Halling Go To Alaska

*sigh*  So my droid miraculously disappeared last weekend on the first 10-mile lap of my 20-mile run.  This made me incredibly sad and over the top pissed at myself.  I'm still not sure how it fell out of the pouch at a point where I hadn't even touched the pouch.  It's hard to believe that I was so distracted by the snow that I didn't put it away properly when I hit 'start' on Runkeeper.  It truly boggles my mind. But this post is less about my incompetence and more about a decision I need to make.  Well, me and T, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth the cash or not. My debate stems from the fact that I was due for my "new every two" phone this past spring and I happily decided on a Droid.  I have friends who had them and loved them.  I was over my Blackberry Pearl and I was so excited to be getting something new.  To be honest I was hoping that Verizon was going to be getting an iPhone this past spring and I was holding out hope for that...

Monday is such a harsh reality after 4 days off.  Well, in my case I haven't had any work since Tuesday.  Which is awesome and yet sucks because no work = no money.  But whatever.  It was a long weekend filled with family and friends and shopping.  I have yet to find a present for T, but I have an idea.  He hasn't been reading here lately, but I'm sure the minute I say something about a present, he'll decide to get a wild hair and pop on over to have a peak. This week is less intense than last.  I've got to get the girls back on track with their school work.  I haven't been riding them as closely, and they've been taking advantage of that.  Time to turn back into mean school mommy. We have the normal schedule of kid stuff and work.  I do have a board meeting tomorrow night, which will eat into my work time.  Fortunately I know there isn't a whole lot on the agenda, so hopefully I'll be home before it's too late.  I'm hoping to ...

Sunday The sky from my front porch. Monday The Sierra Nevada's with snow. Tuesday Love the trees and clouds up against the blue sky. Wednesday My girl front flipping! Thursday The hills near my parent's house covered in fresh snow.  Friday My newest addition from Build-a-Bear.  This is my "replacement" for my "Mommy Monkey" that Sweet Pea lost. :( No one gets to touch Bun.  Saturday insert picture of me post 20 miles Unfortunately no picture happened because I was too pissed at myself  for dropping and losing my phone on my run. 

I have never been one of those crazies who heads out at the crack of dawn to get the deal.  I always figured I like my sleep more than saving a few bucks on something I may or may not actually need. Last year was the first year I went out, and it was in the name of a deal.  I needed a DS and the time had come that saving $30 was important.  I think I hit Wal-Mart at 5 a.m.  Got my DS and then headed to pick up a good friend to head to Reno.  We didn't have much in mind other than seeing if there were any deals on stuff we were going to buy anyway.  We did shopping and lunch.  Without kids.  Without a time frame. It was lovely. So we did it again this year.  Though she picked me up at 6 a.m.  We wanted to hit Kohl's, the outlet mall, the regular mall, and our "upscale" outdoor mall - all in Reno.  Once again it was relaxed and mellow and the lines were pretty short.  I don't think we waited for more than 10 minutes to check out ...

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We did. Starting off with a faux 10k, cinnamon rolls, friends, family, yummy food, and ending with Big Bang Theory.   And tomorrow I head out with a friend to see what kind of sales there are.  Not in the typical Black Friday sense.  It will be relaxed and enjoyable spending the day without kids.  I will be prepping and hydrating for my 20-miler on Saturday.   Wish me luck!

Look what I found at Borders.   You know I had to buy it, right?

It should be no surprise that my week is packed.  It's the week of Thanksgiving and the whole training thing.  Which is being thrown for a loop because of a snow storm and slippery roads.  So today I must get a couple of things accomplished.  Make one, hopefully two, batches of dinner rolls for dinner on Wednesday and the turkey day festivities on Thursday. Run 10 miles on the treadmill.  I'm thinking I may break this up into two 5-milers.  I don't really have the chunk of time to do it all at once and hopefully breaking it up will help me with the dreadmill aspect.  Appointment with the chiropractor this afternoon.  Start hydrating the heck out of myself because I've been slacking.  And I'm going to run a cumulative of 36 miles this week.  (I also realized after completing what I thought was 10 out of 14 miles on Saturday that really I was supposed to have done 16.) I'm not even going to think about what Wednesday or Thursday or even Fr...

As wind has continued to howl on and off all weekend, I'm annoyed.  This storm was supposed to be done by today.  They are predicting more snow tomorrow.  I love winter.  I love the snow.  But I have a 10-mile training run to do tomorrow.  I have this sneaking suspicion that I'm doing it on the treadmill.  I'm not happy about this.  At all.  I haven't run continuously more than 3 miles on the treadmill in who knows how long.  10 miles? That's like an hour and 40 minutes.  *sigh* If there was no moisture on the ground, I'd totally run in the cold outside in the dark, but I'm not going to risk life and limb (literally) to run outside in the dark on slippery surfaces.  That's just asking for trouble.  All I know, is it better clear up for my first 20 miler on Saturday. But the good (?) news is that my parents will be taking the kids Wednesday night so T and I can get up at butt-ass crack of dawn to drive to Reno for a 10k Tur...

