White Running Shoes

I seriously can't believe I am about to do this, but I'm posting it on my blog, so I must be planning to follow through. I'm joining a running club with the goal of running either a 5 or 10K. I have never participated in any kind of running program in my life. In fact, I've never run over two miles. Yes, there was that one summer - I was 14, and I decided to think about joining track. I got up each morning and worked my way up to jogging the mile and a half distance that was my neighborhood. I thought I was doing good, until I talked to the track coach who said I needed to be able to run 5 miles (or some equally insurmountable distance) by the beginning of the school year. And that was as far as the dream went. Now I'm 18 years older. Wait, what?

Everyone I talk to blows this off as simple. "Stephanie, you can run three and a half miles easily!" Huh? I run two blocks at Stroller Strides, and I'm out of breath (we'll blame it on the stroller). Well the truth is, my cohorts at Stroller Strides are heroically signing up for a half marathon. So now my original goal of a 5K doesn't seem quite as far reaching as I thought. I guess I'll aim for the 10K (6.2 miles). 

The club starts Monday (Presidents' Day), and I seriously have cold feet.

These, however, are the assets in my court: 

1. Hilary. She is my Stroller Strides instructor and will also be the running club trainer. She has a great attitude and a contagious smile. She's encouraging and makes you feel like you can reach any goal you put your mind to. Now I can put her words to the test - it's nice to have someone else to hold accountable! ;)

2. A new pair of running shoes. I have never before been fitted for running shoes. And I'm now realizing it makes all the difference. As the first step towards convincing myself that I was joining this running club, I went to a shoe clinic at Super Jock 'N Jill in Seattle. This place is fantastic. There is no talk about price and no thought given to the appearance of the shoes. From the minute you walk in, they evaluate the way you walk, how your foot touches the ground, and what specific foot support you may need. They have you try on fifteen or so shoes, each time telling you to run up and down the hill outside their store to compare the fit. In the end, you truly feel like you have a running shoe that was meant for you. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

3. A support group. This one pretty much speaks for itself. It offers encouragement and accountability. Two things I must have if I ever want to reach my goal. I've already seen this work to my advantage during Stroller Strides. Rather than thinking about the effort I'm going to exert, I think about the friends who I am going to see. We challenge one another; this is evidenced by the fact that I am signing up for running club in the first place. Sometimes all you need is a nice, firm push! ;)

In the end, I've come to the conclusion that:

• I've never done this before. It's about time.

• It's going to be hard to fail when I have so much support. I really think I'll follow through.

• It'll be an accomplishment I'll always be proud of, whether running becomes a favorite pastime or not.

So there it is. I'm doing it. I'll check in and let you know how it's going in a couple of weeks. Have you ever participated in a race before? If so, give me some words of inspiration. I'll need to read through them forty or fifty times before each running club meeting.

That Place With All The Books

So I have to admit, I haven't had a library card since I was in college, and even then, I was an art major, so much more of my time was spent in the studio than with my nose in a book. I do remember going to the library as a kid, but I dreaded the card catalog, and was quite relieved when they finally became tech savvy enough to install computers.  I liked reading mystery novels, murder mystery novels actually. The danger, the suspense, the search, the twists and turns of the plot; I think reading these books made me feel a little mysterious myself, and that was a nice relief for a straight-laced kid like me.

My dad has always emphasized the importance of reading. He used to point out that the few "really smart kids" in my high school classes were the ones who maintained a large reading list. Whether there was a direct correlation or not, there isn't much doubt in my mind that reading provides a variety of discussion topics and broadens the vocabulary. If you want your kids to read, they need to see you devour a good book once in a while. I, for one, definitely have room for improvement. These days, I don't find much time for myself, and the few minutes a day when Julianna is preoccupied only last long enough for me to fold a half a load of laundry. I have, however, finally gotten a library card. I'm happy to say that Julianna actually knows what the library is, and today when I asked her if she wanted to go to the library and read books, she exclaimed, "YES!"

Maybe I should call her Papa and let him know that I've started her off right.

