Life Goes On

The thing about being a parent is that while we were both shook up about Bishop, Sky is still a 3 year old that needs lunch and play time and normal life basically. So there isn't much time to sit around and be sad. Not going to lie, I cried my eyes out after bed time though.

After Bishop was laid to rest we thought a picnic at the park would be a nice way to enjoy the sun, give Sky some time outside to run and burn energy, and give us an easy way to be without having to be "on".

Turns out Leo, a little boy from Sky's swim class, recognized her and insisted he follow Sky around. His mommy, Angela, asked if Sky's name was Sky and did she take swimming which was odd until I realized it was Leo. Sort of a funny feeling when a stranger knows that much about your child, but once the pieces all fit it was fine.

Let's just say they liked each other. They held hands and ran so far off from us I had to chase them down. Sky - "Mommy we just want to hold hands, and run, we run from you". Awesome.

She was so sassy bolting off with Leo right after I told her no more running and to stay closer to us. All that running and hand holding worked out for me though. She slept in this morning which gave me an extra 1.5 hours of much needed sleep.

P.S. - There are so many things you just don't realize until you're a parent yourself. I have a whole new appreciation for my parents and all the pets that passed on when my sister and I were kids. As a kiddo it was hard to lose a pet, but my parents had to handle the unpleasant logistics of removing pets, being sad themselves, and watching/dealing with their daughters being heart broken, This parenting thing is hard, and I'm thankful for so much more now than I was before Sky came along. She's still asking where Bishop is and it hurts, but I take a deep breath and explain it all over again. I'm focusing on being thankful she had Bishop, rather than being sad she doesn't anymore.

Dear Bishop...You Will Be Missed

He was the first thing we committed to, outside of each other, in our relationship. We had a dog before we had a house, got married, started our family. He's been there with us for all of it.

He played his part in helping us become parents. ^ was our profile picture when Sky's birth mother picked us.

14 years of adventure with him. He's set a pretty high standard for any dog we bring into our life, and it's going to be strange moving on without him.

 He was happiest snuggling on the floor with anyone, but mostly with Mark.

My absolute favorite pic of those two, so much love. 

Easily the best dog a little girl could have. He's been her best bud from day one, even though we have another dog now, it's always been Bishop for her. He has been her playmate, partner in crime, and has been dressed up/ridden like a horse/jumped on/fed all sorts of tot snacks/been chased and drug all over the yard, roped like a cow, and put up with every second of it. 

R.I.P. Bishop, I'm sad your gone, but thankful you are no longer in pain.  

Puppy Love

Sky's got it...bad!

Silas and Sky snoring away. Photo: Mark

We may not give her the sibling she keeps talking about, but she does have a puppy to snuggle with!

The Magic of Vitamin D

It's no secret that the PNW is known for rain and grey overcast days. But, every now and then the sun comes out and we have stunningly warm, beautiful winter days. It's almost like mother nature knew we needed a pick me up. The grey days get to a person after a bit, but the blah feeling of the cold and rain are forgotten the second the sun comes out.

Sky woke up sick Monday. It was a rough morning for both of us, full of baths, showers, and 3 loads of laundry, so when she perked up a bit in the afternoon and asked to go to the park we took off and hit the Chambers Bay Beach for a little time in the sun. Talking low 60's, sunny, clear blue sky.

I didn't realize winter had been dragging me down until after we got home from the beach. I felt like a whole new person...like I can get through the rest of what winter has in store for us (most likely rainy, grey, windy, chilly days...not extreme just dragging) until Spring is here.

 Never has liked the sun in her eyes.

 Not a bad view.

 "Thank you for the beach mommy".

 She had sunglasses but wouldn't leave them on. Silly girl.

Train spotting...her favorite thing to do!

I'm not complaining about the PNW and the grey, rainy days at all. I know a good portion of the nation is in the grip of a blizzard and I'm thankful we don't deal with that, some years don't get any snow at all. I'll take the rain and the grey if it means 4 distinct, mild seasons!

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What's the weather like for you right now?
We are back to overcast grey, but fairly mild temps and no rain, so I'll take it.

The Balanced Life Pilates Membership!