Sunday Dessert! Monday The view of the moon from the ASU Cardinals stadium. Tuesday Landing in Vegas on the way home from my conference. Wednesday My Bear-cat.  Thursday I found these at Bed, Bath & Beyond They are suction cup drink markers. They were different than typical wine glass charms. Friday My gymnast at her swim lesson.  She going to be diving for that orange stick on the bottom of the pool. Saturday The birthday girl blowing out her candle.  (Yes, that is make-up.  No, she doesn't get to wear it outside of the house.)

The best of the birthday pictures I took yesterday of Sass.   I love her eyes.  Such sweetness We had to do one in front of the pool I needed a different look from her.  A true "Sass" look.  And I got this... Remember this face?   (sixth pic down - they're totally related) True smiles.  Oh.my.  Love this girl.

Literally.  And a storm is brewing.  We are slated for up to 8 inches of snow.  (I just looked that up. And I'm not happy right now.)  I have a 14-mile run tomorrow.  Mmm. Not quite sure how that's going to work.  So tomorrow may be less crazy than originally anticipated.  I can't trudge through 14 miles of 8 inches of snow.  It shall be interesting because the storm is supposed to hit tonight and lighten up midday tomorrow and then hit again Saturday night through Sunday midday. This marathon training business is hard work.  Only time will tell what the weekend holds in the way of a run for me. So for now, I'll head out and cram as much as I can into this morning and this afternoon.  Birthday party tomorrow for the 8yo!! Let's get this show on the road!!

There once was a time when I had things under control.  I was prepared.  I had my ducks in a row.  I'm not sure what happened, but I think it has to do with kid #3.  Not her specifically.  But since her arrival almost 5 years ago, (holy crap! my baby's almost 5!) I can't seem to get it together. Take for instance two years ago.  I was looking for a crafty idea for the oldest's 8th birthday.  (Come to think of it, maybe it's just the "8th" birthday that has me stumped.)  I found one.  At Oriental Trading.com. Four days before the party.  So I spent more on shipping than I did on the cute color-your-own bags.  Poor planning on my part. So here I am one day past another 8th birthday and 2 days before the party and I have nothing.  And between now and then I'm scheduled to run 19 miles, work, oversee school work, chauffeur to *many* activities, make cupcakes, hopefully get a hair cut because you can call me "Shaggy" right now , and...

Today my middle girl, the one who looks most like me, turns 8.  She was my biggest baby.  She is the most kind-hearted, gentle, giving, caring girl I know.  It amazes me how far she has come in figuring out herself.  She realizes where her limitations are and happily does her best.  She truly loves life.  I'm lucky to have her. Happy 8th Birthday, Sass!  Love you! P.S. It's also Tiffany' s birthday today!  Go wish her happy birthday and happy new motherhood!  Love you, Tiff!!

Have you heard about virtual schooling? I bet you have, but what probably comes to mind is college courses and University of Phoenix and online classes.  Did you know that there are distance education schools for kindergarten through 12th grade?  Yep, sure is, and it's been around for a while.  It's been in Nevada for four years now. The Virtual School Symposium is a conference that is directly tied to online education.  But there's been a shift in the paradigm from "school at home" (which is, consequently, what we do in our house) to what's being called "blended learning".  Which is a focus of adding technology and aspects of virtual learning to a traditional school.  This was enlightening to me because I *know* there has to be progress and I'm not progressive enough to see whatever is coming next. I had my eyes opened to something that in retrospect seems very obvious.  Kids at home live in a technological/digital world.  They have handheld ga...

My voice.  I've never lost it before.  I'm not sure if it has to do with the beginnings of whatever crazy sinus thing I have going on mixed with my 3+ hours out in the cool air running Friday night, but my sinuses have mostly cleared, but I sound like I've got a 3-pack-a-day smoking habits.  It's sexy.  No really. But I'm glad that I've been gone during feeling this way.  Because only having to focus on me and my stuff when I'm not feeling 100% is so much easier than playing, mom/teacher/chauffeur/employee. Which will all start back first thing Wednesday morning after not enough sleep tomorrow night.  My flight doesn't get in until 10:45 and then there's the 45-minute drive home.  Ugh.  I'm tired thinking about it. But then I get to sleep in my own bed and wake up to having an 8yo.  And then plan the subsequent party on Saturday. So with that, I'm off to bed.

