Another day in paradise...and I might be an introvert...

I took the day off yesterday from work so that I could take a day for myself to go skiing.  I drove by myself, I skied by myself and the few times I had to ride up the lift with someone I only spoke enough to acknowledge their existence.  It was GLORIOUS!!!!!!!  I let my skies take me where they wanted I didn't plan each run and have to worry about meeting someone or leaving someone behind, I stopped to take pictures when I wanted I stopped for a quick snack when I wanted.  I didn't have to hear "I do it"  "mom do it" or "where's my __insert annoying item here"  I didn't have to pretend I was interested in hearing about every detail of someones day or their last fight with their so and so or their job.  So maybe it comes with old age or with becoming a mom I find myself feeling like I might be an introvert even though many years and tests have told me I'm an extrovert.

But most of all my body hurt at the end of the day in a good way and my heart felt like it might explode a few times but in a good way and even though I had to take some advil I found great peace in the snow capped trees and great pride in the limits I tested that day!  There is no greater silence than that of a ski run through the trees and as you pause for a minute to take it all in the only sound I heard was the soft powdery fall of some snow off a tree limb that just couldn't bare the weight any longer.  As I went down a run that felt a lot harder than the last time I took it aver 2 years ago and had to grunt with exertion as I prayed my legs would bring my skis around from one side of the mountain to the other then let out a whoohoo as I realized I was still standing and not face first in that boulder or tree I felt the heart pounding exhilaration that has always drawn me to the sport.

I hiked to the top of the highest peak they let you ski down and way off in the distance I could hear the beep beep of a construction truck backing up and I thought how great is it to be up here right now surrounded by nothing but nature and blinded by the snow.  I love my life and I am grateful that I have a job that allows me to live it and a life to come back home to that is so hectic and loving that it makes me appreciate these few moments I get alone.  On my drive back as I blasted music that I may normally be embarrassed

to play otherwise I smiled because I new my son would be waiting for me to give me a big hug and rush me off to "play with toys" and my dog would be jumping on me for attention and hubs would be trying to talk louder and louder so his story could be heard over my sons gleeful shouts.  So here's to my alone days that may be few and far between but glorious and make me appreciate the zoo that is my life otherwise.  For one day I didn't have an employee crying in my office or someone asking me where their paperwork was.

I have some pretty great news for my upcoming tri season and I just want to have everything in place before I talk about it but pretty soon skiing will be taking a back seat to some new training!

My favorite day of the year!

My favorite day of the year because I get to celebrate without feeling any guilt about being selfish! :-)   It also means there is usually a ski day somewhere around the corner because that's my favorite way to celebrate.  My son woke up at 1 am crying and wanting to be comforted and as I got out of bed my husband says "he just wanted to be the first to tell you happy birthday!"  :-)   I have great things coming my way with a new bike, signed up for a half iron distance in May (my first big event since my son being born a little over two years ago) and putting on a summer track meet!!!!  I was a little sad to have to come back to work after winter break because my son and I had such an awesome time hanging out together but I also feel lucky that I have a job that allows us to do the things we want and enjoy doing.  Actions, experiences and travel bring me way more joy than any material things ever could.  So yeah I have cabinets and light fixtures from the 70s in my house that could use some updating but right next to that I have a photo hanging of my husband's first marathon of the two of us running together and my son always says mom, dad, running and near that I have a photo of us being goofy hanging my son upside down and he laughs when he sees that. So I am looking forward to another year of fun experiences no matter how challenging it will be to get there!

I was hoping for a snow day to spend my birthday at home with my two favorite guys playing in the snow but we only got a dusting.  But I did come in to this:

Looking back on some old memories from this day on different years:

January 5, 2015 at 9:39am · My son's favorite place Explora!

 

January 5, 2013 at 1:45pm ·

At Popejoy about to see Rock of Ages with hubs!

Surprise Birthday Party! — in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  January 5, 2013

I have the most awesome husband, family and friends!!

January 5, 2012 at 10:36am ·This was only as far back as 2012?  Maybe I should revisit this haircut!

January 5, 2012 at 8:13am ·

I was so excited to read an e-mail this morning from a good friend to see that she said I was the one that inspired her to start running, that is such a good feeling and she is so talented I'm glad she became a runner!

