You are going to have to wait a little bit longer for my blog to take that turn!

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Family Pictures!

Last Sunday, we met Lynsey at Lafayette Park for some family pictures. We were rained out the week before and we were so lucky that we were able to squeeze these pictures into our busy schedule. Lynsey is such a sweet person and she and Mike were able to talk photography together. I am sure we will hang out with Lynsey again in the future! Thanks Lynsey for spending time with us and our crazy puppy (she really was being CRAZY that day)! Here are some of my favorites...Hope everyone has a great day!

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Go there. Now.

My husband's blog. Great pictures. Adorable kids. I mean, really...the pictures almost look professional, right?! I am so proud :)

Add him to your Google Reader. Comment if you want. Did I mention that I am so proud of him? I think this "hobby" is going to lead somewhere...http://mncphotography.blogspot.com/

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Love my babies...

Taking a nap. So cute!

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My husband...the blogger!!!

I never thought that those words would ever be in the same sentence. But, my friends, it is true. Mike has his own photography blog. I guess since he just spent another $300 on a flash (you can read about that on his blog), he should share his work with the world?!?

Here ya go: http://www.mncphotography.blogspot.com/

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Talkers vs. Walkers

I am a talker. There...I said it. I talk a big talk...but I don't walk the walk. I want things to magically happen or appear in my life. They don't.

I WANT to lose weight.
I WANT to learn more about photography.
I WANT to run a 5K.

Do I WANT to put work into any of these things? Nope. I would just like them to happen...sooner than later, please.

But Mike...he is a walker. A do-er if you will.

He WANTS shelves and a new work station in the garage. So...he makes them.
(before)(after)He WANTS to tile the sunroom. So...he wakes up early and does it.He even had a little admirer ;)He WANTS to be a good photographer. So...he goes to Borders and gets how-to books. He conducts photo shoots of the dogs at his work. (You need to click these pictures to experience the full cuteness of these pups!)(I am trying to talk him into making a photo blog. You should see the pictures he took of our friends wedding! Wait, you will see them...next post.)
I have decided that I need to be more of a walker and less of a talker. 5K...here I come (I hope!).

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