Bathroom Update

Ok, so it is mostly finished. I still need to find another towel rack and a shelf, but the worst of it is done - and just in time for visitors. Whew!

So from ducks to the below colors. Whadaya think?

Restart

Ahhhh, sorry about the break, had to be done. 

So, what shall we talk about now?  It's been a mite bit crazy around here, just like always. 

It's Sunday night, and here's what's on the plate for this week - first thing tomorrow, we'll be calling out the plumbers to clear a plugged sewer line.  I don't envy them whatever they find in that line.  I should have known that the shower filling up during my shower tonight was a bad thing.  The leaking toilet and bathtub draining the wrong way were the next immediate and obvious clues.  Sigh.  This house.

BUT, on the bright side, better that happens tonight than later in the week, when my mother in law and her boyfriend will be staying with us.  We get along fine, but our usual once a year visits are plenty of time to get reacquainted.  And I guaran-damn-tee you that it's better the plugged line happened before they got here, 'cause we wouldn't have heard the end of it if happened while she was here.

AND, better that the plugged line happened on a Sunday night instead of a Saturday - at least we can avoid the weekend plumber visit.  Way to look on the bright side, right?

So yeah.  That's what's going on tonight.

In other news, I got my run in today (along with about a million other things).  I managed 5.25 miles with a 10:30 average, but that's not an entirely accurate tale.  The first two miles were too fast and it went downhill from there.  I've really got to step it up if I have a prayer at a half in a few months.

I had a ton of things going through my mind tonight during my run - the impending mother in law visit, school stuff for kiddos, school stuff for me, work stuff, home life, etc.  Balance.  It's a recurring theme in my life.  Sometimes I think I've got everything balanced just fine, and then one thing gives and the entire deck feels like it's threatening to come down. 

Seems to me like some area of my life gets an overhaul ever so often - relationships change, jobs change, interests change, kids change - it's hard to keep tabs on everything and make sure everything gets the right amount of attention.  I know that prioritizing is supposed to help make sure that everything gets adequate attention, but sometimes it just feels like there's too much going on to make success in everything possible.  And yet failure is not an option, and half-assing is unsatisfactory.  I dunno, I'm not sure where I'm really going with this, other than there are shit-ton of expectations these days, many of which we put on ourselves, and it feels overwhelming at times.

One thing at a time.  Maybe I need to make that my mantra.  One thing at a time. 

Bullet-time

The last few days, in bullet format:
- Friday after work - yoga, dinner, and then took the girl on a promised errand. EAR PIERCING. The first ear went fine. The second took some discussion, but we eventually left with both ears pierced, no tears, no blood, and a very happy little girl. Holy crap, shes braver than I ever was. I was 14 before i got mine done...
- Friday night, got home from ear piercing so exhausted that the whole house was in bed and asleep before 9:30. Yeah, the grown-ups too. Which probably directly caused...
- Saturday morning, 2:15am. Wide awake. No one was on Facebook or playing wwf, I'm not in the middle of any captivating book, and tv just sounded too boring, so I started thinking about stuff that needed to happen this weekend. Which led directly to...
- Complete redecorating of the kiddos bathroom. Yes, it's needed it for awhile. The toilet paper holder is mostly broken, both towel racks have come off the wall (did someone hang off these suckers or something?), the bathtub drain was clogged, and it was generally nonfunctional. And the duck theme, while totally adorable and awesome, is a bit outdated for my grade schoolers. So I spent the time between 2:30 and 5am Saturday morning planning their bathroom.
- Saturday morning - sleep till 9, bagels, run into my mom at Wal-Mart, she takes the kiddos (the kiddos basically jumped in her cart and begged) and j and I hit Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, Garden Ridge, and probably somewhere else that I'm forgetting. The credit card was screaming, but we got a new shower curtain, shower rod (the cool curved kind), floor mats, towel racks, clothes hamper, shower caddies, and towel hooks for the kiddo bathroom. It took ALL DAY.
- Saturday afternoon, I dismantled the kids' bathroom, then went to a fundraiser art thing where we drank wine and attempted to paint. The wine was yummy. We're not going to discuss my "art". Let's just say that the title of the piece we were painting, "Curious Yellow Bird" was more apt then they knew.
- Today, we did the laundry/clean house thing, and hit Lowes for some paint and a few final things for the bathroom. Yes, I can't redo a room without painting it, and this room NEEDS it. Caught up with my in laws, cooked up some dinner, and finished the weekend with a 5 mile run in this finally-finally-finally cooler weather. And now? Holy crap it's Sunday night. Hello Monday - I'm not really ready for you, but I guess that doesn't matter.

