rock 'n' roll seattle half marathon.

so last saturday i (unofficially) ran my second 1/2 marathon. i say "unofficially" because i was not actually a registered runner....my friend heather's husband was supposed to run it with her but at the last minute was unable to, so she asked me if i'd like to run in his place. i found out thursday that he would not be going, 2 days before the race. having not trained in a month (since right before the NODM), i agreed to do it, figuring i'd just go and give it my best, not really expecting too much of myself time-wise. i ended up doing pretty well, coming in at 2:03:15. not a bad time, but it was still hard to not be disappointed that i didn't do as well as the NODM. ah well. i have lots of excuses why i didn't do as well....besides the not-training part, i got very little sleep the night before (6 girls + studio apartment on a busy street in the U district = NOT a quiet night). oh, and the CROWD. it was srsly INSANE. over 27,000 runners in the marathon and half-marathon.....WHY they did not have staggered start times i do not know. that would have made sense. other races i've been in, eventually the crowd thins out and a little space opens up. not in this one. it was runners to my front, back, right and left the whole way. the run itself was gorgeous though, very scenic, relatively flat, and perfect running weather. and i was running with my friend audi, who is a stitch. being able to talk and laugh makes the run go by SO much faster.





looking forward to the next half....hopefully the royal victoria on my b-day! i applied for my passport, and i'm researching hotels! and it's on 10-10-10....it's gonna be EPIC :D

thanks for looking!

daddy's day presents.

so now that my hubby is tucked safely away in bed i can blog away about the gifts i made this year! usually i am totally lacking inspiration and end up getting some lame-o gift at the last minute, but i was feeling exceptionally crafty and inspired this year, so here is what we did:


this idea is alllll over blogger-land, i must've seen a hundred different versions of it, and i loved the idea! of course, i didn't have the time or energy to color-coordinate my kids, so i just snapped shots of them in whatever they happened to be in and made them all B&W so it didn't matter, and then color-splashed the "DAD" letters. yeah, they're not perfect, and you can totally tell up close....but i still like it and i don't think nathan will care :) and it was totally budget-friendly, i got the frame on sale at joann's for $9.99 (SCORE!) and all 3 pics were under $5. i took a pic of sam with the "A" in the store so i wouldn't have to buy it (cause i am just super-thrifty like that LOL) and the "D" was $3.99, so the entire gift came out to under twenty buckaroos. AND i plan on returning the "D" LOL


this is his other gift, a stepping stone that we made. katie helped me with a lot of the decorating, sam helped with a little (mostly the mixing of the cement) and i think it turned out cute. nathan loves being out in the yard so i figured this was a great gift that he can see whenever he is out there. it looks a little blotchy in the pic because i had just washed it and it was still a little damp.

thanks for looking!

summer fun.

so even though we have had limited days that it actually *feels* like summer, we have taken full advantage of those days. last weekend we went to the kitsap forest theatre's production of "the sound of music". i am not really big into musicals, but have always LOVED TSOM.


"16 going on 17"


we met my friend robyn and her fam there, katie is sitting between everleigh and leona.


nathan and sam.


the entire cast. maria was WONDERFUL, and then i found out the littlest von trapp girl "gretl" is actually her daughter IRL.


sam and lilyanne, at a neighbor's b-day party.


sam and lilyanne playing on the neighbor's new helicoptor!


bubbles bubbles everywhere.....


katie and a friend from school, caeley, drawing with sidewalk chalk.


all the girls drawing &hearts


katie's drawing, "leprechaun under rainbow with pot o' gold"


caeley and sam, rolling in the grass.


silly kids, enjoying the sunshine!

thanks for looking!

concerts and graduations.

a clip from austin's band concert tuesday night.*

sorry if you get motion-sick while watching, i was holding a squirmy 2-year-old :)

and one from katie's kindergarten graduation today.*

i told nathan it was too bad he wasn't going to be here for katie's kinder grad ceremony, to which he replied "that stuff is for moms. the only thing i'd feel bad about missing is a high school graduation". LOL it was cute nonetheless; the kids sang some songs and were then presented with diplomas and then a little reception with cookies and punch.




katie and mrs. V, her wonderful-sweet-awesome teacher!!


katie and her best little girlfriend from school, cailey

*i don't know why blogger won't let me embed the videos in my post....anyone know why? i need help!

thanks for looking!

