The Color Run.

I can pretty easily see how running in races is addicting for people, because after this last weekend, I am on the hunt for more runs to participate in!

It was freeeezing cold on Saturday, you guys.  The high for the day was supposed to be 55, but instead it was 41 degrees at 4pm when our race started.  And not a "pretty, sunny" 41 degrees either... it was windy, and looked like it could snow at any second. 

We arrived around 3:15 and found our way into the big long line.  We may or may not have cut in front of some people, but even doing so, we still were in the 12th group to be released.  They let 1,000 runners go every 5 minutes... so there was about 12,000 people in front of us.  Waiting for the countdown to begin before we could run was soooo exciting, my heart was beating out of my chest in excitement, and finally it was time!

We ran through 4 different "color stations" during the race.  Basically, it was about 100 volunteers standing and throwing color at you as you passed by.  If it would have been warmer outside, the color would have stuck better... but between the wind and no sweat, most of our color came off as we were running. 

The race was fairly easy, the only hard part was at the end when we were ready to be done but had a huge hill to run up first.  My Dad was an amazing encouragement throughout the entire thing... at one point when I started feeling "done", he said to me "Darlin' I am SO PROUD OF YOU!", which gave me the push to keep going even harder than I was before.

Such a fun time.

And, in case you were wondering, all of the color came out of my clothing and hair right away.  I was a little bummed... I hoped to have purple hair for at least a week.  :)

Today, I feel pretty stinkin' proud.  I participated in a race that I never thought I would, and I've worked my tail off to get where I am.  It hasn't been easy, and it's been a LONG (and discouraging at times) road, but now that I feel happy & healthy, I can tell you it's been worth it. 

And now I feel challenged to try something more.  3.1 miles seems like a little bit of a breeze, and so I'm trying to talk myself into trying a 10k... 6.2 miles.  My brother/Dad/Sister want to participate in one next month, and I'm pretty hesitant but yet feel like I could do it.

Maybe.  :) 

Also, for anyone wondering, I am now down 29.8 pounds.  3 more pounds to go, and I'll be at my goal weight... yet I still feel like I'm a long ways off.  Maybe it's time for a new goal. 

I think it's smart to always be working towards something.  Keeps you motivated... you know? 

Back in my arms.

I really had a good week, while the boys were at Nana & Papa's.  The first day or two was pretty hard, but the busier I kept, the better I was.

I slept in... went to the gym/running with no guilt or bribery... I window shopped in stores I'd never gone in before... I had extra time with Jesus... my "quality time" tank was filled with lunch with a friend, coffee with another friend, and a date with my sweet man, ate a lot of cereal, had conversations in the car (you KNOW those are impossible with kids).... and I deep cleaned the house.  I mean, honestly, I don't know if our house has ever been more clean and it's a great feeling.

Yesterday morning I planned on sleeping in, hitting the gym and an appointment, and then getting on the road to see my babies around noon.  I could hardly sleep that night, and when I continued to wake myself up in complete excitement, I thought... screw it, lets go.

5 hours later my sweet boys were in my arms again.  I really did have a nice week, but NOTHING beats being around them again.  They were both so excited to see me, which was the cherry on top of it all.  Cohen continues to say "aww Mama.." and lay his head on my shoulder, reaching up for a kiss shortly after, and Jaxon continues to surprise me with random hugs.

I love these boys so much.

We are at my Sister's house for the next couple days as my first 5k run is tomorrow in Des Moines.  It's going to be a balmy 55 degrees and I can't wait for it all... spending time with family, and running in a race... something I never ever ever thought I would do.

So much happiness.

Have a great weekend!

Queen of random.

I am called many things.

Daughter, by my Maker and parents.
Wife, by my husband.
Mommy, by my kids.
Sister, by my siblings.
"In law", by my extended family.
Miss Megan, by the kids I babysit.
Niece.  Cousin.   Friend.  Photographer.

I've been thinking a lot about what's in a name.  Recently, Jaxon has dropped the "my" part of Mommy, and is just calling me Mom.

To be honest, I hate it.  If you've heard him say it, you've also heard me correct him by saying "No, Mommy..." and then he will start his sentence over with the 'correct' name.

I don't know why, but it makes me sad to be called Mom... it's almost like a stab in the heart.  It's something a teenage boy calls his Mom, once he's gotten too cool for his own good.

Someone please tell me you get this.  I just want to bottle up the title "Mommy" and be called that forever.

