Running? Are you crazy?!?!

Hi, I am Amanda.  And I don't exercise.  Ever.  I hate it.  I mean, I'm not a sedentary person really, I just don't like organized exercise.  But I have recently been working on losing weight (30 lbs, YAY!) and decided I should add in some exercise.  Faith was asking if anyone wanted to train for a marathon with her, and for some reason, I was all- Yes!  Me!  I don't know why.  In fact, when I called my husband to tell him about it, he laughed for like 3 minutes straight before I could say anything else.
Really?
Thanks.
So, everyone was shocked, and me the most of all.  I mean, I haven't run since I was about 10.  Except for VERY short dashes (like to chase my kid, or something like that).  I was not on board.  I kept telling myself- You can still back out, it's not too late!  But I felt bad doing that.

And then we went to buy shoes.  The same day I decided.  Because Faith was soooo excited and wanted to get started right away.  I was hoping for a break.  Like a BIG break.  Like, maybe we would start after the holidays.  Anyway- back to the shoes.  Faith was telling me all about how cool it was because, get this, they VIDEOTAPE you running.  To see how you run.  And play it for you in slow motion.  WHAT??!!?  I don't want people to videotape me at all, let alone when I am running for the first time in over a decade.  So now I am feeling extremely anxious.
It wasn't so bad, though (although pretty much all the shoes were really ugly.)  I couldn't help but try to choose shoes I liked, but managed to (mostly) override my need for pretty things and focus on how my feet felt.  I think I ran around that store like 30 times, trying on shoes.  It was really tiring.  And I was sweating.  Oh, and didn't I mention that they put the shoes on for you?  SO yeah, my feet were feeling gross and I was pretty much humiliated.  But, I would recommend it, if you are going to run.  Good shoes are important, and worth the hit on your self-esteem.

So, Faith and I decided to run together on Saturday.  We are doing the run-walk method (which made me feel a little better.)  Plus, I was feeling not too bad about it because it has been years since Faith has run either.  The run was pretty uneventful, except for "The Tunnel Incident."  It was darkish, and there was a tunnel on the running path so that you could cross the street.  I have a thing with tunnels, ever since I lived in Argentina.  They are big crime spots there.  So I was pretty nervous about going in there, since it wasn't lit.  We peer into it, and we can see all the way through, and there is no one in it.  So we decide to run through it.  Well, about 1/3 of the way through it (it is not a very long tunnel) it's too dark and your vision has to adjust.  So you can't see anymore.  So I turn around, screaming like a little girl and run the other way.  I just can't do it.  Faith follows me, and we have a pretty good laugh.

Now that it's been a few weeks, I can't believe it!  I am actually LOVING this running thing!  I am getting the endorphins, plus the little glow you get when you don't have to be with your kids, plus the little glow that comes from a justified shopping spree (and yes, I LOVE my workout clothes!).  It is awesome!  I love it so much, and I kinda wish I could do it every day, except that my non-exercising legs need some recovery time.  It's the best!  EVER!  Yay for me!
(This is a post from our marathon-training blog: http://cupcakestomarathons.blogspot.com/ )

New Goals

I have a new goal of blogging once a week. I think it will make me take more pictures, because I am hardly taking any now. And Finn is growing up so fast! And doing so many cute and adorable things. (All the good pictures I have are on Jason's phone... so. Yeah. Sorry. I will post them later!)

Finn is talking and signing like a pro! He is speaking in complete sentences (grammatically correct and everything!) every now and again. It's getting pretty frequent. We started doing signing time, and he LOVES it! I bet he signs more than 100 words. We practice in the car and when he's in the mood. I can't believe he's almost two!

Finn is singing a ton lately! It's so adorable! He will sit down on the piano bench and play and sing nonsense. I love it! He is also really into balls of any type. His favorites right now are whiffle balls and golf balls. He also likes to cook me things. It's impressive the things he pretends to do. (At least I think so!)