Oh, and below are some "before" type pictures. Hopefully I'll have the "after" by the end of next weekend.

Almost Friday

Another busy week, almost over. I managed a three miler last night, first midweek run in awhile. My legs argued a bit, but they'll deal. I realized a few days ago that my current pair of running shoes has over 400 miles on them - d'oh! Time to get a new pair or two, the last thing I need is an injury during ramp up time.

I also managed a tennis match on Tuesday night, and hope to get another run in tonight, but we'll see how the legs feel.

Another crazy school year is gearing up, so we'll have gymnastics and baseball soon enough to go with our homework mix. No wonder I fell asleep before 10 last night - the anticipation is killing me!

Fall???

Managed to get in 4 miles this morning, and I'll be damned if I didn't find my legs somewhere in the first mile. Maybe it was because the temperature was under a bazillion degrees, maybe it was because the humidity was less then a million percent, or maybe it was because I finally threw some new music on the shuffle. Whatever it was, I'm not questioning. It worked, and it was the first really enjoyable run I've had in a long time. Not that I've been running that much or anything, but it was nice to remember how much I enjoy a good run.

The new tunes are key; I should know this by now. I ran entirely to new stuff today, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Good thing j's been on a downloading spree lately! Amazon loves us, I'm sure.

As I was running, it occurred to me that this is definitely a "weekend warrior" kinda weekend. A short run (2.5 miles) and an hour of yoga on Friday, nearly 4 miles of hiking yesterday, and a good fast (for me) 4 miler today. Even if I have trouble moving for the next days, it was totally worth it. So looking forward to some cooler weather in the (hopefully) very near future. One of these days I'll decide which races I'm doing this fall. There are three halves to choose from, one of which (fayetteville half) I've already committed to do with a friend. There's also one in Jonesboro in September and one in Conway in October. I'd be lucky to be ready for one in September, but the October one is quite possible. Maybe I'll manage to find some sort of training rhythm soon...

Pinnacle - Quarry Trail

Yesterday was a perfect day for a hike! Low humidity, temperature around 80 at the start, fantastic. I think we ended up hiking and walking somewhere around 3.75 miles, after which I took the boy to a Jump Zone party. To say he got his fill of exercise yesterday is probably an understatement. He also learned what happens when you get dogpiled by a bunch of girls - fortunately, the tooth was a baby tooth and already loose, but B was the life of the party for a few minutes. To his credit, getting a tooth knocked out hardly phased him. He took a few drinks of water, gave me the tooth, and went back to running around like a maniac. Awesome.

Today, I need a long run, the girl wants to get her ears pierced, and the boy has a friend coming over. J has also entered into a pretzel making foray (not complaining), so we have good snackage around the house. Oh, and we finished off the day last night watching meteors from the hammock, drink in hand - at least, till we started falling asleep around 10:30. Ahhhh, the perils of getting older...

Saturday hiking

Off to pinnacle today to hike. I managed to squeeze in both a short run (2.5) and 1 hour of yoga last night, so my legs are already talking to me. The 2.5 miles, albeit in 98 degrees, still spoke volumes about my conditioning - or lack thereof. "Long" runs have to start this weekend, though, so that ought to improve quickly. Pictures to come later of Pinnacle...wish us luck!

Cooler?

It finally rained yesterday. It has probably been nearly two months - no exaggeration - since we've gotten that kind of rain. We've had a couple of showers, but otherwise we've had days of 100+ weather and no rain. The trees around here are losing their leaves and many have died. Hopefully the pattern is about to change, we really need the rain! This morning, it's actually really nice on the porch - low 70s, cool breeze - is this really Arkansas?