Two posts in one day...crazy I know. But, this is too good not to share and I'm so excited about being part of it!

Robin over at The Balanced Life has been my favorite source for Pilates workouts, and challenges the last year. The quick 10 minute daily workouts are a life savor with a 3 year old around. Sky loves the workouts, and copies everything Robin does in her videos, but anything longer than 10'ish minutes, would be too long for her, and in turn means I probably wouldn't find the time for it either.

I was a bit skeptical that just 10 minutes of pilates was worth it or that I'd see results, but I have found that it's totally worth it, and the results are slowly showing! The biggest being it's cut down on my back pain and is increasing my core strength! Both of which are great for my first true love...running!

When she shared that she was getting ready to launch on online membership site with all sorts of benefits and workouts I was so excited! I kept my fingers crossed it would be affordable so I could do it. I need something other than running to stay fit, and need it to be low impact, and wanted it to be pilates because I love pilates!

Imagine how excited I was when the new site launched and I found out it was very affordable at just $9 a month, or $99 for the year, which is a better deal because you get a month free that way!

That's Robin, photo from her website.

Introducing The Balanced Life Sisterhood! What do you get for $9 a month? Plenty! 

-Monthly workout calendar with 5-10 minute pilates or barre workouts

-A monthly mission to help create a balanced life

-Access to the Sisterhood private FB group

-Matching up with a Sisterhood Sister to help you stick to it and offer support

-Discounts on products and other training Robin offers

And, there's more...so go check it out at: The Balanced Life Sisterhood! The best part is if you sign up by the 31st, you get an email with 3 extra workouts to start doing right now! I'm signed up...who's going to join me?!

P.S. This is NOT a sponsored post, I don't get anything out of this other than sharing something awesome with readers! 

Run In The Sun & Other Weekend Fun

We had one of those unheard of warm, sunny winter days in the PNW yesterday. I am so thankful our morning run plan didn't work out and we rescheduled for the afternoon. The weather just kept getting nicer, and nicer and by the time 2pm rolled around I was giddy!

Love my new run vest...thank you Dad! I could have skipped it since it was so warm, but I'm glad I finally got to test it out.

Instead of a chilly, dark run we enjoyed the sun and the view. I don't know if it was the sun, the fact we didn't talk much, or that we just feel better running in the afternoon, but that's the quickest pace we've had on that particular route in a very long time. Best part is I feel pretty good. I have doubled my stretching, foam rolling, and trigger pointing before and after runs in an effort to maintain the progress I'm making since the accident...man it takes a lot of time, but it's worth it!

Something about this view just makes running easier.

The perfect way to end a fun weekend full of friends, food & wine! I finally started feeling a little bit excited about the training schedule that starts in a few weeks. I've been pretty worried about not being ready for it etc. But, I think yesterday's run is just what I needed to remind myself how enjoyable running can be and how good it makes me feel. I know most of our runs will not be in warm sunny weather the next few months, but I'm still looking forward to it. 

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Sky had her first official sleep over, in her room, this weekend. The Beckham girls have slept over before, but we have never put them all in Sky's room for bed time. I wasn't sure how well that would work, but after a few minutes of giggles and voices all 3 were out and even slept in the next morning! 

One of the things I appreciate the most about the girls is there is very little squabbling. I know siblings have moments, but those two do great with us, and they handle Sky really well. Grace can get Sky to do anything, and they both deal with the whims of a 3 year old perfectly. 

It worked out that they had back to back open houses at their house Fri night and Sat afternoon, because the girls stayed with us overnight, and all day Sat through dinner. Sky was thrilled to have them to play with, which allowed me to get all the laundry and dishes done.   

We didn't think it was possible to get another dog that likes to cuddle as much as Bishop, but Silas has him beat. He is the most cuddly dog I've ever seen, it's totally his happy place, and Sky and Grace's as well. 

 

I finally got to use my new pasta pot and sauce that I received for Christmas! It also came with a good bottle of Chianti that I was more than happy to share with everyone. I had been waiting until we had friends over to open the sauce because...well that's a lot of pasta sauce for just the three of us. I still ended up freezing a lot of it but it's nice to have a bunch of spaghetti sauce ready to heat up for quick easy dinners. I must find more of that sauce because it was good, and I LOVE my new pot! It has as steaming basket as well, so now all I want to do is steam veggies and make huge pots of soup. 