There is a great children's section in the Kirkland library with several large baskets full of board books. Julianna saunters over to them and plops herself down to peruse the selection. Often I try to read aloud to her to decide which books we should check out, and JA's not afraid to offer her opinion by the third page. If the book is of no interest, she'll quickly close it in my hands and pronounce, "The End!" But if the story is one of which she approves (has colorful pictures she can identify and a few words she understands), she'll quickly grab the book to look through it herself or take a seat in my lap to help me turn the pages.

(Taken in November 2010)

In the age of computers, the internet, and Kindles, I'm actually quite impressed with the King County Library system. And what recently inspired me was a suggestion I got from one of the librarians to check out their Books To Grow On kits. I didn't understand what they were at first, but ok'd having the Books To Grow On - Potty Girl's Kit put on hold for me the next time it became available. When I went to pick it up at the library, I was quite surprised to be given a large, orange "tool box".

Inside, Julianna and I discovered 8 books (mostly children's but a couple adult guide books), 2 children's DVDs, a music CD, a curriculum guide and a doll complete with her own cloth diaper and potty chair! The best part, we were allowed a month to absorb all this material.

I'm just beginning to educate Julianna (17 months old) on this topic. She seems excited to learn, and I want to keep it that way. She loved holding the doll and taking its diaper off (then handing it back to me to put it back on - that's what moms are good for). Only half of the books and one of the two DVDs actually held her interest, but it was a great place to start, and will be a nice refresher course in a month or two when we check it out again.

Meanwhile Julianna continues to love the books we have at home. She often attempts to name the title when she picks one up and then pretends to read a few memorized phrases. (Boo Bird, Boo Bird... See! AKA, Blue Bird, Blue Bird, What do you see?)

This is one of my favorite sights... it's so "Julianna" with her ankles crossed. 

(Don't worry, Mom, the car was parked when I took this pic with my cell phone! ;)

Have you visited the library lately? The last book I enjoyed was Committed written by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was fascinating - even better (in my opinion) than the acclaimed Eat, Pray, Love. Any recommendations for my next read?

Oh Lovely Day!

Valentine's Day is as good a day as any to resume blogging, right? Matt and I usually celebrate fairly low-key. The past couple of years we have decided to treat each other with a bottle of cologne/perfume. We headed to the mall together and took turns smelling a mix of perfumes and coffee beans to select just the right scent for one another. But this year, neither of us really needed perfume (maybe I need to wear mine more, even if I am just at home! ;). So we went out to dinner on Friday night as an early celebration to avoid the crowds, and then last night we exchanged small gifts. Earlier in the month, I came across a cute letterpress card (I can never turn down the beauty of letterpress), and the cute design prompted me with a gift idea - yay for no-brainers!


Matt pulled through with a dozen red roses and not one, but two boxes of chocolates. It's been a joke between the two of us that the hubby always tries to buy pricier boxes of chocolate (the truffle type), but, honestly, what I really want is the inexpensive chocolates from Walgreens (the ones usually found only during February). I love opening a box full of variety... cream, caramel, coconut and yes, the occasional truffle filling. Hey, Forrest Gump's saying didn't resonate with so many for no reason. Needless to say, we won't be losing any weight in February, but each night when we sit down on the couch to relax after JA goes to bed, we'll at least have all the mystery that a box of chocolates can offer!

And the cheeriest little Valentine of all received this adorable Fisher Price record player. I've had my eye on these for a while now, love the old-school look and the brightly colored records. After opening it for JA I realized some of the components are a little over her head (having to move the "needle" on top of the record, turn a dial to wind it up, and slide a button side to side to stop and start the record- phew! that's a lot of steps for a 17 month old), but she loves the simple tunes and the record-style notes that come chiming out. She also likes that she can carry it from room to room by its handle and put all the unused records in a bottom storage compartment. There's nothing better than watching this girl pump her fists and shake her booty to The Farmer In The Dell and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The pictures from this post were taken with an Android phone app called Retro Camera. I'm loving the style of the Little Orange Box which mimics a cheap 1976 camera from the USSR with "aggressive cross processing" and vignetting on the corners of the images. Funny how I can take an online photography class and learn so much about using my DSLR camera in manual mode and then later enjoy using an instant camera on my cell phone. The beauty of technology!

