Miles Run: 513.7
Hours spent running, biking, swimming, Tae Kwon Do or working out in general: 247:05:28
Races Run: 20
Tae Kwon Do Tournament Competed in: 8
Looking forward to 2012's numbers.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
A Letter to Me At 40
Dear Me-
First, I'll be honest and say that I started this letter to you about 2 months before the big day. This letter is much harder to write than the letter I wrote to Sunshine.
The most important thing for you to know is that you are so much happier and better than you have ever been. I talk to people who are our age and they all say that as we age we stop sweating the small stuff. I know I definitely see you having much less time for the people and things in your life that annoy you or drain you. And that's a good thing.
You aren't always good at it, but I see you taking and making more time for yourself. And that's pretty amazing for someone who has spent the majority of her life taking care of everyone but herself.
You know you'll always be a champion over thinker, but what you over think about is changing, you don't rethink whole conversations and wonder what the people think of you after that, you have reached the point where you, more times than not, simply say-- this is me, take me or leave me, and you realize you really only need the people who take you, and the rest can just go on their merry way.
Your competitive nature has come out in spades this year, you have competed in several karate tournaments. And run several races. Taken over 2 minutes off your average per mile time, and have about 20 miles left to run this year to reach 500 running miles. And somewhere in all that training, you got it into your brain that you wanted to run a sub 10 minute mile. As I write this- you are close- so very very close.. 10:06 minute miles over 3.6 miles- and that first mile on that run, was sub 10... but being as competitive as you are- you want all 3.6 to be sub-10. You'll get there- you are so close and you've got good people on your side encouraging and helping along the way, even if it means you throw up during the process.
You also, have worked incredibly hard, accidentally, at loosing weight and overall getting in shape. You now weigh less than you did in high school and you look freakin' amazing. The other day you were folding clothes and for the first time you held up a pair of Sunshine's pants and thought for one second- wait are those mine or hers.
You've been dreading this day for the last month or two, something crazy about being 40 and 40 being so old.. I think you are wrong, 40 seems like a big number but it isn't. I'm pretty sure that 40 is a gateway, a right of passage to so much more and exciting things in life. And you are so wonderfully prepared for that.. you are very ready for this next chapter of your life.. so grab it by the tail and enjoy the ride!
First, I'll be honest and say that I started this letter to you about 2 months before the big day. This letter is much harder to write than the letter I wrote to Sunshine.
The most important thing for you to know is that you are so much happier and better than you have ever been. I talk to people who are our age and they all say that as we age we stop sweating the small stuff. I know I definitely see you having much less time for the people and things in your life that annoy you or drain you. And that's a good thing.
You aren't always good at it, but I see you taking and making more time for yourself. And that's pretty amazing for someone who has spent the majority of her life taking care of everyone but herself.
You know you'll always be a champion over thinker, but what you over think about is changing, you don't rethink whole conversations and wonder what the people think of you after that, you have reached the point where you, more times than not, simply say-- this is me, take me or leave me, and you realize you really only need the people who take you, and the rest can just go on their merry way.
Your competitive nature has come out in spades this year, you have competed in several karate tournaments. And run several races. Taken over 2 minutes off your average per mile time, and have about 20 miles left to run this year to reach 500 running miles. And somewhere in all that training, you got it into your brain that you wanted to run a sub 10 minute mile. As I write this- you are close- so very very close.. 10:06 minute miles over 3.6 miles- and that first mile on that run, was sub 10... but being as competitive as you are- you want all 3.6 to be sub-10. You'll get there- you are so close and you've got good people on your side encouraging and helping along the way, even if it means you throw up during the process.
You also, have worked incredibly hard, accidentally, at loosing weight and overall getting in shape. You now weigh less than you did in high school and you look freakin' amazing. The other day you were folding clothes and for the first time you held up a pair of Sunshine's pants and thought for one second- wait are those mine or hers.
You've been dreading this day for the last month or two, something crazy about being 40 and 40 being so old.. I think you are wrong, 40 seems like a big number but it isn't. I'm pretty sure that 40 is a gateway, a right of passage to so much more and exciting things in life. And you are so wonderfully prepared for that.. you are very ready for this next chapter of your life.. so grab it by the tail and enjoy the ride!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Ten
Dear Sunshine-
Every year I am more and more surprised by how old you are. It is cliche' but it really and truly seems like only a week ago that I brought you home in your little John Lennon outfit, and as exhausted and sore as I was, I just sat and stared at you in your little bassinet.
