Merry Christmas?

This is the note that Samantha left for Santa along with the cookies & milk.

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Few adults love Christmas as much as my mom. Her Christmas's were over the top. Guess that is where I got it.

Or had it. Nothing has been the same since 2008. Not nearly as Merry, but still have to go on. Still have to make magical holiday memories for Samantha. It is such a stress-filled time - wanting so badly & working so hard to make things perfect. Meanwhile, my heart is breaking. Shopping for one instead of two. Shopping alone instead of with my mom. No family portraits because one is always missing.

I was 8 or 9 in this pic:

Christmas 1999 - Cameron was overwhelmed with the tree, the lights, the presents.

Christmas 2004. Cameron thought if he slept in front of the tree, he'd catch Santa. Good thing he was a deep sleeper otherwise I would have been busted!

Christmas 2005:

Christmas 2011.

It's now almost 10 p.m. I've had too much to eat, too much to drink, too many tears. I am exhausted. Maybe a good night's sleep will help. Tomorrow is a new day & time to start shopping for Christmas 2012.

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List & mileage updates next time.

Lori

My nails & a mileage update

Emily did my nails last night - painted little snowmen on each one. I have never been artistic, but Emily & Samantha both are I love reaping the rewards of their efforts!

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Last week: 18.83 + 4.17 = 23/1000 (or according to my Garmin goal site 2%) WOW! This feels so overwhelming. Maybe I'll feel better once I get to 100......According to my math, I am already a few miles behind.

Until next time,

Lori

Off to a good start!

I have already completed 2 of my goals for the year! I was able to cut about 2 minutes off my time from last year's Jingle Bell Run & for the first time ever I came in ahead of all the walkers! May not seem like a big deal but it sure is to me! Those speed walkers are very fast & it has been my goal from the start to get ahead of them. May never happen again, but it happened once & I have a witness!

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Goals complete: 2/39

Mileage: 4.17/1000 (WOW! I have a long way to go!)

Until next time,

Lori

What a year!

I have had a great year!

Last year just before my birthday I decided to make a list of things that I wanted to do before my next birthday. It seemed a bit silly at first but I kept at it. Then, the list started to keep me focused and I realized that these little goals were starting to add up and I was starting to feel accomplished!

Not all of them were big, in fact some were quite ordinary (like cleaning out some closets, riding my bike), others were more adventurous (like zip lining and competing in a variety of running events) and some were just for fun (pedicure, massage, drinking my 1st beer). But one I feel is monumental! I set the goal of running 600 miles. There were times that I felt that was way out of reach but I kept chugging along. I added up my mileage today - i can hardly believe i logged 913.33 miles! There was only one thing I didn't accomplish completely - my church attendance was not what it should have been! Wonder if I get any extra credit for reading the Old Testament?

What I know is that without the list I might have done some of these things this year, but there is a very good chance I would not have had so many great experiences or made so many new friends. I hope I can continue to do some of the things I started like blogging, keeping up with photos, donating blood......

A few photos from my 38th year:

This was taken at the 2010 Jingle Bell Run:
The 2010 Mother's Day 5K:

Ziplining at Hocking Hills:

Finish line of the Columbus Half Marathon:

2011 Turkey Trot

Tonight, on the eve of my 39th birthday I have been pondering what to do about this next year. Should I make another list? Should I just identify a few things because I don't know that I can make a list of 40 new items?!?!

Because I feel so succesful from last year, I decided to start writing down some ideas - up to 26 so far. I hope to get this finished by the end of the weekend. Would love to get some suggestions from friends to finish it up. Here is a sampling of what I have right now:

* Jog 1,000 miles (eek! that is nearly 20 miles EVERY week!)

* Complete the Athens Half Marathon in April

* Organizing closets & cupboards

* Decreasing time in a few other races like the Chik-Fil-A & Mother's Day 5K

* Trying a new recipe every month

* Shedding a few more pounds

* Read the New Testament & try again with the church stuff

* Fundraising & other charitable donations

* Sponsoring a child through a program like World Vision

* Bowling, tennis, roller skating

* Spa day with Samantha

* Lunch with Sam at her school

Thanks to everyone who supported & encouraged this endeavor. I would encourage everyone to make their own lists, maybe to start on your birthday or at the New Year. It can be a lot of fun.

Until next time,

Lori

Busy weekend!

On Saturday morning, I was able to have breakfast with some old friends. It was great seeing them and having a chance to catch up. It had been years since I had seen 2 of them, but some things never change and it was like old times again.


Then, off to a birthday party. One of my nephews turned 5!

Samantha LOVES Emily.

Finally, it was the Fall Sports Banquet where the girls got their trophies for cheerleading. Sam is very proud of her trophy & plans to take it to school this week for show & tell.

The final award of the evening was "The Cameron Brown Courage Award." I was too far away to get a good picture, but in the top right corners of the certificates you can see Cameron's #2. Cam's coach was unable to present, still too teary to talk about Cam publicly. Made me cry too. Next year, Samantha wants to be part of the presentation.

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Mileage: 28.29 + 14.44 = 42.73 for a grand total of 859.43!!!

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Samantha is turning 8 tomorrow! Cannot believe how time has flown with her. Will be taking cookies down to her class & then off to Justice for some shopping. Another pool party on Saturday. Will be posting more pictures!

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Until next time,
Lori

3 years....

I never really understood the expression of "time flying by" until now. How can is possibly be 3 years?

My half marathon pictures

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List updates! Only about a month left!

Mileage update: 19.38 + 11.34 + 28.18 + 27.68 = 86.58 for a grand total of 816.70!