I am setting goals for myself. I think it's my way of being annoyed with waiting for things I can't control. I am trying to exercise and make healthy eating choices. It's still in the early phases. I REALLY want a personal trainer. REALLY REALLY. But, I don't want to pay for one. They are expensive! So I'm trying to motivate myself. We'll see how it goes. Oh, and I chopped my hair off. It was a good six inches longer at least. Picture above.

Jason is staying busy, as always. He just got a season pass, so he's excited for the ski season to start. He's also doing a lot of hunting. Mostly birds. This week he got a thermal imaging camera for a week long trial. That is a fun toy! If you touch the wall, you can see a handprint there for quite some time. It's pretty awesome.

Rewind: February 2011

February 2011

Just messing around. Love the snot, huh?

Here is his camera smile (He doesn't do this anymore, but it made me laugh so hard!) Check out the succession of photos.

Rewind: January 2011

January 2011: Finn loves to play on our bed in the morning. (He still does, actually.) This is one of those times.

We still see this face all the time. He can completely plug his nose with his mouth. Pretty impressive, huh?

Rewind: December 2010

Well, here I go playing catch-up. December 2010. (Finn wasn't walking yet.) This is a trip with my family. They came up to go skiing (as usual) around Christmas, so we took Finn to play in the snow. He loved it! Especially eating it. The video uploader isn't working. Sorry. Maybe I will play video catch-up another time.

An Update

Well, we have been having computer issues, and then I was out of the habit of blogging. I know, I know. Shame on me. I have no descriptions for these photos, other than the ones with Finn are from April, and the ones of just me are from this week (showing off my super cute haircut that is a few weeks old!). The only photos I have on this computer are from the webcam. I need to upload some more.

Finley is growing up so fast! He is taking up a storm. People comment all the time on how great his vocabulary is for his age. I have NO idea how many words he says, and he learns new ones all the time. Here are some of the favorites:

No-Kay: No thanks, said very politely.

Bewwies: Berries

Wader?: Water, said in a very sweet and persuasive tone.

His response to "Finley, what does a ____ say?": Meow.

His response to "towel": Mooooo.

When he sees the bears on the Charmin toilet paper package: Rrrrrrawrrr! Beaw?

He also loves to sing Pat-a-cake and "There was a little house in the middle of the woods..." And he does hand motions for them and everything! He has also been picking up some signs. Not a lot. I haven't been very diligent at signing to him. He is OBSESSED with water. It's about all he talks about anymore. I bought him a little pool and it sits by the front door, so every time we open it or walk by without swimming, he cries and says "Wader? Wader? Waaaadddeeeer!!" He is such a fun, cute kid!

I got released from YW, and put in Primary. Now I teach the 11-year-old girls. Not too different, but different enough. I am really enjoying being in Primary. I haven't been to Primary since I was 11, so it has been a while! We are hoping to buy a house at the end of the summer. We will see. I am hoping it works out!

Preston got engaged to Maia, and I am really excited about it! I love Maia to death! She is tons of fun, and loves to bake. Her eclairs are the best I have ever had. She is also a phenomenal cellist. She is going to fit in our family really well. They are planning on getting married in August.

Jason is still working hard on the business. It's also good bowfishing season, so we have had lots of carp-killing going on over here. Too bad you can't eat them. But not really.

Losing Weight, take 2

Well, some of you may remember that about this time 2 years ago, I decided to lose a bunch of weight. I had lost 24lbs, and then I got pregnant. And I was still doing pretty good weight-wise. Surprisingly! I weighed less when I delivered Finn than I did before I lost weight. Well, anyway, I gained some weight after I had him, and so I have decided to lose weight again. I have been doing it for about a month now, and I have lost nine pounds! Yay for me!
The goal is to lose 50 lbs, and also to exercise. I didn't exercise at all last time. I did pretty well exercising every day until Christmas. And I haven't done it since. Shameful. Anyway- just thought I should tell you because I am excited about it. Also, I am wearing my skinny jeans- jeans I bought online that were too small. And they fit just great! I am feeling pretty good!