Just one more reason...

Yes today I discovered yet one more reason why I just love my little peanut! Ok, so she is named after my mom (middle name anyways) but today she kind of started acting like her. My little peanut is crazy about wanting to push the swiffer! Yes, she is a clean freak like her Grandma Char!! Um, can it get any better that she wants to sweep my floors every day and she is only one?! In fact, I finished all my chores yesterday (with her help) by nap time. So you know what I did during nap time...I freaking watched a movie!! 

Pat's Run 2008

Well, we did it! Today we ran in what will probably be our first of many races for the Pat Tillman Foundation. Certainly we have learned some things which will no doubt come in handy in the future. However, let me give you a brief run down of the events leading up to the run, the run itself, and the after thoughts.

First, the night before my DH and running partner for this race, asked me numerous times if I really wanted to do this. Of course I said yes. I had not been running for the last 3 weeks for my health...hello! I was in training!!! My loving husband (who had not been running and sprained his ankle 3 weeks ago) really just wanted to sleep in. Um no...I have running for weeks and we shipped our little peanut over to Grandma's to spend the night for this race (which by the way all we did was talk that night about how we should probably just go get her...such rookie parents I know!). 

At any rate, the alarm goes off a couple times but we finally make it out the door at 6:30. My DH feels we are running "late" so proceeds to fly down the freeways, swear at other cars and police officers who are directing traffic, and work himself into a bit of a tizzy. I am thinking, drop me off, I'll do this by myself. Well he settles down once we find parking and get settled. His ankle is kind of hurting so I think to myself "Oh my gosh, with his injury and lack of training, I could for once maybe beat him!" My DH is extremely athletic and determined and never have I beaten him in anything. Although if I challenged him in a cooking contest I would totally kill him!! Anyways, so I am thinking, yep this is the day I will beat him. Of course we start the run and walk about a tenth of a mile before I break into my run. He is right next to me. Mile 1, he is still there. Mile 2, yep there he is. Mile 3, telling me we can totally run up the hill, no need to walk it (the voice inside my head said "Oh Hell!! A hill, where is the smooth course!!"). Mile 4, he is running backwards talking to me (I turn my IPOD up louder). The end of the race and we are in it together, him in front and me in the back. We enter the field and all I care about is that 42 yard line (the finish line). I cross and look at my time and that is when it happened...Kevin was not with me! I see him just barely approaching the finish line. OH MY GOSH...I JUST BEAT KEVIN!!! Not because I was anywhere near faster as I was exhausted and he was energized...nope I was focused on the finish line and he saw the ASU Football Team! He decided to stop and have a chat with the team and I decided to finish the race. Yes, I finished in 48min 12sec and Kevin finished 48min 20sec. 

That being said there was one extremely touching moment for both of us. As we turned toward the stadium we saw a veteran who had started in the group a half and hour before us. He was in his 50's and had prosthetic arms and legs but he was out there doing one heck of a job. We both decided that we wanted to finish the race along side him, no matter how slow we had to go. If you know any service men/women, give them a big thank you! There were so many at the race and they were all inspiring. 

So to finish the post, things we learned from the race and will do next time

1. Don't think old injury and lack of training will help you beat your super athletic and competitive husband. Enlist the power of his favorite college football team!

2. Don't try a new variety of energy bar the day of the race. It may not be too helpful during the race!  Yucky!

3. Bring Patton next race. Put a vest with compartments on him and use him as a Pack Mule for water and such. Seriously saw one dog with this and thought it was genius!

4. Buy new shoes a month before the race.

5. Relocate the race to Texas or someplace with a flat course. Actually the hills were not too bad but for some reason I just wasn't expecting them.

So get ready for next year...we are thinking we should have a Team Rhino next time! We just need 3 other people to make our team. 

Our Nanny!