 

January 5, 2011 at 8:23am ·Awww when Lexi was just a puppy:

1st day of puppy training classes yesterday learned all about clicker training. When we got back Lexi was in heaven with all the treats and thought we had been replaced by some nice strangers...
 

 

This is what I looked like in Jan 5, 2011: 

 

 

January 5, 2011 at 8:46pm ·Indoor Soccer

Scored a B-day goal!! We totally shoulda won that game!

January 5, 2010 at 6:30am ·Having Winter Break end right before your birthday:

Yesterday was brutal that's what is bad about taking time off but that's ok I only have a half day today!

I love winter!

With a frost in the air, (I have to scrape my windows before work because my husband always takes the garage spot)
A nip at your nose, (my son always loudly yells MOCOS (boogers in Spanish) as my nose runs relentlessly in the cold)
hot chocolate in hand, (because I stopped drinking so something has to keep me warm)
I bound for the snow with neurotic dog and screaming child in hand because one thing we all know is WE ALL LOVE WINTER!!

I have been so busy lately but in a good way not at work.

We had our 3rd Annual Festivus for the Rest of Us!  Benefiting the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center.  And even with the cold and wet rain we still had a pretty decent turn out.  I loved the costumes and the energy that everyone still had even when soaking wet!

I had 2 fun filled snow days with my son and got him on skis for the first time.  Yay!!!  My little skier I'm so excited to go to the real slopes!

Soon I'll have a nice week and a half break from work over the holidays and I'm more than excited for that.  With more ski trips coming up I decided to forgo a half marathon trip to Austin in order to get a few ski days in this year.  So my training hasn't been stellar but I'm maintaining a base at least and I have lost about 5 lbs in the last month and half and have plateaued on that front but as long as I maintain over the holidays I'll be happy.  The last two years I didn't really get to ski you know having a child and all so I am more than thrilled to get a few days in this year.

Oh and I got to try the Trek Speed Concept out finally!!!  So I think I can make a decision soon but it won't be an easy one.  I liked both the Specialized and Trek a lot!!

Happy Winter and Happy Training Everyone!

The Power of Music

Music has always played an important part in my life and I have always found the right music to fit my mood really helps the situation.  Now that I see how much my son loves music it reminds me what a big part of my life music has been.

The soundtrack of my life: It lifts me up when I'm down, makes that last mile just a little bit easier, energizes me when I'm lethargic, helps me concentrate when studying, brings a smile to my face when a song makes me reminisce and so much more!

Here's a very basic timeline:

5 yrs old -  my mom put my brother and I in piano lessons, I loved music so much but unfortunately did not have a good ear.  My brother on the other hand could listen to a song on the radio then figure out how to play it on the piano

10 yrs old - I begged my mom to put me in voice lessons.  I loved acting and I loved singing and I loved musicals so of course I wanted to be in one.  The poor instructor had to pull my mom aside and tell her that I just wasn't meant to sing.  Now don't feel sorry for me this was and is a very true statement.

11 - They tried to give me a solo in the school play and even worked with me one on one until it was decided it was best that I sing it with a group and they relegated me to be Mary and trust me that was hilarious because Mary should not look disgruntled and try to push the 3 wise men off the stage for teasing her.

12 - I discovered pop music and I would blast New Kids on the Block, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Power 102 as loud as possible.  We had very thin walls so I must have the most patient parents in the world.  I also new all the songs to Grease and would try and force my brother to act it out with me.  Believe it or not there were only 2 people in my class that liked NKOB and I stood up at one point and yelled at everyone telling them what a good band they were and that they were all idiots for not understanding!

14 - 15 - I discovered that in my brothers room you could pick up a rock station that I couldn't get in my room and found that blasting heavy rock was much more satisfying when I was angry and wanted to make a point.  Again very patient parents.

Middle & High School - I played 1st chair flute but had to have a tuner with me at all times to know if I was flat or sharp while everyone else just knew.  I worked very hard at practicing anytime I had a solo because I was determined to keep it but again this did not come naturally to me.

My mom and I at our last concert.

College years - I really got into Punk music and not only felt I could really relate but thought Hey I finally found a type of music I could sing.  I could be in a band and the distortion would cover up my vocals and heck bad vocals were in style.  That dream never came true either.