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Sky is the best little Steelers fan ever. She doesn't care that the season has been done for weeks now, ok she doesn't actually know that or understand that part of the game yet, regardless she's all about her Steelers gear. Almost every day she picks something Steelers to wear for the day, and sometimes it's Mark's hat. Side note - she does this all on her own...I don't pick out her Steelers outfits as often as she does. 

Her hands are blurry because she was clapping along to her Steelers chant.

She insisted on wearing it to school. Normally it's a no go because I don't want hats getting lost or left, but she was insistent and in order to assure she had a good day as school, and didn't show up upset for her teachers to deal with I let her wear it. Most adorable Steelers fan ever!

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Hawks or Patriots in the SB?

There is no good answer here so I'll just say Go Steelers! :) 

 

TGIF - Thankful Friday

Since I missed Thankful Thursday I'll be thankful today instead!

-It's Friday! I'm thankful for that because we have dinner and a movie planned with friends tonight. I get to cook, drink wine, and Sky gets to spend time with two of her fave people! Looking forward to it.

-While frustrated by the insurance situation in regards to my accident thankful that my injury is minor and our out of pocket expense if for relatively minor medical care. Totally understand why people "go postal" though.

I really need to find a way to put a full length mirror in my closet/room. The bunk bed in the background is irritating me.

-Thankful that Old Navy has really decent plaid shirts that fit, are a good price, and good quality considering! (FYI - Athleta, Gap, Old Navy, Piperline, and Banana Republic are all the same parent company, so you can sometimes find great styling and quality at Old Navy similar to what you would at Athleta and Gap. I noticed that Old Navy's sweat track pant is almost identical to Athleta's and a much lower price point).

-Also, that I was able to recreate my up-do in about 3 min flat. My new fave hair style means I will probably wash my hair even less! :)

Sky taking a picture of the sky.

-Grace gave Sky her old kid styled digital camera and Sky has turned into a shutter bug! Mind you the batteries lasted all of 2 days she took so many pictures, and most didn't turn out at all, but she's having so much fun with it!

-That she is a brave and daring girl. It scares me sometimes, but I'd rather she want to try everything than us have to talk her into trying anything. She's extra brave when Daddy is there to offer support!

-Our new washing machine is being delivered today! I'm so excited! PSA - do your homework before ever getting a front loader...Dateline did an expose on them for a reason! Let's just say I have been unable to do laundry for a bit now and can't wait to use a good old fashioned top loading washer again!

-I just registered for the St. P Day race in March. Doing the 5K...it will be part of a training run and a fun way to get 3 miles of a long run in!

-That we actually ended up with very few plans this weekend. It's nice to just be, and be able to do what strikes our fancy.

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What are your fun weekend plans?

A Walk In The Park

We have been to the park a lot lately! I have new trail shoes to break in, so far just been walking in them to get a feel for them, and Sky, and the dogs, have energy to burn. So, every time there is a break in the rain, or the sun comes out we drop everything and head to the park. Thankfully it's only two or three minutes tops from out house and has miles, and miles of trails and paved paths to enjoy.

If not for being so close to the park and being able to walk when I want I would lose my mind over the lack of running!

"That tree is sick Mommy".

 My munchkin...she loves picking our path.

Mark had the next day off  and the sun was out, so we took the dogs and the munchkin and burned some energy. Bishop (black dog) had an appointment with the vet last week to evaluate his health issues/quality of life. He's 14, going on 15 and was in visible pain (the last walk we did with him a week or so ago was a disaster). But, with new pain meds on board he is doing so much better, and was able to go on a decent walk. We let him set the pace and cut it short so he didn't do too much (he was gimpy the next day) but, it's like he's a whole new old dog, for however long it lasts.   

Bishop and I were pretty far behind the faster family members so I missed the family photo op that this view provided. I love how the branches arch over the path. In the summer these trails are the perfect cover/shade from the sun on really hot days...perfect for trail running!