It IS supposed to get cooler this weekend, so I'm trying to figure out where and if I want to take the kiddos hiking. Pretty sure I want to go somewhere, just an issue of where. It's sad when low 90s for a high sounds absolute divine, but after this summer, I'd take a few weeks at that temp with no argument at all.

Maybe I'll try for a longer run this weekend too. It's time to ramp it up, and I think cooler weather will help with motivation. I've got several audiobooks that are waiting in the wings, maybe I'll get started on one of those today and give myself an extra reason to run.

Mobile

My tennis team and I headed down to Mobile this past weekend for a tennis tournament. I learned a good lesson: I should consider playing more than just doubles before this tournament if I have a hope of appearing like I have any idea AT ALL how to play singles. I haven't lost a singles match that badly in years. I'm still smarting from that loss, but made up for it the next day by winning a doubles match. So it wasn't completely embarrassing...

So now that tennis is out of the way, it's back to the racing calendar. I'm trying to find a race - and a motivation to train. So far, I haven't hit on the right thing, but it will come. The cooler weather will help, and getting settled into out school routine should also help. There's a half at the end of October in Conway that just gives me time to get some good training in, and the buildup for the LR Marathon starts this week. It may be time to update my music selection and consider some new shoes...if that's what it takes to get back to the running, so be it.

Political Ranting

I don't do politics very well. Most of the time, folks are pretty ingrained in their beliefs and I don't have much desire to try to change their minds. People are going to believe different things, and that's fine.

What drives me slightly nuts is the notion that some of these beliefs are "informed" when in fact, they are repetitions of whatever the talking heads are saying at the moment. But I have no control over whether people - including myself - think for themselves or decide its easier to just agree with whatever they are hearing at the moment, with disregard for the facts. It gets even more interesting when some facts - such as the transcript of what a talking head actually said on his show - disappear. But I digress.

What really drives me crazy, though, is the idea that the METHOD used by these talking heads is somehow the right method of discussion, regardless of the topic. I'm not really talking about the mainstream news or the shows that actually talk about issues. I'm talking about the "entertainment" folks who spout off what they "know" with outrage and disbelief - the Rush Limbaughs, and whoever his equivalent is on the left. I avoid talking heads - they drive me nuts, so I have no idea who it is on the left, but I'm sure there are a few.

I've been told that people know these folks are more for entertainment, and we don't take them seriously, so we should ignore what they say. And that is probably true. They generally are talking out of their ass, and if they aren't, its too hard and takes too much of my time to separate the truth from the outrage.

But how is the method they are using appropriate for any kind of discussion? How does the typical cycle of, "express outrage and disbelief, attack other side, and defend ludicrous argument like your life depends on it" ever get you anywhere?

It's not the content. It's the tone, the manner, the blind following that "we are right, the other side is wrong, and showing up in the middle for a calm, rational discussion based on facts is the stupidest thing I ever heard of."

For entertainment, I get that this works great and reels in the hapless listeners. But when that method, that tone, and that cycle invades real life? Then it crosses the line from entertainment and becomes something a lot more insidious. Guns and murders are one method of violence in the media, but I think there's a pretty good argument that these talking heads are as much a menace to our society as any overt kind of violence, because people forget how to think for themselves, and start to believe that this method of discussion is valid and appropriate, when in fact all it does is create further rifts and a bunch of sheep. And solves nothing.

Stepping off soapbox. For now.

Today's Adventure: Biking

Well, not too much of an adventure, but a great workout. J and I and a friend of ours hit the river trail around 8:30 this morning (no thanks to the belly aching by yours truly, who really did not want to get out of bed).

We started at the Arkansas Queen, a boat along the Arkansas River shore in North Little Rock. From there, we road down to the Big Dam Bridge, over that monster, and then on out to Two Rivers park. We paused briefly for a break, then turned around and came back. Overall, 23 miles at just under 15mph. Fantastic ride, but I'm not sure how much good I'm gonna be for the rest of the day. All I want to do is eat popcorn, drink a coke, and watch the Olympics. Since when do my kids need school clothes anyway!