In the last 12 months you have grown in ways that are awesome to watch. One big one is that you grew 2 inches in about 6 weeks, you were very excited about that. Now when I look at you, you appear to be made up of about 75% legs.
You started to play basketball. And in my humble opinion have a nature talent for it, you are smart and can see the other players on the court and know where to go, or where to pass. At first you were very scared about getting hit by the basketball, (who wouldn't be?) after all it hurts, but as the season progressed you became more assured and more aggressive.
That last sentence definitely fits you to a T, you like to test the waters before you dive in head first, and then once you realize you like it you dive in with full gusto.
You continue with Tae Kwon Do, you just got your second red stripe on your purple belt. You even competed in some tournaments this year in Kata, and this last tournament in weapons. You are enjoying learning Bo Staff and look rather menacing with it when you are practicing! And love to show me how to spin it!
Just last week you got your flute. You have talked non-stop about getting your flute since March or so. You are so excited about learning to play it, and I am excited for you.
You have started to ride your bike when I run, and your excitement when we go faster than the last time is infectious. Your supporting me helps me to say- get off your duff and go run and take Sunshine with you.
You played Tinkerbell in a theater production last Spring and you were a hit. Little kids would come up to you after the show and ask for your autograph. It was great fun to watch your character progress over the rehearsals and through the run of the show, you my dear, developed quite a little attitude toward Wendy when she and Peter were together!
You are this amazing combination of girly girl and tom boy. You love to wear sparkles and high heels and put a little makeup on, but you run around with the boys, and go on ziplines, and trampolines and play flag football with them, and even spar against them in Tae Kwon Do.
Your heart continues to make my heart sing. Your patience for people who are different or need a little extra love is something I can't put into words. Somehow you just know that this person could use a friend or just needs someone to be there with them. And it comes naturally to you, you do it, I suspect, without even thinking about it.
I'm not gonna lie, life isn't always beer and daisies. You and I are both strong and independent and similar in many ways, so there can be some rough days when the two of us are at each other's throats. But they pass and we curl up on the couch and watch some TV or play some Wii together and the world is right again.
We did some fun things together this year, we went to your first ever concert- Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium. Your birthday party was at Monkey C Monkey Do where we went climbing on ropes and ziplines. We went to North Carolina for a Spring vacation and did lots of hiking in parks here in Maine.
You are starting to know yourself a little better. You get nervous before somethings especially when you are going to be judged. You said to me the other day, I want to cut back on that a bit because I get really nervous and can't think during school the day before. Pretty smart little 10 year old.
My wishes for you over this next year, are that you continue to know yourself and continue to build even more self confidence and know how truly amazing and awesome you are, that you learn this at your age, instead of at my age. That you become just a bit more self motivating. That you continue to find things you love to do, you try new foods and activities and fill your life with things that make you happy!
These last 10 years have been pretty amazing, I can only imagine what the next 10 will hold for us! Thanks for being born Sunshine!
Every year I am more and more surprised by how old you are. It is cliche' but it really and truly seems like only a week ago that I brought you home in your little John Lennon outfit, and as exhausted and sore as I was, I just sat and stared at you in your little bassinet.
In the last 12 months you have grown in ways that are awesome to watch. One big one is that you grew 2 inches in about 6 weeks, you were very excited about that. Now when I look at you, you appear to be made up of about 75% legs.
You started to play basketball. And in my humble opinion have a nature talent for it, you are smart and can see the other players on the court and know where to go, or where to pass. At first you were very scared about getting hit by the basketball, (who wouldn't be?) after all it hurts, but as the season progressed you became more assured and more aggressive.
That last sentence definitely fits you to a T, you like to test the waters before you dive in head first, and then once you realize you like it you dive in with full gusto.
You continue with Tae Kwon Do, you just got your second red stripe on your purple belt. You even competed in some tournaments this year in Kata, and this last tournament in weapons. You are enjoying learning Bo Staff and look rather menacing with it when you are practicing! And love to show me how to spin it!
Just last week you got your flute. You have talked non-stop about getting your flute since March or so. You are so excited about learning to play it, and I am excited for you.
You have started to ride your bike when I run, and your excitement when we go faster than the last time is infectious. Your supporting me helps me to say- get off your duff and go run and take Sunshine with you.
You played Tinkerbell in a theater production last Spring and you were a hit. Little kids would come up to you after the show and ask for your autograph. It was great fun to watch your character progress over the rehearsals and through the run of the show, you my dear, developed quite a little attitude toward Wendy when she and Peter were together!
