Finally!

After a week-long hiatus, I got back on the treadmill last night! It was 10 pm and I only did 30 minutes at a pretty slow pace while watching the news, but the best part was that I didn't get that painful side stitch! Woohooo! The mid-term is officially done, otherwise I would have been studying at 10 pm.

Tonight is the hubby's night off from work, so it's his turn to put the kiddo to bed. That means I will have time for another treadmill walk!

It's official, we will be closing on the new house one week from today! I'm so excited, but at the same time I am overwhelmed. Between work and school, I have no clue how we're going to get our packing done. (And, going out of town for a few days next week for work is certainly not helping matters!) Fortunately, we're not in a huge hurry to get out of our current house, so that's good. But of course, since we now will have a mortgage payment on the new house, I want to be using and enjoying the new house! Some of you know, we live in a tiny house right now. The new one is almost 3x as big, so we will have almost no furniture at first. In fact, we are pretty much going to wait until our current house sells to buy furniture...who knows how long that will take!?!?! Of course, I already have most of our future furniture picked out. LOL!

Have a great weekend everyone! There are a few races going on around town this weekend, so good luck to anyone running those...may a new PR be in your future. ;-)

PS. I just have to send out a special thanks to Holden. The other day he said something that stuck with me about the issues I've been having with balancing school, work, pregnancy, house hunting, etc. He said, "Just think, before the year's out, you get to be yourself again" and viola, it hit me! I will have a baby boy, be moved into a new house and finished with school - all by the end of August. There really is a light at the end of the tunnel...and the tunnel, while it feels really long, is actually pretty damn short. Six months! Six months people! Six months and I will have my freakin' life back. I can't wait!

Weekend....

I took Thursday and Friday off as far as workouts go. Saturday the kiddo actually slept until 7:47 am..oh bliss!!! We made it to Memorial Park a little after 9 am and I think everyone was determined to enjoy this awesome weather, because the park was packed! I managed to get in about 13 minutes with the jog stroller before the stitch in my side hit. It was all I could do to make it to the park bench near the 3/4 mile marker. It sucked! But, the kiddo didn't seem to mind the stop, because she liked watching the runners and walkers go by, as well as the golfers on the golf course. Afterwards, I agreed to let the kiddo run and walk...it gave me an excuse to slow down the pace for awhile. I finished up and then we headed to the playground. The weather was so amazing, I'm glad I had a chance to enjoy it with the kiddo. In the afternoon, after the hubby woke up, we headed out to look at houses. In about 3 weeks, I am hoping that I will be announcing that we're the proud owners of a new home...I'll keep you posted!



The goal was to get out to the park again this morning. Unfortunately, the kiddo tummy wasn't feeling well. Later, I started feeling queasy. Turns out DH noticed the same feeling after eating some peanut butter a couple of days before....gee, wish he would have shared that info with me before the kiddo and I both indulged in PB toast the afternoon before. The kiddo did get sick later in the evening. Poor thing! So far, I've only had the queasy stomach...let's hope it stays that way!


Tomorrow, I have class until late into the evening and on Tuesday it's off to Lubbock to visit Tech. I'm hoping to get some walking in on the hotel treadmill on at least one day.

another workout...

This one was cut short due to time constraints...the kiddo did not go to sleep until after 10:30 pm!

Workout Stats - Wed
Treadmill - 20 minutes, slow as usual

BTW, the older house did get snatched up by someone else. Lessons learned:

1) Stop procrastinating. If you really like a house, make a freakin' offer already. Don't waste 2-3 weeks hemming and hawing. If the other person is doing the hemming and hawing, give him a swift kick in the arse. :)

2) Listen to your realtor. If they think you are offering too little, hear them out and heed their advice. They probably know what they're talking about.

That is all for now. The house hunt continues and now I am all bitchy. Great.

Workout...

Tuesday Workout
Treadmill, 30 minutes, super sloooooowwwwww

Not much to report here. I still get that damn stitch in my side when I walk and now a lovely crotch pain afterwards. (LOL, this reminds me of Marcy's "broken crotch" a few months back.) I had my regular monthly OB appointment this morning and the Doc said the pain was common with a 2nd pregnancy. Apparently, the pelvic muscles and round ligament aren't as strong as before the 1st pregnancy and well, they just don't support as well. Lovely!

Changing the subject (to your relief I'm sure), we are still on the fence about our houses. We love both! And, our realtor says the other realtor is expecting an offer from someone today on the older house, so I guess we better get our arses in gear and make a decision.