On a funny note, somewhere around mile 10, I started craving biscuits and gravy. No clue why, but after 23 miles, I didn't feel too badly about the below treat!

Petit Jean - Cedar Falls Trail

Yesterday morning, we rounded up the kids, jumped in the car with some friends, and headed an hour northwest to Petit Jean state park. I think I may have camped up there once, but have never been hiking. Yesterday was the day to fix that. Also, In an effort to get the kiddos more used to doing the 'nature' thing, we've been trying to do more hikes, but that means getting up EARLY in the morning right now. Arkansas has apparently confused its identity with Arizona - understandable, considering how many people have trouble with postal abbreviations. However, I could really do without the incredibly dry, intense, relentless heat. Holy crap, autumn needs to get here.

ANYWHO. With the high supposed to be well over 100, we hit the road about 7:30 (after the obligatory bagel stop) and started our hike around 9. Amazingly, it really wasn't that hot - I didn't break a sweat until after we'd finished our initial trek out there and were on the way back.

The waterfall we hiked to was pretty cool, even considering the lack of rainfall in, oh, over a month and the 100+ degree weather we've had all summer. There was still some water falling over the cliff, and the surrounding bluffs were amazing. We managed to catch sight of a water moccasin, several cool bugs, lots of fish and minnows, and a few deer, including a faun. Overall, the girl - the most likely critic - deemed the outing a success.

We finished the hike with some outstanding burgers in Conway and then a few hours of quiet time. Great way to spend a Saturday!

More on the Hiking...

Hiking today, think we are going to head to Petit Jean. Plan is to get in and out before the blistering heat starts. We'll see how that goes...

Busy busy...

School starts in a week. Work is insane. This past weekend in dallas was ... a fast paced weekend in dallas. Working out is picking up. And things are generally crazy around here. Here's to hoping next week will be slightly calmer, although I have my doubts...

Dallas bound.

Early morning at our house. The kiddos are excited because we are headed to Dallas for the weekend to spend time with cousins, hanging by the pool, and chilling out. If I can just get my work stuff done at a reasonable time, all will be well. Poor j has to stay back 'cause he has to work this weekend. Altho he gets an entire weekend to himself. Wow. What do you do with one of those??? I don't remember.

The Reading

A few weeks ago, I took the kiddos
To the library. Alyssa picked out a Junie B book, and Benjamin picked out a couple of Froggie books. As I was cleaning Alyssa's room this weekend, I found the Junie B book and started asking her about it. Lo and behold, she had read the book!

So last night while she and I were hanging out, I downloaded Ramona The Brave, hoping I might snag her interest. I convinced her to read a few pages and I read a few pages, and before long, we finished the first chapter.

She said she was enjoying it, which totally thrills me. As she was going to bed, she made a comparison that she was Ramona and Benjamin was Beezus (mainly due to the fact that he is older). But, she added, SHE was going to be the one with her nose in a book, like Beezus. My fingers are crossed that that will be the case, baby girl. I'd be thrilled to have a fellow bookworm in the house.

Ahead of the Game?

Our school starts August 6 this year.  AUGUST 6th.  That means that in about 3 weeks, we start school.  How did this happen? 

Both of our kids have already received a letter from their teachers and their supply list, so today we decided to take care of one of those most dreaded/anticipated fall chores - the supply run.

Included in this run was a nearly 100% turnover in B's uniforms (that's what happens when the boy grows so much in the summer), a significant turnover in A's, and their holy-cow-how-come-they-need-so-much-crap supplies. 

Let's just say Wal-Mart loves us this afternoon, and our credit card hates us.  Youch!

Whew.

Yesterday was insane. Work was nonstop, including a meeting that ran nearly 1.5 hours late. Rush from work to my mom's for dinner, then out the door again for tennis. I nearly cancelled tennis last night due to sheer exhaustion, but of course I was glad I went. It wasn't the best game ever (not by a long shot!), but my brain seems to use that time to drop into different gears from regular activities. Last night it went on a thinking spree about how to organize B's Legos. Most of the ideas I have about home improvement, redecorating and organization come on the tennis court - go figure. Guess its a good thing I'm not a tennis pro!