Loving my new Brooks Cascadia's! Lot's of walking right now, but as soon as Silas is a little better on the leach I'm hitting the trails with him every chance I get. He's a great running partner, still pulls a bit too much and swerves into me.

I still have mostly road races in the next few months, but after May I plan on taking it back to the trails for more of my runs. It's how I started, it makes my heart happy, and I think it will be kinder to my back/body. I'll still road run, but just need more balance in my running life.

Speaking of running, this is just about how every run goes. 3 miles, and it's a fast run if I get close to 10. I'm going to keep plugging away at it short and slowly.

The watch seems to be working again, but I'm taking photos of the finish screen just because I like tracking miles/progress over the year.

I enjoy my walks with Sky so much. She's just so happy to be outside exploring and picking our trail. Plus she talks a lot, I hear all sorts of things about school and what goes on in her head. I have a feeling we will be walking a lot as she goes through rough patches growing up. 

Diva Night Made Possible by 28 Bobby Pins

That's how many it took to create my girls night out hair style Saturday. 28...that's a lot of bobby pins, but it was so worth it!

I could not have timed things much better Saturday and it was all by chance. I scheduled my usual hair cut with Eleanor at Embellish (go see her...she is simply amazing!) weeks ago. Then, a few days ago found out about Willow's Photography Diva Night with all sorts of fun stuff and gift bags, and on the spur of the moment got tickets for Michelle's birthday. Went with an experience gift this year.

Thanks to lucky timing I had amazing hair for a night out. Seriously if you want amazing hair for any reason Eleanor won't stop until it's perfect. This up do was the 3rd attempt at a style for the night. The first two looked great to me, but Eleanor wanted perfection and kept at it until it was exactly how it should be. Every woman needs a stylist like that in their corner!

Aptly called "The Walk of Shame" because it's so messy, but it's an up-do so it's fancy too! And, it's a style I never would have thought to try myself, so it was totally different which made it even more fun. The fun part was Eleanor and Embellish were at Diva Night doing hair and makeup consults and quick styling, so it was super fun getting my hair ready with her earlier in the day, then being at the event for the final product.

We had so much fun. This event was totally outside my comfort zone for sure. I just don't do things like this very often. Room full of ladies, hair, makeup, polarity consultation, nutritionist, tarot card readings, henna, manicures sponsored by a business I have no connection with. It was a total whim but I had a hunch it would be a fun experience for Michelle for her birthday. And, I was right. Willow's Photography went the extra mile to make sure we had fun and felt pampered.

Photo: Michelle with her mad selfie skills!

The swag bags were amazing and among other things (pretty great chap stick, lotion stick, calming spray, and laundry soap recipe made by Willow herself) contained false eyelashes. I was a bit unsure about them as I have never worn false lashes before. I know, I'm late to the game, almost 40 and never faked it with my lashes. Thank goodness Athena, makeup artist with Embellish, was there and putting lashes on, and doing makeup touch ups. She did an awesome job walking me through step-by-step how to put them on myself, how to care for them, tips and tricks and now I feel 100% confident I can do the lashes again myself. I also got some great advice on eye makeup and how to handle the changes to my eyelids that have taken place over the years. 

We both fancied up our eyes with our lashes and then Eleanor worked her magic on Michelle's hair and we were set for the night. Honestly we had so much fun with the makeup and hair, enjoying the margarita cupcakes, and taking selfies that we didn't even make it to anything else. Some of it I wasn't interested in anyway, so don't mind. The polarity therapy session would have been interesting. It may sound sort of whoo whoo to some, but she also does craniosacral therapy and that was the only thing that made the headache I had for months go away after I got kicked in the head a few years ago. I would have liked to see what she could have done, if anything, to help with my car accident recovery. 

Final Product...wow those lashes are amazing, just so much fun!

Since the event was over at 7 we decided to hit the town, and go somewhere fun for dinner, and opted for Marrow which has a most eclectic food and drink menu. I was excited Michelle chose Marrow...it was her birthday so was totally her choice...but I LOVE Marrow and don't get to go there often.