School is okay...no group projects or mind numbing numerical problems this time around. I was thankful for that at first; However, the amount of reading both classes require is making me wish I just had some numbers to crunch instead. Who would have guessed that would ever happen with me?!?!?

Hot Water

That's all it took to get the wallpaper down - HOT freaking WATER! Why didn't someone tell me to try this to begin with. I assumed that the hubby tried a few options before purchasing the chemical stuff, but you know what they say about ASSuming. :-)

So, the bathroom is done. The kitchen is painted...but, turns out I hate the paint DH picked out, so it's getting painted a different color today. Yeah, I'm picky.

We found 2 houses that we really, really, really like! One has everything I want in a house with the exception of no granite counters in the kitchen and funky vinyl flooring in the upstairs full bath...small things. But, the house is 10 years old. Not old by any means in house years...however, when looking at the other house (the BRAND SPANKING NEW, NEVER BEEN LIVED IN HOUSE), it's hard to not be a little bit in awe of the shiny newness. So, I have my list of pros and cons:

House #1 - Pros
- upgraded tile throughout the living area and kitchen
- new light fixtures that I actually like
- large house (approx. 400 sq feet larger than NEW house)
- large yard on corner with walking trail behind it (no back neighbors!)
- Huge deck in back - perfect for cookouts and parties
- Detached garage - something I prefer, but don't have to have
- Garage already has tons of shelves for storage built in
- ceiling fans and 2" blinds throughout
- great paint colors - we thought we'd have to re-do all of that
- several, mature trees & great landscaping
- has a formal dining, study, fireplace and the # of bedrooms I want (we can't seem to find a house with all that in our range)
- Quiet area of subdivision that we like, which has lots of amenities (pool, splash pad, playgrounds, good Elemetary school)

House #1 - Cons
- Formica counters in kitchen and funky backsplash
- Funky bathroom vinyl floor
- Carpet has a few stains (nothing major)
- House is a bit older than other house, so may have some maintenance needing to be done soon (new roof, hot water heater, A/C, etc.)
- Not THE section of the subdivision we wanted to live in, but still a good section

House #2 - Pros
- It's BRAND SPANKING NEW!
- Oversized lot (but still smaller than the house #1)
- Upgraded everything - tile downstairs, hard woods in the dining room, granite counters, awesome cabinets, etc.
- great paint colors
- pretty good landscaping
- has a formal dining, fireplace and the # of bedrooms I want (we can't seem to have a house with all that in our range)
- Quiet area of subdivision that we like that also has a new elementary school

House #2 - Cons
- It's 400 sq feet smaller than house #1
- No study!
- Subdivision is newer, but has fewer ammenities than the one where house #1 is located
- Attached garage (but I can live with that)
- Smaller lot than house #1 with back neighbors

Sooo, considering that the prices are the same (before bargaining)........which would you choose???

She's alive

Hi there. Yes, I am still alive and well...just busy. I actually had a long New Years Day post all typed and even saved, but still Blogger somehow managed to eat it. Grrrrr.........

I really thought my winter break from school would be a bit more relaxing, but for some reason my schedule still seems pretty busy. Right now, there are renovations going on at our house. We've been out there searching for the perfect house in the 'burbs every weekend and are gradually getting the list narrowed down. So, the point of all the renovations is to get our house ready to go on the market. Oh, how I am going to miss the short commute that goes with living in town! Sigh.

I have been on the treadmill. Mostly walking. Not as often as I'd like, thanks to the kiddo refusing to go to sleep before 10 pm. I may need to call in Super Nanny Jo, because there are nights when I want to pull out my hair. LOL!

As we get closer and closer to Sunday's Houston Marathon, I started thinking of all the nervousness, excitement and anticipation that I would normally be feeling this week. At a cafe during lunch today, I overheard a girl talking about the marathon this weekend. It's her first. I have to admit that I am a bit envious. I miss that nervous excitement and I will miss the feeling of accomplishment that happens afterwards. So, I thought I would dust off this post from last year with some tips for running this Sunday. To everyone who is participating in the 1/2 or full on Sunday - GOOD LUCK!!!

From last year....
Okay, so I am no elite athlete or running guru, but if this is your 1st time running a marathon, I have been in your shoes! I remember my 1st marathon day vividly. While it was definitely difficult, I can say with certainty that it changed my life forever. If I have a chance, I'll tell you more about the experience later this week. For now, here are a few things that I've learned along the way...