As I came out of the tennis center, I realized it was still just a bit light out, and the sky had cleared from the earlier storms. The sky was this beautiful, luminous blue green color, and reminded me that I need to keep my head up for stuff like that. It was a nice capstone to the day. That, and the jack and diet that waited at home.

Out Of Words

Some days you just run out of words. This is one of those days.

Craziness

The end of the week happened in a blur! I'm thinking there may be a walk with the kiddos, maybe some IHOP, and a movie this afternoon. As of right now, I'm still in bed and may remain that way a little longer. Technology rocks sometimes!

Fourth Fun

Biking first, then pizzas, then fireworks. Think I'll sleep well tonight...

3 Random Miles

I eeked out a 3 miler last night, after a cooler day made the outdoors seem more palatable. Seriously, the difference between 90 and 100 felt huge last night. Still hot, but tolerable.

Funny to think that a few months ago I ran 26 miles one morning. I could probably still go double digits, but it would hurt something awful. But it's still better than when I started, and three miles left my quads screaming in pain. I'll take where I am now, thank you very much.

Irony

Remember how all excited I was about the whole sprinkler system thing?

Yeah.  Me too.

As of today, Maumelle has forbidden ALL outdoor watering due to a pump problem in one of the wells.  This holds for the foreseeable future.

It makes me think of how washing your car will make rain more likely.  Except, apparently I didn't induce rain - I just made the results of the drought that much worse.  Shit.  So much for bringing the lawn back around. 

Enough

Sometimes you have to relax in the knowledge that you are doing your best, and that that is - that has to be - enough. And that's ok.

Rolling My Eyes

We moved into this house four years ago come September. The house sits on a lot that is nearly an acre large, and while some of the space is just wild, there is quite a bit of landscaping around most of it. Yard work is neither mine nor J's strong point, and our house will never win any yard of the month awards.

This morning, in an attempt to avoid running, I decided to go investigate the long defunct sprinkler system. There are sprinkler heads in the yard, so obviously there is a system. There was a timer and transformer set up under the house that powered up and showed a display when you plugged it in, but I'd never been able to make it do anything regarding watering the lawn.

Please note: I have been know to miss the obvious from time to time. I did not grow up with a sprinkler system (unlike some folks around here, AHEM), so they are foreign to me.

So since it has been murderously hot and our yard and landscaping is in dire need of water, I thought I'd give it a go this morning and see if I could do anything with it. Funny enough, right outside the crawl space, very near where the timer and transformer plug in, there was a white piece of pipe sticking out off the ground. On close inspection, the end of the pipe had threads - as if you could, oh I dunno, screw a WATER HOSE into it? I seemed to remember j saying that you could run water to that pipe and test the sprinkler system, should either of us ever be so inclined. Well, today I felt so inclined.

I screwed in a hose to the pipe (the hose actually fit - hooray!), turned on the water, and fiddled around for a bit with the timer. Nothing. Hm. I set the thing to manual, and started flipping through "zones" - whatever those are. At one point, I found the setting for zone 1, and heard noises that suggested water was running through the pipes...

So I walked around the back yard, just as Alyssa came outside and said, "Hey! You got the sprinkler running!"

Holy crap. It actually worked.

Over the course of the next hour or so, I found 5 working zones, one of which will water the biggest part of the lawn in the backyard. Holy shit. This sucker would've been working for the last four years if I'd taken a few minutes to investigate. Sometimes I feel like a complete dumbass. Sometimes it is totally justified - like today. Sheesh.

Saturday Silence

The kiddos stayed at my mom's last night, and j had to work this morning, so I have a quiet house! Not for too long though, we're headed to the lake so I'm gonna have to get my ass in gear and get moving.

I did another Friday yoga class last night, then spent the rest of the evening watching gymnastics trials. Damn those kids are incredible. I had forgotten how nice it can be to just veg in front of the tv watching Olympic stuff. I remember watching for hours as a kid - and barely getting my homework done for the two weeks the games were on. It was kinda nice to just sit and be entertained, although the commercials are annoying as all get out. Guess I need to use the dvr, huh.

