Happiness...

shamrock run ♣

9.375 miles. 


Yup, ran that this morning under a cold, but clear and dry sky. My only goal was to finish with a smile (and not a grimace or cursing) and I'm happy to report I did. Woo Hoo! 

We had a few things going for us this year that we didn't have last year: 1) It wasn't pouring rain, 2) OM got to stay home with a babysitter instead of standing in the pouring rain, and 3) my kick-ass playlist. Excuse the expletive but there is no other way to describe it. 

I won't go to the trouble of publishing it on iTunes b/c I know no one cares, but I will type it out here (seems like more work but it's really not; one of the best things I ever did was pay attention in typing class freshman year, I'm fast man):

Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai

Blue - Eiffel 65 (reminds me of Woody & Guatemala)

St. Teresa - Joan Osborne

Run (I'm a Natural Disaster) - Gnarles Barkley (goosebumps)

Fighter - C.Aguilera (super goosebumps; this year's Stronger for me)

Help I'm Alive - Metric

Uprising - Muse

I Will Live on Islands - Josh Rouse

Ni Un Centavo - Malacates Trebol

Stronger - Kanye West

Electric Feel - MGMT

Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire

For Nancy - Pete Yorn (I always picture yummy P.Yorn running in this video..keeps me going)

Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns

Dracula Moon - Joan Osborne

Jigsaw Falling Into Place - Radiohead (check your pulse if this one doesn't get  you moving)

Dream On (Live) - Aerosmith 

Follow Me Down - 3OH!3 

That's Not My Name - The Ting Tings

Hold On - KT Tunstall

Play that Funky Music - Wild Cherry

Immortality - Pearl Jam (love this song..should have been placed higher on the list when I was half-way thru)

Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel

Da Funk - Daft Punk

Modern Girl - Sleater Kinney

It goes on but I didn't need the rest. Lots of familiar ones on there that I always like to run to and some groovy new ones to mix it up. I'm sure my lists could be even cooler if anyone, anyone would share their lists but, alas, no one has.

My sister told me her favorite running song is some Miley Cyrus song, and my bestie Season gave me a giftcard to iTunes to get more music, but I haven't heard a peep from anyone about what they run/exercise to.

To this, me & OM say:

whatever:

because we're nice we gave you a mean and a nice 'whatever' :)

Anyway, the run was great. At mile-marker 8 I was offered both a cup of water and a pint of beer (it was a St. Patty's Day celebration after all and you know those Irish folks:); which reminds me, have you seen the trailer for this movie [looks good!]:

BTW, we got our times and I finished in 1:36:09 (10.36 pace) and Woody did the 8k and finished in 37-ish minutes (7 minute-ish pace). I'm stoked. I'm slow but this course had a lot of uphill so I'm pleased I averaged out to what I normally run. And, my sister finished her half marathon (13 miles) in 1:57 (yes, she's faster:)...

saturday in the park

our girl & the blossoms...

(in true Maya-style she had to balance out this nature shot with a bright orange cheeto in her mouth)

first, the walk to the park...

along the path...

the swings (their favorites)

pink blossoms are my favorites but they were covered by muddy patches so we settled for the not as dramatic but very lovely white blossoms...

run, Deb, run!

My super smart and hilarious sister Debbie is running a big fat half marathon tomorrow morning! 

Go, Deb, go!!

There she is @ our wedding in one of my favorite photos from the happiest day ever.

And there she is again giving the greatest toast. I mean, super duper great and she has tears in her eyes...

and so do I...

(I had the chance to return the awesomeness a couple months later at her wedding but she's super good at that stuff and I'm super not. She made all my friends for me when we were little cuz I was too shy and she was not:)

Another favorite from the big day (my nephew there is 11 now!)

She's one of the few people that can make me laugh this hard...

Diet coke's are never farther than an arms reach from her...if they are, watch out!

And she does really, really nice things like this: she sent me that purple bracelet out of the blue recently so that I'd be safe when I was running out on the roads.

One time I was talking to her on the phone when Owen was a baby and I was about to drink a much needed super large coffee from Starbucks. Star then knocked the whole thing over and I cried out in disbelief as it seeped into the pavement. I was so bummed. A few days later a Starbucks gift card showed up with an apology from Star for spilling my coffee. :)

OK, Deb, you got this. I really hope you're wearing a tutu in your princess-half-marathon. I know you'll look adorable no matter what. 

Let's do this thing sister!!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Chestita Baba Martha (Happy Grandma Martha)

Yet another reason why I ♥ OM's preschool: the very excellent things we learn about other cultures. One of Maya's classmates, Mitko, gifted all his buddies these little red bracelets with dolphins on them with a note:

Martenitsi (red-and-white woven tokens) are exchanged on March 1 with wishes for sunny weather, good health, happiness, warmth and friendship. Granny Martha is described as a grumpy old lady whose mood swings change very rapidly as she is retiring and is being replaced by the upcoming spring. The martenitsi are symbols of spring, new life and fertility. They should be worn until you see a blooming fruit tree or the first birds of spring (stork or swallow). This centuries-old Bulgarian tradition has pagan origins.

Chestita Baba Martha,

Mitko

Love it!

I know you're all dying to know how the dress turned out...well, here she is. 

So, I'm sort of disappointed with it. I lost some tension on my last row of elastic thread so it didn't smock completely and even though I cut the size that should fit me, it doesn't. It's too big. 

Ahh, it's such a drag b/c I envisioned myself wearing it in Paris (we're going to Switzerland and Paris next month!) and even having the following conversation:

Hip-hapenin' Parisian girl: Excuse me madame, I love your dress! Where did you buy that?

Me: Thank you so much. Actually, I made it...

I'm such a dork, I know. 

I do like the hem though. I think I'm getting better at that. 

Another fun day @ Out of this World Pizza Token (it doesn't really have 'token' at the end of it but OM always refer to it that way).

I just love seeing them so happy...