1. Try not to obsess about the marathon, but realize it's perfectly normal if you do. I do this for every marathon, not just for my first. You will read and re-read every inspirational e-mail and every list of tips and advice. You will have all these tips memorized and will be able to recite them all as you run on Sunday. :-) Before Chicago, I watched this over and over again, too.
2. Try hard not to freak out. I know the marathon is probably consuming your thoughts right now, so that's easier said than done. But try to throw yourself into your work if you can, because the last thing you need to do is worry.
3. Think about what you want to wear on race day now. Be sure to think about what you would wear if it's colder/warmer than expected. You will probably change your mind 2-3 times between now & then, only to revert back to your original plan.
4. Check out this support map at the Katy Fit website. It's awesome! My hubby has used it every year to figure out where he's going to meet me and how to get there.
5. It's your 1st marathon! Gather all your friends and family and tell them where to meet you on the route. Chances are, you've run a 21 miler and know where you could have used an extra boost. There areas where I needed a pep talk were - between mile 18 & 19 in Tanglewood, miles 22 on Memorial and anywhere on Allen Parkway.
6. Print out a pace band here. No, print out two - one with your "ideal" finish time and one with your "not so ideal" finish time. With the world of Garmins we live in, you probably have a Garmin and don't need to wear the band. However, if you are math challenged like me, you can use these to estimate where you will be at each mile and write it on the above mentioned map. Then, give the maps to your support crew. They will thank you for not making them wait for hours to see you jog by.
7. On Saturday, plan to pick up your race packet early before all the crowds hit. Then, do something you find relaxing. I like to catch a movie. It helps take my mind off the race...for a couple of hours at least.
8. It's race morning. At the GRB, you will see people you don't know doing stretches you've never seen before. Don't attempt to try them out now...stick to what you've been doing all along.
9. Also at the GRB, you will probably have to pee right before it's time to start the race...even if you just went 2 minutes ago. The port-a-cans outside the GRB usually have shorter lines than those inside.
10. You're going to see some crazy stuff along the way - men peeing on the side of the road after the turn between mile 2 & 3, ladies in the heights jumping up and down with cowbells, a priest sprinkling holy water on Main (get some, it can't hurt), Elvis & Marilyn Monroe near the Galleria at mile 16, Belly Dancers around 610 & Memorial, Cheeseheads on Allen Parkway....don't be too focused the race and your pace - enjoy it and laugh a little!
11. Along with the crazy stuff you see, people you don't know will offer you some crazy food. Obviously, some of these folks are not runners. I've been offered everything from candy & cookies to bananas & oranges to tuna sandwiches & donuts.
12. Let's face it, you're running 26.2 miles...there will be times when you are hurting. You will question your sanity. You will swear you will never run another *&+@#$ marathon! You WILL want to cuss out the next person who says "Lookin' Good!" or "You're almost there" (at mile 8)! Try to remember these folks don't have to be out there at all - thank them kindly, smile or wave...then cuss them out in your head or under your breath.
13. Along the same lines, I probably don't have to tell you this, but be sure to say hello and thanks to the policemen and volunteers out there too.
14. When you're feeling tired, find a little kid in the crowd at give him/her a high five. Miraculously, you feel better and it gives you a boost of energy you didn't have before.
15. Allen Parkway will seem like it's a million miles long. You've run this path before hundreds of times, so keep reminding yourself that you will eventually get there....really, you will!
16. When you get downtown, just take it one block at a time...you are there - the home stretch. At this point you don't want to take another step, but you know you can. The roaring crowds are right around the corner. When you finally see them, you will think they are a beautiful mirage. I assure you they are REAL.
17. The closer you get to the finish, the faster you will want to run. You are probably not running that fast and your finish photo will be proof of that, but hey it feels like you are. :-)
18. When you cross the finish line, you may feel like laughing or you may feel like crying. Hell, you may feel like doing both at the same time. Go with it...it's normal. Savor the moment..you have just become A MARATHONER!
19. When you are done, you will not want to take your medal off....DON'T! You've earned it, you have bragging rights. Only take it off when you shower. Yes, you can even sleep with it on if you want to.
20. Set your VCR/DVR/TiVo to record the special KTRK Houston Marathon special. It airs at 10:30 pm, after the news...you most likely will not be awake. It's fun to watch.