At any rate, it's Saturday, and I'm quite happy it's here. Time to get moving and head towards the lake. Helllooooo sunscreen!

Things Happen

I used to believe in the adage that states unequivocably "things happen for a reason." I'm a bit past that now - I don't think there are reasons other than what we find or choose to make of things.

But sometimes it would be nice to believe that there is some "sign" that you are on the right road, that you are making the right decisions. That at some point there will be a finish line that tells you that whatever tough decision you made was the "right" decision.

Of course, many decisions don't really have a 'right' or 'wrong' either. You make your decisions, and then you make the best of them - and if you make the best of them, you've made a 'right' decision.  If you second guess and regret what you've done and wish you'd done things differently, you've made a 'wrong' decision.  I read a quote yesterday that resonated deeply with me.

"I have always found that each step we take in life is to be regretted--
if we once begin to wonder how many other steps might have been possible."

John Oliver Hobbes

You make your decision, and you move forward and don't look back - you don't regret - because as soon as you do, you lose all the energy and thought that went into the decision in the first place. And second guessing yourself takes away from where you are NOW, and where you are trying to be. You can't change what is in the past. The best you can do is move forward and trust yourself that you are doing the right thing, and learn from the decisions that you make.

I know these things, I've lived them and I believe them. Sometimes it doesn't make decision making any easier.

Insomnia

Insomnia sucks. Just sayin'.

Dwelling versus Thinking

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday, explaining how I'd spent time recently dwelling on something. That felt a little out of character for me, because I associate a negative connotation with that word. She responded that she thought I was a thinker, and maybe it wasn't so out of character for me after all...

This is why I love my friends. They challenge me and make me think.

So I looked up the definition of dwell this morning, and once I got past the whole "housing and structures" thing, one definition was "to fasten ones attention on". Huh, she might be right. Of course, the synonym given was "brood," and that also seems a bit dark.

I do like to think. It is part of my nature. Hell, I get paid, in part, to think - what could be better? But I do not like to dwell in the negative. I've been in the negative more than I like lately, and it becomes a habit after a while. Not a good one. It's far too heavy and requires too much energy. I miss feeling lighthearted and "light" in general. Maybe that's the price of being an adult? I'm not sure I buy that - I don't think getting older means being "heavier" in the metaphysical sense. More responsibilities can be a pain in the ass, but as long as you can cover them...what's wrong with a little levity? How do you channel that, though? That might bear some thinking...

Ahhhh, blogging before 6:30. You never know what you're gonna get...

Squirrel Day!

Today is Alyssa - aka Squirrel's - birthday. She turns 6 and is all sorts of pumped for the day. We had her party a few weeks ago, but today is The Day. My mom's house is already decorated, and she's getting exactly what she wants for dinner - Little Ceasars pizza, breadsticks, and artichokes. Yes. Artichokes. Her current favorite food - go figure.

She is very much still the baby in a lot of ways, but she's very much a little girl in many others. She is completely different from her brother and reminds me of myself a lot, which may or may not be a good thing. I think she may be my reader one of these days if she finds a few books she likes, and I have no doubt she's going to be one challenging teenager. But for now I'll soak up the little girl for a little longer. She won't be around that much longer. Where the hell does time go?

Routines

I've been trying to get up earlier this past month or so. Not crazy early - like 5am or what have you - but early enough to get the kiddos' lunches done and then have time to have coffee on the deck before the craziness of the day hits.

Yes, this means I'm going to bed well before 11 some nights. In the immortal
words of Paul Simon, 'getting old...'

But it does make the mornings go more smoothly, and the kiddos and I both less stressed as we get out the door. Plus I have a few minutes to reflect on what has happened overnight, and the upcoming day. How I want it to go, what I need to focus on, what I need to make sure I have prepared. And, I even have time to throw something in the oven for the munchkins' breakfast. Pigs in blankets have been a big hit this summer.