I miss my babies something fierce, but ohmygoodness I'm so thankful for FaceTime.  Jaxon told me a story last night... it went something like this:

"I have a Bible Story for you.  Jesus rode on the train.  The train went over the shaky shaky bridge and fell off into the mud."

Cohen has been learning lots of new words this week, of course my favorite one to hear is Mama when he sees me on the iPad.

I'm happy to see them so happy.  But I can't wait until they're in my arms again.

Today I ran 3 miles that were the suckiest of all time, had lunch with a close friend, and we shopped afterwards.  I had no little boys to chase after in the store and actually got to enjoy my lunch.

And tonight we had a spontaneous date night.  We were LONG overdue, and we got to talk about lots of things... like the boys, the boys, and the boys.  :)

No actually, we talked about how if we have a #3 that we want to wait to find out the sex, AND I asked him what he thought about me doing a VBA2C.

Parenthood in 20 minutes!

Holy random post.

Mish-Mash Monday.

Keeping up with my trend of only blogging on Monday's .... #bloggerfail

Some people like to spend their money on food, others clothing, and some on their house.  The Keith's?  Well, we like to spend money on gas.  Definitely a downside of living 2-5 hours from our immediate family, but money is money... time with family is irreplaceable.

Friday night we loaded up the car and headed to my Sister's house.  Her birthday was the following day, and it's been over a year since her and I have spent time alone together, so that was the plan.  Saturday morning we woke up and headed out the door... we really had no idea where we were going, our goal was to just enjoy it.  We drove through our hometown and 10 miles farther down the road to one of my favorite places on the planet... a coffee shop.

There's so many reasons why my Sister is my best friend, but in short, I love our conversations.  They are not surfacey or held back, but we just let it all out... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Later in the day, her hubby whisked her away and we headed to my husband's cousins wedding.  Once again, great to see family, friends, and burn some calories on the dance floor.  ;)

Sunday morning I had a photo shoot and soaked up my time beforehand with the beautiful view.  The trees in Iowa are SO MUCH PRETTIER than in Kansas... ours are still green and/or brown (dead), but take I-35 4 hours north and you'll realize what you're missing.

That afternoon as we started packing, Tyler's Mom (aka Nana) asked if she could keep the boys for the week.  I am headed BACK to Iowa next weekend to run my first 5k and so the timing worked out great.  I totally trust that they are safe and having a BLAST... but as for me, I'm sitting in a quiet house missing them like crazy.  It's funny, you always dream of having days like this in the midst of the stressful days with young kids, and now I have an entire week of it, and just feel like I could sit here and cry instead.  It's the little things, like the toys all over the house... walking by their bedrooms... an empty booster seat... and the silence is deafening.

I've been told the first 24 hours are the hardest, and then you really do start to enjoy your time alone.... so I'm hoping that's the case for me as well.  :)

So, tell me... how would you spend 4 days on your own?

Besides blogging.  And laundry.  And I don't have cable.

Wish me luck.

Preparing for Fall.

It's no secret that Fall is, by far, my favorite season.

I love cardigans and sweatshirts.  I love the cool, crisp, sunny weather.  The beautiful changing colors of the trees, pumpkin flavored everything, and BOOTS!  How I could forget, I love boots season.

Saturday morning Tyler had to work, and instead of pouting and feeling sorry for myself I decided to try and spruce up my front door.  One of the many things that this house needs is a face lift on the outside, so being the happy little renter I am, I decided to channel my inner green thumb and go on a Mum hunt.

I stopped at a couple different places to look, but wasn't thrilled with any of the options.  The colors were a little dull, and they almost looked like they were on their last leg.

And that's when I saw it.  A little parking lot farmers market.  Big, gorgeous, full mums.  And the $20 price tag was too good to be true.

Otherwise our weekend was pretty quiet.  I had a photo shoot on Saturday night with Molly, a sweet blogging friend of mine that I've "known" for years, but finally met.  Her boys reminded me so much of my own, that instead of hiding out at a coffee shop after the photo shoot like originally planned, I couldn't wait to get home and hug them.  Thank you Molly for blessing me in ways you don't even know!

Sunday was a pretty low-key day... I started off with a 3 mile run in my fastest time yet!  We went out for lunch and actually enjoyed it, ran errands in peace, and my husband even treated me to a pedicure.  The sound of football in the background during the afternoon screams Sunday to me, and I love it.

But, back to reality...
time to clean the house
bake Pumpkin Brownies for small group tonight
bake chocolate chip cookies for my hubby who requested them
...and light a Fall candle.

Yes, I love this season indeed.