The drinks oh man the drinks! Everything is made in house. The Tonic, Simple Syrup etc...all made in house, all fresh, and all take your drink to the next level. Michelle had the Beatrice and I had the Samsa. Fair warning it's one of those places you want to try everything, but there is no possible way you can try everything you want in one night and make it home. Don't be afraid to let the server choose for you. I've been twice now and their choices have been spot on both times. 

Once you settle on your drink it's time to get started on the food. We were both starving, and everything looked so good! Sharing is the best option here so you get to try more things. We started with the Toast (Hedgehogs are a mushroom btw) and then I ordered the Charcuterie and I wish I could tell you which meats I picked, but I actually didn't know what any of them were so had the server pick her two favorite for me, and Michelle ordered the Root Vegetable Pot Pie which was so fancy and so good! 

I ended up with liver pate which I never would have ordered myself, but I'm so glad the server picked it. It forced me to try something I had a mental block about and it ended up being my favorite thing! The mango chutney helped I'm sure, but regardless it was really good.

I had so much fun, and am thankful Michelle was excited about this since it was a birthday gift for her. I can not wait for Willow's Photography  to do another Diva Night because I'll be there, and hope some of my girlfriends will be there with me!

Readers local to the Tacoma area go like the Embellish FB page and keep an eye and ear open. There are some very exciting things brewing for them, big changes. I'm so excited to see how it all unfolds! While your on FB go ahead and like Willow's Photography page as well. I love how much she loves helping others feel and look amazing! And, Willow is just a lot of fun, great personality and want's to help others be the best they can be.

P.S. I didn't take a ton of pics because for one I was too busy having fun. But, I'm learning that if the lighting is dim don't bother with my phone at least. I would rather have zero pics than have bad ones. Second I'm really aware of not posting pics of others on the blog if I don't have permission, so crowded event with others in the background is a no no. Third, food photography is hard, and a true art form. It's really hard to take food photos in a dim restaurant and have it look as yummy as it is. And, we were at a long table dinning elbow to elbow with strangers so didn't want to be annoying with the phone photos. I'm surprised actually that the above photo turned out at all.

P.P.S. - No one asked me to do this post, I'm sharing the links/business info because I want to and believe in the businesses myself.

Thankful Thursday

Today is one of those days I'm thankful it's over. But, rather than let the frustrations of it get to me there are things I'm truly thankful for!

-Hats, for Sky...it was crazy hat day at school, and for me because I waited way to long for a hair cut and I can't stand to look at it, or try to do anything with it right now.

-That Sky ran over to kiss me in the middle of her hat shoot!

-Grocery shopping solo with my Starbucks in hand!

-For dog's and kiddo's that pile on Daddy for cuddles, and little piggies on doggy heads!

-That Birchbox is so creative with their address labels. I tend to think of it as being comfortable...with who I am, how I look, what I do and don't have, my life in general, what I can and can't change. Which I suppose is also considered confidence.

-For goggles. They made all the difference in swim class!

-That we were able to go out to Sushi tonight. It was a fiasco all the way around thank's to our little spaz monkey, but I'm thankful we have the means to dine out with her and have food adventures now and then. Normally she's pretty great dinning out...tonight was very odd and very frustrating.

-For the life we have going on for us. It's not always perfect or fun or pretty. But, it's ours and I love it, we love it as a family.

What are you thankful for today?

Box Troll Milk

This post won't make much sense if you have not seen the movie Box Trolls. It's Sky's current favorite which means anytime we give her movie time she asks for Box Trolls. It's ok though because we like it almost as much as she does.

One of the things I love about being gone an evening or two a week is the fun/adventures Mark and Sky have together. A few nights ago they came up with Sky's Box Troll name and costume. For those that haven't seen the movie, they wear boxes like clothing and each troll's name is based on the type of box (what items were packaged in the box) they have on. For example Fish, Shoes, Hat and there is a picture of the product on each box so you know who is who. 

Apparently Sky really likes Milk!

I needed to practice my phone photography class lessons and thought this would be a fun opportunity to get some cute pics of our little Box Troll. The above photo is a good example of framing your subject, but she is dead center of the photo (which is a no, no...and there are branches star-bursting out of her head which is another no, no...but I still love the photo)! I'll just say that practicing photo class in the woods adds a whole bunch of difficulty!