Of course, I'm sure part of this routine is the fact that the sun is up so early, which makes it a helluva lot easier to get up. Maybe one of these days I'll go out and exercise when I'm up this early. Maybe. But maybe not. I likes my coffee and quiet mornings, I'm not sure I want to spoil that with a bunch of sweat.

Searching

I've gone to two yoga classes in the last few weeks. The first one was taught by a younger lady who had just gotten certified to teach. Her workout was very intense and left me sore for days - which is a good thing in my world.

The class I took this past Friday was taught by an older lady who was a bit more ummmm spiritual than the younger one. This wasn't a bad thing in the least. You guys know I'm not religious at all, but I feel like the spiritual side could use some attention. I've always sort of felt like exercise was my religion anyway, so maybe a teacher who is a little more on the "earthy" side isn't a bad thing.

She said one thing that really stuck with me and I keep trying to remind myself of it. She suggested that, as we eased into the hourlong session, we remembered to look for what it was we were there for. It's one thing to wish for something - wish things were easier, wish for inner peace, wish to be in better shape, whatever. But it's entirely another to go looking and searching for it.

I guess it just goes along with being mindful of what you are doing at any given time. Go into something with a defined goal and keep working towards it; don't get sidetracked or forget why you are there. You are a lot more likely to find what you are looking for if you actually look.

With that, I'm gonna get off my loopy soapbox and go find some coffee. Maybe I shouldn't blog this early in the morning next time.

Crystal Vista Hiking Trail

We ended up hiking the Crystal Vista trail yesterday. The trailhead was about half an hour's drive from the condo, down some serious backwoods roads and out in the middle of nowhere. The trailhead itself was about two miles down a gravel road. As expected, we saw not another soul the entire three hours we were out there. This is probably a good thing, as my kids are LOUD. Pretty sure I'd never have to worry about bears as long as I have them along...

The hike up ended up being about .7 miles straight up a rocky, gravelly four wheeler road. It was still shady and a little cool when we went up, so the complaining index was minimal - despite the boy having done something to his foot yesterday morning and it giving him real trouble on the way back down. Something about sliding into pillows and carpet while playing baseball in the bedroom, I dunno.

At any rate, the hike up was very pretty. Although the woods never opened up enough to give awesome vistas or anything, the glimpses of the lake and surrounding hills were beautiful. We also found the abandoned crystal quarry and dug around there for a bit. There was a great deal of quartz on the ground, a lot of it very clear. We had the obligatory snackage while up there, hung out for a bit and trekked back down. All in all, about 2.5 miles for the day, and considering the rough terrain, I think we all wore ourselves out.

We finished the afternoon at the pool, then hit a South American restaurant in Hot Springs for dinner. Back to the Future and two bowls of popcorn rounded out the evening nicely - I'm really not wanting to see Monday already approaching. Time to start planning next weekend, right?

One of the best things...

One great advantage of having older kiddos is the ability to decide, at 7:00 on Friday night, that you will leave town that night - and actually leave the house an hour later. With minimal stuff.

We had planned on going over to Ouachita this weekend to hang out at a condo my parents have had for years. J and I had talked about just going over Saturday morning because we had nothing packed, and I wanted to do a 5:30 yoga class - which totally rocked, by the way. I'm thinking every week should end with a 5:30 yoga class, but I digress.

I got back from yoga at 6:30, and j informed me that the kids wanted to go over to the lake tonight and had already packed their stuff. Hmmm...so we talked about it while I ate dinner, then threw a bunch of stuff together, made a quick (VERY SIMPLE) meal plan, and hit the road.

There's a hiking trail nearby that looks cool and short enough for the kiddos to do. Even though it's supposed to be uphill for a mile, it culminates in an old crystal mine, and the kids dig the thought of digging for crystals. That may not happen till tomorrow though - they are currently putting together a Lego set. Together. Without fighting. I'm holding my breathe. Maybe it'll last longer then 76 seconds.

Getting Back at It...

3 miler tonight, first two miles at a sub 10:00 mile, but the last one was about 11:11.  I had to stop and walk up a hill, but that's ok.  It's my first run in over 2 weeks, so it was bound to be a bit difficult.  I expect the next couple of runs to be a little more difficult before they start evening out again. 