Shortly after we were married we knew we wanted to fill our home with the first of our Baby Rhinos; the 4 legged kind! My DH knew that I was going to choose a little furry Pomeranian so he decided he was going for his sporting dog. This dog would be his pal; they would hunt together, they would work in the great outdoors, and they would just be manly men! So we got a German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) from a rescue. His name is Patton after General Patton. By all accords he is that manly man; he can run like no dog I know, he swims, and he of course loves birds. Shortly after Lola came along. She is our little fur bucket of joy!

Anyways, when we brought Love Angel Baby Rhino #1 home, we wanted to make sure the dogs would love her. And they did! They are so sweet with her. But once she started walking, things changed...no longer did Patton (or Pat Pat as we sometimes call him) just love Baby Rhino, he totally and completely nanny's her! He follows her everywhere she goes and just watches her. And she totally loves him back. If for some odd reason he is in the kitchen with me and she is in the playroom, she comes in and calls him (Dat is how is comes out) to come join her. 

Every morning when our peanut wakes up, I tell the dogs "Lets go get the baby" and he goes right to her door. He is the first one through the door in the morning and sticks his nose through the slats on her crib. She thinks it is the funniest thing ever! Then during diaper change he proceeds to sniff her all over to make sure everything is exactly the same as when she was put to bed. We don't allow him in her room at bedtime but we actually have to shut the door to make him stay out! 

Not that Lola (or yaya as our peanut calls her) does not love her because she does. But she loves her because food is always falling Lola's way during the day. Lola is not the most maternal dog! But who would have known that my DH manly man sporting dog would have turned into the best Nanny we could have ever found! He loves her, would never hurt her or allow anyone else to, and is generally interested in what she is doing. Nana from Peter Pan (who was actually a Landseer Newfoundland in the original and changed by Disney to a Saint Bernard) doesn't have anything on our General Patton!!

Why we delegate

As a ministry leader at church, it is crucial to delegate responsibilities to others in order to prevent burn out. We delegate to also make sure others are included in the work of the church. We delegate to make sure people feel involved and have input on what they would like for their church. We DO NOT delegate so that one week before an event you can put it back on us and expect us to finish the job! 

Sorry, needed to vent. As my mother-in-law said, "I feel like the plate spinner on the Johnny Carson show." I have so much going on right now that the last thing I needed to was to pick up the slack for someone else. That being said, I need to sign off...I have more delegating that I need to do. 

Keep Runnin, Runnin, and Runnin, Runnin....

So many of you may or may not know that my DH and I are signed up to run the Pat's Race in Tempe. It is a race that benefits the Pat Tillman foundation. We had the bright idea last year to run it but seeing as I was 1 month out of my c-section, my doctor said that was a no-no. So we committed to running it this year. Well, that was all fine and dandy until last month I realized I had less than 2 months to prep for this 4.2 mile run...yes that is 4 miles and a little extra as a kicker! So I bought the jogging stroller and love angel Rhino baby #1 and I would go running in the mornings after she had breakfast. Problem is (but let me first preface this is absolutely not a problem with me but for the sake of this story we will label it so) my little peanut does not get up for the day until 9 or 10 am...what can I say; she is her mommy's girl!!!  ;)   Moving on, here in the lovely way out west, it had started to get a bit hot around that time of day. So I had to bite the bullet...I had to take her to the childcare at the gym. Yes, I know that someday when I am not a rookie mom and more a veteran, I will relish the idea of my kiddos playing in the EXTREMELY nice facility at the all too lavish gym we pay for. However for the time being it kills me! But let me tell you what, there is no better motivation to run a bit faster on that treadmill than having the last memory of your child be a tearful plea to come back. 

That being said, my goal for the race is to run it in less than 1 hour. No small feat for someone who has not been training very long. I am currently at 2 miles in 25 minutes. However that is treadmill time not course time. So I am in need of some help from my readers...I need songs for my ipod that will keep me going on the run. Please send suggestions!

Food for thought: why is it that we go to the gym to get a great work out but still circle the parking lot looking for that perfect up front parking spot?! Seriously?! 

On a personal note: DH is starting to ask when we are going for love angel baby Rhino #2...not sure if that question will hurt or help my chances of getting a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. Anyone with experience in this situation, please advise!