Items completed: 32/39

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #29, #30, #31, #33, #34, #35, #38, #39

Items in progress: 4/39

#18 (organizing photos), #27 (Turkey Trot - I'm registered!), #28 (not gonna tell!), #36 (this one either....)

Items left to start! 3/39

#12 (bake a pie), #32 (food pantry donations), #37 (clean out hall closet!)

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Until next time,

Lori

I am a 1/2 Marathoner!!

Can hardly believe it myself, but WE DID IT!!!& it was a FABULOUS experience! All of that training really paid off - despite technical difficulties (my iPod fizzled so I had no music!) I felt great during the race. I will so do that again! In fact, I am seriously looking at the Athens Half-Marathon in April 2012.

I saw a shirt at the Expo that really cracked me up - it said something like "Half Marathoner - I don't go all the way!" Would have bought it, but didn't seem appropriate for a middle-aged mom!

*****
"If you know someone who has lost a child, and you're afraid to mention them because you think you might make them sad by reminding them that they died --you're not reminding them. They didn't forget they died. What you're reminding them of is that you remembered that they lived, and that is a great gift."
~ Elizabeth Edwards

Been too busy running to blog!

It is ice skating season again! Sam loves to be out there. She is learning to skate on one foot & to go backwards. I'll be spending hours at the rink between now & April.

For the high school homecoming game on 9/23, all of the FH cheerleaders were out there for the 1st quarter - kindergarten through 12th grade. There were a lot of them! Sam was one of the smallest ones, which put her in the front row!

Gina & I got in another 5k - our first since May. We are not good hot-weather runners! We prefer the cooler days of fall & spring. We only have 2 weeks left until our first-ever half marathon!

Sami has been working hard on her toe-touches. Only 2 more games left!
There was a bit of school drama earlier this month when the school was fortunate enough to hire a 3rd teacher for the 2nd grade. Unfortunately she was picked for the new class & most of her friends were not. After a couple of weeks she has settled in nicely, won an award for being a good listener & made some new friends. WHEW!

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List updates - I only have 2 months left!

Mileage updates: 25.63 + 41.5 (SERIOUSLY!) + 29.03 = 96.16 over the last 3 weeks for a grand total of 732.12!!!

Items completed: 27/39

#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #7, #8, #10, #13, #14, #15, #17, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #25, #26, #29, #30, #31, #33, #34, #35, #38, #39

Items in progress: 8/39

#6, #9, #11, #16, #18, #24, #28, #36

Items left to start! 4/39

#12, #27, #32, #37

Until next time!

Lori

tired!

I am feeling exhausted tonight, so this will be short & sweet.

Mileage this week: 30.1 for a grand total of 635.96! It had been my intention to run at least 10 miles today, but decided to call it quits after 7. It felt like I was running in concrete. No sense in pushing too hard and hurting myself this close to the half-marathon.

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Today was the 2nd Annual Sunshine 5K & Kids Dash. I didn't run this year, but rather took photos for my friend who is the organizer. The $$ goes to an organization that buys supplies for orphanages in Russia (& a few other countries). Great cause, beautiful day. Sam & Emily ran it & seemed to have a good time:

Off to watch some "Tangled" before bed. Sami has another game tomorrow so we'll be at the field most of the afternoon. Hope tomorrow's weather is as nice as today's!

Until next time,

Lori

What a great week!

Mileage this week: 20.27 which officially puts me over the 600 mark for a grand total of 605.86 & 3 months left to go! When I first set this goal, I had real concerns that I would not reach it. I had no idea that I could surpass it!

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Today, I went to Hocking Peaks Adventures to do their Zipline course with aerial obstacles. It was so much fun! It was hard - some of those obstacles were tough & some were a little scary! At the end, I felt like I had really accomplished something big.

Here are a couple photos:

This pic is really blurry, but the only one I have of the zipping.

I don't know if I could have picked a hotter or more humid day. By the time I was done, my clothes were soaking wet. I'm pretty sure I have ever sweat that much in my life - even during a long run!

Afterwards, Sam & Emily put on a bit of a fashion show:

Getting close to my goal!

I got in 19.9 miles last week. If I had been paying more attention, I'd have gotten in that last .1 to make it an even 20! My total for the year is now: 585.59! Barring some unforseen injury or illness, I will certainly finish my 600 next week.

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Sam's 1st day of school - she wasn't feeling great and was in no mood to pose for pictures. This is the best I could get.

This is the 2nd day of school. She was feeling better and more agreeable.

Today was the 1st game of the season for the Little Lancers. The uniforms are still not ready so the girls wore jersey's again. Sam got to wear Cameron's white one today.

Until next time,

Lori

Fever & Cheer

Mid-week started with a fever for Samantha. I hate fevers. Even though I know in my head that she is fine, a flash of panic always goes through me when I see the numbers going up on the thermometer. A trip to urgent care, labs, chest x-ray, big gun antibiotics, 2 prescriptions & we were on our way home. Fever was completely gone by Saturday & she was begging to be able to cheer in her first game on Sunday. The morning thunderstorms didn't bode well, but by the time she had to go, the it was sunny & clear, so I agreed to 1/2 the game - no need to tire her out too much.

Sam is on a big squad, 18 girls in all. They don't have enough uniforms for them yet, so the girls are to wear jerseys & shorts until the uniforms are in. We still have Cameron's jerseys, so Sam wore his.

Just before we left:

Getting ready for her 1st cheer:

Still working on her cartwheels and round-offs:

School starts on Tuesday, so tomorrow we are off for mani-pedi's and some last minute shopping.

**** Mileage update:

My biggest week yet (had 2 long runs): 30.85 for a grand total of 565.69.

Until next time,

Lori