Yesterday, J and I went to see Steve Martin and the bluegrass band he's playing with right now.  I read Martin's bio a few years ago, and what I most remember reading was how hard he worked for the things he accomplished.  He may have some talent at what he does, but the sheer grunt work that he put into his career(s) was impressive, so I have nothing but respect for the dude. 

The evening was thoroughly enjoyable, because of course Martin didn't just play music (although he is quite an excellent banjo player).  He talked and joked a bit between each song, set up jokes that he would finish 10 minutes later, and talked about the songs they were playing.  For live music like that, there's nothing better than getting insight on what a musician was thinking about when writing his or her songs.  It just makes the entire experience so much richer and more enjoyable. 

It had also been years since I had been to Robinson auditorium, where Martin and the bluegrass crew played.  I had no memory whatsoever of the lobby area, but the performance hall was familiar.  I remember being so intimidated when I was younger, and it all seems so different now.  At any rate, the venue was fine for the music, and the bluegrass group was absolutely wonderful.  The show stopper, though, was the fiddle player.  I honestly he was going to spontaneously combust a few times, his solos were so intense, fast, and amazingly diverse.

Overall, a great evening out, and well worth what the price of the tickets.  And what do you know, I turn around and tomorrow's friday.  Damn the weeks go fast sometimes - even in the summertime.

Motivation

Trying to find a bit of it. My workouts have dwindled to practically nothing in the last two months, and it's about time to find some motivation. I have a friend in Chicago who is running a half marathon at the end of August...that would give me ten weeks to get ready. Barely enough time, but possible. I'm also planning to go down to Mobile with a tennis team at the end of July, even though we will likely get slaughtered. Oh well, if one of those two things gets me motivated to do a little more running and working out, it'll be a good thing.

Besides, chicago is an awesome town. What's wrong with setting a goal to run a half marathon in a few months? Worst case scenario, I don't make it to the race but do the training. It's a win/win scenario as far as I can see... And if I actually make it to Chicago for the race? Yeah baby, Chicago is an awesome place to spend a weekend. Definitely win/win. Training starts Thursday.

Baby Steps

Last night I managed to get myself appointed to my kiddos' school board.  Now, I'd already lost a general election through the school itself (I'm neither the PTO president, nor did I stand outside the school for two weeks campaigning every single morning during drop off, so I didn't get one of those two spots), but the city itself has appointments to the board, and I threw my hat in the ring for one of those.

Hard to lose when you are the only one applying...but I'll take it.

It's been a long time since I've been involve in a local community, but I think it is probably the right thing for me.  Education is an interest of mine, and for the next few years I'll get an "up close and personal" look at it.  The education system in Central Arkansas is probably one of the more interesting systems in the US, so it should be a fun couple of years.

Hiking: Woolly Hollow State Park

I've had an itch for some hiking for a couple of weeks, so this morning we packed up the kiddos early and hit Woolly Hollow state park (east of Greenbrier) for a 3 mile hike.

I packed lots of water, apples, and cookies in the hopes that the kids would actually have fun instead of thinking it was too much work. It almost worked...

The first sign that things were not 100% in kid land was Alyssa's comment that her legs were tired. While the trailhead was still in sight. Ugh.

But once we got going, it turned out mostly ok. It was an easy walk, not a lot of up and down, and the path was well maintained although mostly single file. The shoulder that would have been used to haul the girl up and down small hills was kinda grateful for the inability to walk beside her. But overall, she was a trooper until we got into the third mile and it got hot. Can't say I blame her, but it's a bit hard to go zen with nature when the little one next to you is chanting "owwwww" with every step. I tried changing it to "ommmmmm" but she just hit me. Suppose I deserved it.

I totally enjoyed the walk, though. There was still a cool breeze, even at 10 this morning, and the kiddos still walk slowly enough to let me lag at the back and enjoy looking around and taking in the views.

I'd like to do some more of these day hikes, there are a ton of beautiful areas nearby, but the challenge will be getting the kids - errrr, girl - on board. Maybe more chocolate chip cookies next time...