NODM.

this last sunday i participated in my first ever 1/2 marathon, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. it started between sequim and port angeles, and finished up in downtown port angeles right on the water. it definitely ranks right up there as one of the most satisfying things i've ever done, and has given me confidence in myself and what my body can achieve when i put my mind to it. i trained for several months beforehand; i printed out this schedule as a guide and based my training loosely on it. i only trained 5 days a week instead of 6, usually taking off the weekend; i did an hour spinning class on mondays and thursdays, ran on tuesdays and wednesdays, and reserved fridays for our longer runs. we actually built all the way up to 13 miles several weeks before the race and then tapered back down. i was SO so nervous beforehand, mostly because i felt like i was starting to get sick and wasn't sure my body would cooperate with me; and because secretly i had a time goal in mind and didn't want to disappoint myself if i didn't meet it. as it turns out, i did :) i wanted to finish in under 2 hours and i came in at 1:57:43. when i actually got close enough to the finish line to see the clock, and realize that i was going to make it within my goal, i was incredibly happy and relieved. when i saw my friends on the sidelines with signs, cheering me on, i felt so incredibly blessed. lots of people have told me that once i run a half, i WILL want to run a full. i don't know about THAT, but i am already thinking about my next challenge.....the royal victoria 1/2 marathon.....which just so happens to fall on my birthday this year. which, in and of itself, is pretty cool, huh? 10-10-10. i'm thinking my fam should take me up there as a b-day prezzie :D

and now, some race pics....


my friends dee and ruby with me, right before the race.


if i recall correctly, this was right about the 1/2 way point....i guess i was too fast for them to get a picture of my front LOL


i was just passing my cheerleaders at the end here, i could see the finish line, i was HAPPY!!


post-race with my girlies!


my fellow runners and our kick-ass support team, audi and rhonda.

thanks for looking!

frgiv me.

dear sam,
you were a little hellion yesterday. taking off your clothes and streaking down the block as i called after you to "get back here!" and you ignoring me was just the last straw. (okay, you DID have your pants back on by this time, though you were totally buck nekkid in the driveway a minute earlier) but what was i to do when you and sis disappeared into the other room for a few minutes and you reappeared with this sign taped to your chest?!



how am i supposed to stay mad at a face (and note!) like that?! it is an impossibility. so yes, sam, i "frgiv" you :)

a bag for sam and a top for katie.

here's a couple new things i've been working on lately....first a "backsack" for sam. he saw this Cars fabric that i was pre-washing and confiscated it right out of the dryer. just the big ol' piece of fabric. he walked around the house carrying it like a blankie and saying "CARS!" so i knew i had to make him something out of it. i used this tutorial from Martha to make it, except for i didn't line it with nylon, just a coordinating cotton. and i didn't have any cord laying around, so i used some extra clothesline i had on hand. and i appliqued a felt "S" on it, i like how it turned out and he loves carrying around his own bag everywhere now.



for katie, i saw this apron top tutorial awhile back and meant to make it, but then she took it down for awhile to tweak it, and i just realized the other day she had it back up. i swung by pacific fabrics yesterday and picked up this *really* cute fabric just for this project. i like how it turned out, although it was a little tricky in parts, there were a few spots in the tutorial that weren't exceptionally clear to me, so if anyone out there plans on making it, message me and i can try to clarify the parts that i goofed on, to spare you some time and frustration :)




the yoke really does lay flat, she was scrunching up her shoulder.


(notice my flip-flops she's wearing :)

thanks for looking!