Sunday This one is for Elaine and Tiffany .  And you should go take a peek at Tiffany's place.  She just had a sweet baby boy! Monday  A beautiful autumn day! Tuesday I love this look on Sass' face! Wednesday  The first snow! It was melted an hour later, but it sure was pretty coming down. Thursday fail - spent Veteran's day w/the family. Got new cold-weather gear for running. Friday Count the fingers.   Did you count them?  There would be 18 of them.   One for each of the 18 miles I ran this night.   You can read more about it later here . Saturday Is this not the ultimate in sweet puppy face? This is Tiffany's Golden, Simba.  Big, lovable, sweet and fulfilled my need for puppy love.

to Phoenix.  Well not now, obviously.  But earlier today.  And the fun surprise was that my parents on their return trip from Mexico were flying through Phoenix on their way back to Nevada.  So I got to hang out with them for 45 minutes or so before I needed to collect my baggage and meet Tiffany !  I thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Tiffany's with her family.  Her husband cooks a mean spaghetti and meatballs.  And her boys? Precious and adorable and noisy and so much a reminder of my girls...in the good ways.  And you can always appreciate the preciousness and adorableness and less notice the noisy-ness of other people's progeny rather than your own. And speak of progeny.  I am so thrilled to say that the other Tiffany (the one who was pregnant - obviously, the one who I did a shot of alcohol for back in April, the one who loves my kids almost as much as I do) finally had her baby boy, Samuel.  He's adorable and I can't wait to sniff his he...

As many of you know I live in Nevada.  Home of legalized gambling and brothels.  Both of those things don't make me bat an eye as we moved here when I was 11 and, whatever.  It's part of living here.  Though if you don't work in the hospitality sector, you don't see much gambling.  And the brothels are only legal in certain counties.  So, again, you don't or hear much about them in daily life. On Tuesday Thea sent out a plea on twitter to give her an idea for a blog post and the first suggestion she got, she'd do.   Ryan shouted, as only you can on Twitter, "Hemorrhoids!".  This made me giggle and so I asked for an idea too.  His educated response knowing that I live in Nevada? "The Bunny Ranch".  To which I responded, "actually it's the Moonlite Bunny Ranch ."   (Here's where I get a ton of hits on my blog from very disappointed people.)     Legalized prostitution is a very controversial topic.  When I was in ...

Happy Veteran's Day! I hope veterans everywhere enjoy this day,  this day we say thanks for volunteering to serve this country in good times and bad Our freedoms have been upheld and fought for by many. So extend your hand when you see a veteran. Tell them, "Thank you for your service." They'll appreciate it. 

Guess what I get to do Saturday? You'll never guess.  It's the day after my first 18-miler.  So I'm sure I will be sore.  But I get to go on a trip.  By myself.  Which is awesome.  Even though I will miss T because it's been nice having him around the last few months.  It took some adjustment.  Just as when he was gone for 6-8 weeks at a time over the last few years was an adjustment.  And the kids haven't been making my blood pressure rise quite as often, so I might actually miss the little buggers. I'm headed to Phoenix on Saturday for a conference that starts Sunday afternoon and goes through Tuesday.  But my wonderful friend Tiffany lives down there and I get to hang with her Saturday night.  And then Sunday morning we get to get up and cheer on Thea ,  Christy and Lisa and ChristieO .  Thea is participating in her 2nd (?) 10k in D.C.  Christy and Lisa are participating in the Rock-n-Roll San Antonio half marat...

Go over to the running blog .  There's a little something I want to say and something I want you to do.

Oh, my sweet baby. You make me laugh.  Love,  Mom

I've been remiss in sharing this awesome news.  Remember that dream I had last week? You know the one about how I *didn't* get randomly chose for the free ticket to FitBloggin'11 in Baltimore? Well Saturday the 30th was the date of the drawing.  I was having a nice relaxing evening with the family watching movies and becoming one with the cough.  I figured that whoever at The Sisterhood who was in charge of picking the winners was going to do it and post the winner at like midnight east coast time.  I don't know, because they're mean and want you to wait. So in between movies I went to check my phone and low and behold I get *this* short and sweet email from Christy . How come you aren't on Twitter, skank? http://shrinkingjeans.net/ 2010/10/fitbloggin-winners/ It looks like I *might* be headed to Baltimore in May! Woot! And squeee! And all that jazz.  I'm thrilled.  Now I just need to work my tail off extra hard (you know, 'cuz normally I'm a slacke...

Dang! It looks like there are 8 weeks left to the year. What with there being 52 in every year, right? My how time flies when you're the mother of three kids.  Hell, time flies the older you get.  See that? The older *you* get.  Not me.  'Cuz I'm not getting older.  To prove my point I'm not posting any pictures this week because if I did that, then you'd know I made it through another 7 days and with that I'd be 7 days older.  Hmm. I guess the fact that I'm typing this and posting this also proves that.  Okay. Here are this week's pictures. Sunday My princess fairy w/o her wings enjoying fresh spun cotton candy. Monday My awesome new running gloves.  Can't wait for the next cold day to wear them.  Probably Tuesday night. Tuesday Beautiful day to be at the park before swim club practice. Wednesday New books bought at a Usborne book fair held to support the gymnastics team. Thursday I'm pretty sure I posted a picture like this last year about ...