You are this amazing combination of girly girl and tom boy. You love to wear sparkles and high heels and put a little makeup on, but you run around with the boys, and go on ziplines, and trampolines and play flag football with them, and even spar against them in Tae Kwon Do.
Your heart continues to make my heart sing. Your patience for people who are different or need a little extra love is something I can't put into words. Somehow you just know that this person could use a friend or just needs someone to be there with them. And it comes naturally to you, you do it, I suspect, without even thinking about it.
I'm not gonna lie, life isn't always beer and daisies. You and I are both strong and independent and similar in many ways, so there can be some rough days when the two of us are at each other's throats. But they pass and we curl up on the couch and watch some TV or play some Wii together and the world is right again.
We did some fun things together this year, we went to your first ever concert- Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium. Your birthday party was at Monkey C Monkey Do where we went climbing on ropes and ziplines. We went to North Carolina for a Spring vacation and did lots of hiking in parks here in Maine.
You are starting to know yourself a little better. You get nervous before somethings especially when you are going to be judged. You said to me the other day, I want to cut back on that a bit because I get really nervous and can't think during school the day before. Pretty smart little 10 year old.
My wishes for you over this next year, are that you continue to know yourself and continue to build even more self confidence and know how truly amazing and awesome you are, that you learn this at your age, instead of at my age. That you become just a bit more self motivating. That you continue to find things you love to do, you try new foods and activities and fill your life with things that make you happy!
These last 10 years have been pretty amazing, I can only imagine what the next 10 will hold for us! Thanks for being born Sunshine!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
13 Months
I'm pretty sure the screaming matches about brushing and flossing and no gum were all worth it..
What do you think?
What do you think?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Death, Anger and the End of the World
Sunshine asked me about the end of the World the other day. She was pretty upset about what that meant. With all the 2012 talk and the Terminator Date and the billboards about the end of the world, I understand where she is coming from.
Heck, I've got a few more years on me than she does and I wonder about such things. I am at least at the point in my life where I am wise enough to realize that no matter how controlling I am.. controlling the end of the World is out of the range of controllable things for me.
I sat and talked with a friend who is very spiritual, and when I asked her what she thought about the end of the world, she turned the question on me. And I paused, and I said.
What I know is that people are angry. The anger is palpable most every place I go. People are angry at the government or their neighbor or that guy in front of them at the grocery store. And to me it seems like that much anger has to lead to something. End of the world? I don't know.. big change, probably.
I remember a time when the only emotion I was really good at feeling was anger. Every emotion translated into anger- fear, sadness, madness, even the positive emotions like love, happiness and contentment. Anger is easy, really in the grand scheme of things anger can be very powerful, you can hide behind it, put your head down and avoid contact, avoid rejection, avoid love.
I look around me, close to me, and I see these amazing, young souls passing on, so quickly with little or no warning. I wonder, do they know something I don't? Are they getting out while the getting is still good? Or is it just one of those times when there happens to be a lot of death around me?
What ever the reason, I don't care for it, I don't care for the death, the sadness, the unanswered questions, the anger that boils just below the surface.
What I do care for, and what I am trying to embrace, and hoping will spread just as quickly as the anger has, is the love I am being reminded to share, the closeness it is encouraging me to forge with people in my life, the new adventures I am taking because I am being reminded so often how precious life really is...
So spread the love, let the anger go, I mean really, if the world is going to end, wouldn't you rather be dancing naked through the streets than angrily fighting?
Heck, I've got a few more years on me than she does and I wonder about such things. I am at least at the point in my life where I am wise enough to realize that no matter how controlling I am.. controlling the end of the World is out of the range of controllable things for me.
I sat and talked with a friend who is very spiritual, and when I asked her what she thought about the end of the world, she turned the question on me. And I paused, and I said.
What I know is that people are angry. The anger is palpable most every place I go. People are angry at the government or their neighbor or that guy in front of them at the grocery store. And to me it seems like that much anger has to lead to something. End of the world? I don't know.. big change, probably.
I remember a time when the only emotion I was really good at feeling was anger. Every emotion translated into anger- fear, sadness, madness, even the positive emotions like love, happiness and contentment. Anger is easy, really in the grand scheme of things anger can be very powerful, you can hide behind it, put your head down and avoid contact, avoid rejection, avoid love.
I look around me, close to me, and I see these amazing, young souls passing on, so quickly with little or no warning. I wonder, do they know something I don't? Are they getting out while the getting is still good? Or is it just one of those times when there happens to be a lot of death around me?