For the Love of Lamb

Uncle Varugis and Aunt Leanne gave Julianna this stuffed animal, and she loves using it to practice her signs of affection. Mommy and Daddy are starting to get a little jealous.

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Summer Visitors

In June, our friends Amy and JB from Oklahoma came to visit us with their six month old son, Evan. Amy and JB have a very special place in my heart since I have known both of them since High School. There is a unique bond you have with good friends from childhood... friends who know the house you grew up in, are familiar with your parents and your siblings and who can relate to a very defining time in your life. These people know what you looked like when you had permed hair and tight rolled your jeans. Let's just say, you have a History together.

And because of that History, seeing them like THIS is even more crazy and beautiful. 

When Amy and I usually get together it's all about crafting, a little bead shopping here and a little scrapbooking there. But this time we were burdened with two little angels who required feeding, diaper changes, naps and two arms each to carry them every where they needed to go. I'm not saying it was awful - just different. We're no longer our own boss. But at least upper management is cute!

And the best part of it all is that our husbands get along. Give them some golf clubs and they might not even come home unless it's to smooch on their respective babies. I'd say Amy and I are pretty lucky.

While visiting, Amy was generous enough to take some family shots of the Georges. We take so many pictures of Julianna by herself and with both Matt and I individually, but family shots are hard to come by, so I'm going to treasure these for years to come.

We're hoping to make this visit an annual tradition... at least until there are a few more kids involved and it all becomes a lot more complicated. But in the meantime, we're pretty excited that Evan and Julianna are close enough in age to play together (even though they couldn't quite yet sit together).

First Father's Day

Dear Matt,

When you signed up for this job, to become a DAD, did you know that you would be blessed with this precious little girl?

... and she'd start out so small?

... and she'd challenge your patience and maturity, looking to you for comfort?

... and she'd depend on you for all her basic needs?

... and she'd be your Snuggle Bunny who doesn't particularly like whisker kisses?

... and she'd make you so proud?

... and she'd remind you of the joy of discovering something for the first time?

... and she'd be so much fun to play with?

... and you'd want to squeeze her up every chance you get?

... and she'd be your biggest (Saints) fan?

... and she'd be the happiest when she's just spending time with you?

... and she'd flap her arms and flash you the biggest smile when she saw you after waking up?

... and she'd get so big, so fast?

On your first Father's Day, I hope this helps you reflect on how your life has changed in the last nine months. No longer are you just a man, a son, a friend or a husband. You are now a Father. Whether you meant to or not, you opened yourself up to love more than you ever knew you could and to be cherished more than you ever knew you would.

This weekend, for the first time, when Julianna saw you come to the door, she crawled straight to you. It was without hesitation. And I think it was her way of saying Happy Father's Day; I love you so much!

We both do.

Love,

Stephanie

Downward Dog, er, Cat.

It's been known for a while now that Dash has had a bit of a weight problem. We've tried putting him on diet food, reducing his serving sizes and making sure he gets outside to get a little exercise, but honestly, we've kind of given up. So now we are just careful when we talk about him as to not hurt his feelings. He prefers we call him "big boned" or "fluffy" or his favorite, The Lion.
Julianna really loves her Lion. When we are holding her, she twists her body into all kinds of contortions to watch him walk by. Her whole face lights up when she sees him, and she chirps in an effort to mimic his meow. What we didn't realize was how much she truly cares about his well-being. Much to our surprise, the other day we saw her suggesting an exercise routine for him.

She told him to first start with a few push-ups. She did about 75 to make sure he understood the proper form.

Next she showed him a few yoga moves, like down-ward dog (she told him he could call it downward cat, if that made him feel better).

Finally some leg lifts for good measure.

And as with all good exercise regimens, she recommended that he do some stretches at the end to wind down.

She really did offer an all-around workout, but Dash just wasn't in the mood for such advice. Julianna coaxed and coaxed but he turned his back on her (and since she chooses not to crawl forward yet, there was nothing she could do).

Luckily, the next day they were back to being friends again.

Hair pulling and all.