I also conducted an experiment for one of my college courses trying to determine with a timer, a heart rate monitor and a walkman if music increased heart rate and or improved run time.

I've gone to more concerts than I can count ranging from 1 country concert only because I won tickets, Juanes, Ricky Martin, Rancid, Blink 182, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, Sugar Ray, Green Day, Staind, Beck, Santana, Tom Petty, Cake, I could go on forever.  And more off Broadway musicals than I can count.

My brother on the other hand has been in several bands yes including a punk band and knows how to play the piano, trumpet, drums, guitar etc.

Adulthood - I use to only exercise while listening to music then I discovered longer distances and found that I had to run sans music.  I only listen to music now if I'm lifting weights or running an easy 3 miles.  Does music help you with your workouts?

That face!

My son plays air guitar to Santana and lip syncs to several lyrics on the Santana Pandora station thanks to my mom.  He goes and grabs an old guitar I have in my room and pretends to play while the music plays on the radio.  Is the only one dancing on the dance floor when we went to a charity event and there was a band playing.  Starts dancing to a song and can't figure out if it's rock or salsa so goes back and forth between head banging and shaking his hips.  And best of all CONSTANTLY is asking for DANCE Breaks.  The three of us have been known to stop cooking and cleaning and hold hands and jump around.

He has reminded me how much I love music and has shown me the magic of it again as his face lights up every time I turn on the radio.  I'm taking him to his first concert in December, Alvin and the Chipmunks! :-)  May music bring as much joy to my son as it has to me.

Here's a little video of my son's dancing and flirting skills:

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Happy Training!!!!

Time keeps on ticking...

I am finally on the upward slope of this stinkin' illness.  I started to get sick last weekend and instead of resting up I did back to back 5ks but then I was out for the whole week and barely started feeling better now getting my first workout in today in 7 days!!!  But somehow I still did a lot, besides blog, in the time.  Time can't stop for me to get sick!  It's like those commercials with the mom or dad knocking on the door saying "I'm going to need to take a sick day" and then you just see the little kid looking back at them blankly!  I don't have time for sick days! My poor son was sick first and he just barely felt better today!   You can see my different stages of grief as I went through it.  First was denial, I'm not really getting sick it's just a sore throat that will pass in a couple of days (did 5ks anyway), Oh man I feel like crap I better take a couple of rest days, anger I can't miss more work I'm falling behind!  Acceptance I'll just be sick for the rest of my life I'm done working out I'm done caring that there's a mouse in the house leaving mouse turd bombs all over!  Now I suppose I'm just dusting off and trying to get myself together.

When you're sick do you just keep going as if nothings wrong?  Or do you stop everything and take time to recover and recuperate?   What's your favorite home remedy?  I always take EmergenC whether or not it works I figure at least it makes me take in more liquids, hubs makes fun of me for this!

So sick and all here's what I was still up to:

 Halloween fun, he didn't really know what to do watching everyone in costume, he was kind of quite for it all until we left then he broke loose!

 Timing the First Responder's 5k (Puker #1, As I tried to rip his bib number off I could hear it coming so I moved.  Then had to yell to a volunteer I still need the pukers number!!  Go find the puker!!)

 Cooking class!  Parboiling, blanching and steaming Queen!  But please stop asking me to evenly cut stuff, I mean come on broccoli isn't naturally symmetrical!!

 Halloween and retirement parties.

 Great Pumpkin Chase 5k pushing the stroller.  Wonder Woman and superman!  Took it easy since I was running with the stroller and sick, 30 minutes.

Animal Humane Doggie Dash that I never miss with my favorite Doggie!  Thanks to her I ran it in 25:10 even though I started at the back since I didn't even realize the race was starting and couldn't breathe when I crossed the finish line due to congestion.

 Meeting up with an old friend to go to a wedding.

 Helping grandma celebrate her birthday!!



Oh yeah and work, mouse hunting, timing a second 5k where I had 2 pukers, Dr. Visits and now trying to get back on track with my workouts and planning our own 5k that we're going to put on!  Ready for Festivus 5k for the Rest of Us!!!



HAPPY TRAINING!!!!