What ever the reason, I don't care for it, I don't care for the death, the sadness, the unanswered questions, the anger that boils just below the surface.
What I do care for, and what I am trying to embrace, and hoping will spread just as quickly as the anger has, is the love I am being reminded to share, the closeness it is encouraging me to forge with people in my life, the new adventures I am taking because I am being reminded so often how precious life really is...
So spread the love, let the anger go, I mean really, if the world is going to end, wouldn't you rather be dancing naked through the streets than angrily fighting?
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Purple!
Recently Sunshine earned her purple belt. I was of course a nervous wreck during the test, pretty sure I didn't breathe for about 30 minutes!
Sunshine ebbs and flows with her desire to continue with Tae Kwon Do, luckily she usually ebbs in the middle of a session, and my rule is she has to complete anything she is signed up for, but doesn't have to sign up again after that session if she doesn't want to. So by belt test she is usually ready to sign up for the next session, and earning her purple belt was a huge milestone.
I am so proud of her.
And if you haven't heard, about a year ago, I started taking Tae Kwon Do too.. I am now a green belt with two blue stripes.. it has been A LOT of fun to do this together and look forward to the day we are both black belts!
Sunshine ebbs and flows with her desire to continue with Tae Kwon Do, luckily she usually ebbs in the middle of a session, and my rule is she has to complete anything she is signed up for, but doesn't have to sign up again after that session if she doesn't want to. So by belt test she is usually ready to sign up for the next session, and earning her purple belt was a huge milestone.
I am so proud of her.
And if you haven't heard, about a year ago, I started taking Tae Kwon Do too.. I am now a green belt with two blue stripes.. it has been A LOT of fun to do this together and look forward to the day we are both black belts!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Basketball
Inspired by my friend over at ikehamill.com, I thought I would try to be more consistent about writing here.
I'm not really sure how it happened, isn't that always how the stories start? Like that whole proctologist bit from Seinfeld- it was a one and a million chance doc..
It was a one and a million chance... I ended up coaching basketball.
See the thing with Sunshine is that she does really well in smaller group situations. I remember when we took her to her first soccer practice when she was in kindergarten.. you'd have thought we hung her by her finger nails over a pit of crocodiles. Just too many kids running around.
Last summer at camp she started to play basketball and really liked it, other than gymnastics when she was younger and Tae Kwon Do now, this was the first sport she had ever show more than a passing interest in, so when the rec league sign ups opened I signed her up.
The emails kept coming, we need coaches, we need coaches.. well, I thought.. go big or go home right? Just call me coach!
I'm glad I did it, it wasn't anywhere near as difficult as a visit to a proctologist might be, I learned a lot and she had blast. It was a lot of fun to watch the girls get better, to learn new skills and to see their smiles when they made a basket or stole a ball.
Unfortunately, I can't say working with all of the parents was quite so much fun.. I'm trying really hard to leave that behind but one of their behaviors in particular was so childlike that it makes me not want to go near basketball again.
Sadly, because of her, helping next year may be as difficult as it was the first time I had to kill a spider with out screaming... the things you do for your kids!!
Bottom line, she doesn't know me all that well, I don't give up that easily.. so see ya next year!
I'm not really sure how it happened, isn't that always how the stories start? Like that whole proctologist bit from Seinfeld- it was a one and a million chance doc..
It was a one and a million chance... I ended up coaching basketball.
See the thing with Sunshine is that she does really well in smaller group situations. I remember when we took her to her first soccer practice when she was in kindergarten.. you'd have thought we hung her by her finger nails over a pit of crocodiles. Just too many kids running around.
Last summer at camp she started to play basketball and really liked it, other than gymnastics when she was younger and Tae Kwon Do now, this was the first sport she had ever show more than a passing interest in, so when the rec league sign ups opened I signed her up.
The emails kept coming, we need coaches, we need coaches.. well, I thought.. go big or go home right? Just call me coach!
I'm glad I did it, it wasn't anywhere near as difficult as a visit to a proctologist might be, I learned a lot and she had blast. It was a lot of fun to watch the girls get better, to learn new skills and to see their smiles when they made a basket or stole a ball.
Unfortunately, I can't say working with all of the parents was quite so much fun.. I'm trying really hard to leave that behind but one of their behaviors in particular was so childlike that it makes me not want to go near basketball again.
Sadly, because of her, helping next year may be as difficult as it was the first time I had to kill a spider with out screaming... the things you do for your kids!!
Bottom line, she doesn't know me all that well, I don't give up that easily.. so see ya next year!
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