She picked out Milk all on her own, and then the two of them proceeded to build her box. 

It's a whole lot easier to point out what's wrong with picture than whats right. I cut her foot off and ignored the rule of thirds yet again. But that smile! 

We got a few funny looks from people who have clearly not seen Box Trolls, but Sky had a blast and didn't want to leave. When I told her I was done taking pics (over 80 of them...deleted down to 46 or something like that) she was not happy. "But Mommy I just need you to take my picture...I'm a box troll".

In the movie when they get scared or need to hide they withdraw into their box a lot like turtles in their shell. Sky kept trying to shrink down into her box and hide from me.

And, when they are happy they beat on their boxes, like an ape or Tarzan, she was happy a lot during the shoot. She fell a lot too, so the box took a beating, but I'm thinking by Halloween we will have a truly awesome nearly perfect Box Troll costume for her!

No big deal....just a little Box Troll wondering off into the woods.

They actually live in the sewer under the city, but since I don't have access to the underground sewer we opted for an outdoor adventure instead. Although, it would be fun to do a shoot downtown with Mark and his pro camera, and get some more industrial type pics! Family adventure time I think! 

Happy Sunny Friday - Totally Random Post!

It has felt like a long week, maybe because it's Mark first full week back to work in a long time. Plus, I'm back to Jamberry work with parties etc, so have less down time. I'm fine with that, just need to get back into the swing of it.

Getting back into the swing of running too! Still taking it slow and easy, but getting it done and my body is not hating me too much for it.

Photo Credit: Matt P.

First Tuesday Night group run of the year! Such a great group of runners, and nice people. I had new routes for the group to enjoy. It's sort of nice route planning and not thinking about if it's stroller friendly or not. Opens up the options a lot!

I mapped out the training plan for Santa Barbara Half and I'm a little scared. It's a different plan than we've done before and includes track time, speed work, and adding an extra run every week. It's just a lot to look at all 12 weeks at one time. Once we start the middle of next month I'll take it one run at a time and not think about all the miles I need to find time for.

I'm excited to have a race to focus on though, and help me work through the pain issues rather than talk myself into not running as easily as I have been.

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Thank goodness we are both feeling so much better and it was sunny out today, because Sky was going stir crazy! We decided to spend some time playing at the park to burn off some of that energy.

Always climbing, and once she's up at the top she's all over the place. She can't/wont just sit up there nice and safe, but is hanging over the edge saying she's going to jump so I can catch her. I sort of hate that fake rock, but she loves it.

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I'm stuck in an outfit rut! I seriously have worn this exact outfit almost every day this week. If no one I know sees me in it, then I can just keep wearing it right?!

I do love that the hat/scarf/finger-less gloves pared with long sleeves and boots means I'm warm enough without a jacket for our mild winter temps. Makes being on the go easier when I'm not dealing with a puffy jacket!

I need to switch it up though...thankfully I stopped myself and put something different on today.

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Sky's new favorite thing is cuddling on the floor with Bishop. She just wants to be under the blankets next to him all the time. I love how much she loves him, and how tolerant he is of her.

First dog, first kiddo...they have a strong bond.

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Anyone have watch advice for me? My Garmin Forerunner 10 losses my run data after every single run. I power off and back on, and do factory resets every time I run, and it's still doing it. Works just fine during the run, but as soon as I hit save it's gone. I'm ready to consider a different watch option. I'll have to save for a bit, so have time to do my homework. I'm a little unsure about getting another Garmin though. The old New Balance GPS watch I had never had a single issue, I only sold it because I won this Garmin in a drawing and trusted the name a bit too much apparently. It's only 3 years old, which doesn't seem old, but it never has worked great and has lost data periodically, but never like it is now. 

Customer Service has not been great. It always ends with them telling me "well that's not normal and it shouldn't do that, just keep trying to get it to work". Because that's helpful. I don't care to go back to using my phone/runkeeper. I just don't like running with my phone...it's too big. 

I've been looking at the Forerunner 220 wondering if an upgraded version of the very basic forerunner that I have would be worth it. I like the coaching and training plan options with the 220, but don't want to spend the $$ if it's going to have the same issues. Anyone out there have the 220? Or other suggestions?