Going to take some time...

I know you're probably going to be thinking, "how on earth will she ever find time for this!" but it's something I've wanted to do for a really long time.  I finally decided to go for it and used my birthday money to pick up my first guitar.  I learned to play on my mom's classical guitar about 10 years ago and it was already about 30 years old.  It was in major need of repair so I gave it back to her a few years ago because I knew I'd never trust myself to have it done.

I've been working on my cords and toughening up my fingertips.  Boy does it hurt!  Maybe someday I'll be able to whip out my favorite songs and learn to pick a little like my good friend James--Taylor, that is.

Don't count on any videos any time soon.  Maybe I'll have a goal of learning a song by the end of the year.  You know, I'll just strum away while I use my giant nursing pillow to hold my nursing twins.  What a sight that would be!

Pre Race Prep...the stuff no one talks about

I'm running another race this weekend. My mind has been in prep mode. It occurred to me that there are many things that runners do to prepare for a race but they aren't the typical things you'd find when Googling "Pre-race preparation".

1. Pick out your outfit - There are a couple of rules to abide by while picking up your outfit. No "underarmour" tops for men (the tight ones)...especially not with basketball shorts. Women must not bare the midriff unless it has been verified by someone other than yourself that you INDEED HAVE A SIX PACK....of muscle...not fat rolls. Even then, you might be considered self-absorbed, unless you're competing in a triathlon as that event requires more technical clothing. No-show socks are a must. And the last outfitting rule which is generally accepted in the racing community is that you must not wear the race shirt for the race in which you are currently participating. This screams ROOKIE!! It is, however, OK to wear a race shirt from a prior race AS LONG AS you ran the race and didn't borrow it from someone else. It's even better if you wear a shirt from a more difficult race than the one you're currently running.
   
2. Clip your toenails - Taking preventative measures such as this may not ensure that you will not lose your toenails but it will help minimize impact of toes hitting the end of your shoes repeatedly, thereby causing the bruise and blister beneath the nail, resulting in the ever-so-lovely mutated toenail. I've lost many a toenail due to running and my only advice for those who suffer this fate is that you can somewhat conceal the fact that there is no toenails by painting the nail bed instead of leaving it blank. Think of it as a toupee of sorts.
   
3. Set your alarm - The most important reason for this is not only to make it to your race on time, but to allow ample time to get things moving. It is the runner's worst nightmare to have to stop and poop on the side of the road....or to SEE another runner pooping on the side of the road. This is why I recommend that you wake up at least 2 hours before the race, eat a very small meal (I usually choke down a banana, part of a granola bar, and a Diet Coke with Lime), walk around, jog in place, do some squats...do whatever it takes!!
4. Prime the playlist - Music is a powerful tool during a race. It has the ability to turn a painful 1o minute mile into an 8 or even a 7 (confession: I don't run 7 minute miles). It's important to pick music with the right BPM (beats per minute) so that you can match your pace to the music. In my second marathon, I didn't turn my music on until mile 22 and once I did, it was like I'd been immediately pumped full of adrenaline. It really sucked when my stupid Shuffle (the old, white, long kind) died at mile 25 and I was left to the painfully slow rhythm of my feet hitting the asphalt. That's why I recently invested in a new iPod Shuffle...it better work.
   
5. Dream about the post-lunch - One of the reasons I love running is because it allows me to eat whatever I want--and I do! A post-race feast is a great way not only restore glycogen stores, but also a great way to reward yourself for a job well done. I've been doing some thinking and my loyalty is torn between Cafe Rio and Red Robin. Who knows who will win in the end?

Hikes, Cows, and Rockets

We decided to take advantage of this beautiful scenery right out our back door and started hiking on Saturdays. The first week, we took our Baby Bjorn, hoping Jonah would still fit in it. Jonah is in the 95th percentile for height, but is dang skinny and hasn't hit the weight limit for it yet. So we tried it out. Jon carried him since my belly protrudes enough that it doesn't fit me. It was pretty rough. Jon couldn't even lift his legs since every time he did, Jonah's legs hit his knees and created resistance. It was pretty funny looking, but Jonah didn't seem to mind it too much. We decided to get a hiking backpack for our babies and I was able to find one on eBay for a great price! It worked much better.

Liz called and invited Jonah and me down to a dairy farm in Mona that her husband Clay built for someone. The idea was to watch the cows being milked but we really just ended up looking at a few cows and driving home with about 100 flies in the car. I'm not kidding, I've never seen more flies in one place...I couldn't stand it!
As you can see, Jonah was more interested in his pretzels than the cows.
Another one of our latest hobbies (one that didn't last too long) was building Estes Rockets and launching them in a nearby field. It's pretty nerdy, I know, but it was a random nostalgic thought I had when thinking about elementary school and I had no problem whatsoever convincing Jon to do it. Here are a couple of videos (mostly of blank blue sky searching for the rockets).

P.S. Mine went higher!


I'm not including my launch, just the recovery of it because that's really the amazing part!


Here are a couple of random pictures for your enjoyment. Jonah has a habit of crossing his legs when he's lying down. He does it when I'm changing his diaper, or whenever...it's pretty cute.


Mamou (Jon's mom) bought Jonah a stroller since he loves to push them around. She couldn't find a blue one.