A Slice of Wife

Happy Birthday to Me

A Slice of Wife — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:37:39 +0000

Penelope woke me up with, “Mommeeeeee. Mommeeeeee. Today is your birthday!”

She then proceeded to sing to me, “Happy Birthday to you. You’re 102. You look like a monkey and you smell like one, too!” Sweet.

I then logged on to find my my interview and blog featured on Run Like a Mother/Another Mother Runner! Check it out!

Religion Flowchart

A Slice of Wife — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:12:54 +0000

The Meaning of Life

A Slice of Wife — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:57:00 +0000

“Come, I can answer all your questions,” Cecilia said in her all-knowing voice as she sat in double pigeon pose while perched on some cushions. “Ask me a question, Mommy.”

“Ask you a question? Ok…What’s the meaning of life?”

“What’s the meaning of life?” she repeats thoughtfully. “To be happy.”

Smart kid, that one. And totally something Fred would say.

The Wise Happy Girl

Wise Happy Girl's Equally Happy L'il Sister

My Therapy

A Slice of Wife — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:06:53 +0000

4:45am and I’m prepping my coffee. Three-and-a-half year old Penelope staggers into the kitchen, rosy-cheeked and sleepy-eyed.

“I’ll miss you, Mommy,” she slurs as she stretches out her arms for a hug. “Will you call us? And do Face Time?”

Fred, Cecilia and Penelope took off for the Heart of the Valley early this morning. On their agenda: 1) Eat amazing Thai food in Portland. 2) Visit with Fred’s family. 3) Meet the newest member of the family: baby cousin Tristan. 4) Try to stay warm and dry while romping around in Corvallis in the middle of a cold, wet Pacific Northwest winter.

They’ll be gone for a full week, and while I will admit that I look forward to some quiet, selfish time at home, I already miss my family. Fred, Cecilia and Penelope are my sunshine, and I’m a worrywart. Worst-case scenarios play out in my head constantly, and they will continue to do so until they arrive safe and sound at home on Saturday.

So what do I do to help soothe my initial emotions of sadness and anxiety? I hit the trail, of course, for over 2 hours of what I call “my therapy.”

What Goes Up…

A Slice of Wife — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:58:37 +0000

…doesn’t always want to come down.

It’s official. I like uphill running, about 100 times more than I like downhill running. Of course, that must mean I should work on my downhill running, but damn downhill is painful, especially on single track rocky trails. I suppose liking uphill is a good thing since I’ve signed myself up (along with a few other trusting friends) for the Tough Enough relay this April. So I best prepare myself for some serious quad blasting uphill running and knee jarring downhill running. Oh, but of course, by then I’ll perfect that downhill form so it’s not so jarring…ooh, but that means I need to actually practice running downhill. Ouch. Oh, well. Bring it on!

Some much needed rest on a brutal 11 mile trail run - Romero Canyon Trail

Sew What?

A Slice of Wife — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 01:02:53 +0000

Over the past couple of months, Cecilia started making clothes for her dolls. She’d take scraps of fabric from her craft box, cut them up, and create clothes. The funny thing is that to seam together the fabric, she used duct tape.

“I think we should get her a sewing machine for Christmas, ” I told Fred. “Enough with the duct tape.”

The one we found was recommended for 8 year olds, but Cecilia has pretty good fine motor skills so we went with it.

And…she LOVES it. Perhaps we’ve got a budding Monique Lhuillier on our hands?

C's first creations: a pillow and a purse for her doll

Funny

A Slice of Wife — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:30:29 +0000

I’m starting to plan my races for this year…maybe a late spring half-marathon with an ambitious time goal, perhaps a trail half marathon in July up in Oregon, and it might be the year to do that fall marathon in Chicago. In any case, I know I’ll have some moments like this once I get into the thick of training.

Be Where Your Feet Are

A Slice of Wife — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:19:10 +0000

My absolutely fabulous yoga teacher, Adrienne Hengels of Power of Your Om, shared that phrase with us during practice last week.

Be where your feet are … if you are running, be in that run. If you are on your yoga mat, be on your mat. If you are in a conversation with someone, be in that conversation. It sounds so simple, right? Be fully present in whatever it is you are doing.

I can definitely work on being where my feet are. Starting now.

Happy New Year!

Happy feet above Santa Barbara

Three Inspirations

A Slice of Wife — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:31:02 +0000

I’ve been inspired by 3 wonderful, amazingly talented women (my friends) and their websites. Their talents inspire me, educate me and help me see the world in new, interesting, positive ways. Thanks, ladies!

Check them out:

Becky Aaronson - The Art of an Improbable Life

Rita Barton - Art and Other Things

Erin Pearson - Stick Chix and Erin Pearson Music — Cute Story: Erin’s artwork and music have inspired both of my daughters. Just one day after watching Erin’s Christmas concert, during which she beautifully sang and played her keyboard, Penelope started pretending she was Erin as she sang along to Christmas songs at home. Erin’s Stick Chix made such an impression on Cecilia that for Christmas, Cecilia drew me a set of Stick Chix based on an original Stick Chix drawing that Erin gave me. I believe my daughters have found themselves another female role model!

Why I Married Dr. B

A Slice of Wife — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:38:50 +0000

Reason #300,001:

Scene: Christmas Day, just after dinner. While my parents, brother, Shazaam, the girls and I are watching the Packers play da Bears, Fred is cleaning up dinner and sweeping the house.

“I’d just like to point out what’s happening here,” Fred says to me as he continues sweeping up the crumbs under the dining room table while my mom and I are yelling and gesticulating at the TV.

Yup, I married the perfect guy for me.

And I’m a much bigger football fan than both Fred and I realized. From the street outside of my house, passersby could easily hear me screaming hooray when Jordy Nelson scored a touchdown after catching a 55 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers.

Go, Packers!