Graduation Day

Last weekend, my youngest brother graduated from Illinois State. I couldn't be more proud of him! And now I am ecstatic that we are both Alums of one of the best colleges in the state of Illinois :-)
It was just ten years ago, that I graduated from undergrad from ISU - what a roller coaster ride it has been. Looking back, I can't believe all that I have done in just those few short years. Let's see...

1. Graduated from Graduate School
2. Got my first job at CDW as a Staff Accountant
3. Moved to Libertyville
4. Ran my first marathon
5. Decided to change careers and get a marketing/web analyst position at Loyola Press
6. Moved to Chicago
7. Ran my second marathon
8. Made a life altering decision to go volunteer with the Christian Appalachian Project (best thing I have ever done.
9. Moved to Kentucky to volunteer
10. Finished my volunteer service, moved back home, and started working at Wegge Accounting
11. Ran my third and fourth marathon
12. Met the man of my dreams and got married
13. Switch jobs again
14. Bought a house
15.....and now I am having a baby...wow!

In the midst of all this, two of my best friends got married, one had an adorable little boy, my brother got married, I lost my grandma, both of my cousins got married and my one cousin had 3 children. Holy Smokes - a lot can happen in ten years. But boy does it make me excited to see what is going to happen in the next ten years. Some things on the list include, watch our little girl grow up, qualify for the Boston Marathon, obtain another master's degree in Non-Profit administration, finally get the job of my dreams, travel to Europe and to just enjoy life with my husband and daughter!

Here's to another ten years!!

Happy Running.

A few pictures from the graduation:

The happy couple

The siblings minus one...

Waiting

Last Thursday, we were one of the lucky ones (said sarcastically) that had damage in our basement due to all the heavy rains. Thankfully nothing was ruined except for the carpet, trim, and most likely a bit of drywall. Since Thursday, we have been  in contact with our insurance agent and a restoration company. Starting from Friday, each day the restoration company has promised that they would be out to start work on our house. In the meantime, we got all the water out and have had fans on our carpet to try to get out as much water as possible.

So...it is now Monday and they promised my husband that they would be here today to start work; although they couldn't give us an exact time. We decided then that he would take the morning shift and wait for them, while I would take the afternoon off from work and wait for them. At 11:30, still no company, so S called and they said they would be there either in 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. It is now 5:17 and I am still waiting. I am a bit frustrated that I took off work to sit around the house and wait for this company. Granted, the time off was nice and I was able to register for lots of baby stuff, but I really can't afford to be using my vacation hours for things like this. I only have so many left and I need as many as I can get for all those doctor appointments. Oye! After a day like today, I think my favorite comfort food - mac n' cheese is in store for dinner tonight.

Happy Running

Running log - 3 miles on Saturday and 3 miles on Sunday.

A loss for words

I am still speechless over the events that unfolded at the Boston Marathon. I can't even begin to fathom what all those runners and spectators must have felt as those bombs went off. I think of myself and all the races I have run and never once considered that I could be in danger or that someone would even think to harm runners and spectators alike. The events at Boston are truly unthinkable and unimaginable. What is going on in the world? I just don't get it.

My prayers go out to all of those that were effected by the bombs in Boston. May God bring you some sense of peace and strength to continue on living life.

Run Strong!!

Baby Bump...

Why do people feel the need to (a) want to see your baby bump and (b) touch the baby bump? I don't get it..I have never felt the need to touch or want to see any of my pregnant friends baby bump. Am I alone in this? I feel quite uncomfortable when people come up to me and say things like - "can I see your bump", "where are you hiding that baby", "just wait, you will get bigger", "only 3 months to go - dear, you need to get bigger". Comments like these drive me nuts and don't even get me started on touching my stomach.

All of these things happened to me yesterday when I went to visit some friends. The minute I walked in, everyone wanted to see 'the bump'. What about seeing me...have I already disappeared because of the baby. Yes, she is important and yes, I am well aware that she will be the center of attention for quite some time...but 'hello' I am still me - I am still here. Oye! Anyway, one lady could tell I was getting quite uncomfortable with the situation and you know what she says...."don't feel bad, we all just want to see you get fat". WHAT!! OMG! Seriously. I am sorry, but I am trying to maintain a healthy weight for my baby and for me and I apologize if that means I am not going to gain 50+ lbs, just so that people can see me 'get fat'. Oye - some people. Then to top it all off, another lady comes up to me and puts her hand on my belly and starts to rub it. At this point, it took all I had not to scream and run out the door. Sadly, I didn't say anything and let her continue making a scene and touching away. After she was done admiring me belly, I promptly put my hands in front of my stomach where they remained the rest of the visit. Oye - not sure if I can handle much more of this 'baby bump' phenomenon. However, I know after the baby is born, complete strangers will want to touch and hold her, and I have a feeling that is going to be 100 times worse.

Oh the wonderful joys of being pregnant. On that note, I think I'll go out for a quick run.

Sorry for the vent - but thanks to all of you for reading and understanding.

Happy Running.

Unbelievable

Yes, some days it is still unbelievable that my husband and I are going to have a little girl. I can see my belly growing and she is kicking with full force now, so I feel her almost every day...but is still takes me by surprise every now and then. Today I looked at the calendar and realized that I am due to deliver in less than 100 days. Are we ready? Am I ready? Some days I have my doubts....will I know what to do when she is crying? When should I begin feeding her solid foods? What do I do if she is sick? What daycare should I enroll her in? She I even enroll her in daycare or stay at home with her? Will I be a good mom? Should I nurse or use formula? Will she like the name we pick for her? And this is just the start of all the questions running through my head.

But then I feel her kick and I start to daydream about taking her to the park and going for runs with her (when she is old enough of course). I imagine her big smile and her laughter and her hugs and kisses. I imagine her running to the door when her daddy comes home. I imagine us going shopping together and picking out her favorite things to wear and then on the way home stopping at Starbucks, where I get her a hot chocolate and myself a latte. I imagine her sleeping soundly in her crib, so small, so innocent, so precious. If I let myself slip into these daydreams and push all the questions to the side, I am filled with peace and content and I think to myself...YES, we can do this and our little girl will be just fine!

Happy Running!

It's a girl...

S and I are having a girl!! Last Saturday, we gathered our friends and family and shared the good news! I decided I wanted to make the announcement in a fun way, so I had the bakery that did our wedding cake create a 'Gender Reveal' cake. It was exactly what I wanted. It was a pink velvet cake, so when you cut into it, you could tell right away that we are having a girl. We had our mom's cut into the cake which made it even more special. I also put up a board to have everyone guess on whether or not we were having a boy or girl. Right before we cut the cake, it was tied, but then my youngest brother came to the rescue...I gave him a call and his vote was boy, which unfortunately wasn't right.

We had such a great time with everyone that was able to come to the party. The best part was just being with our friends and family and being able to catch up with all them. When we have gatherings like this, I am constantly reminded how blessed I am.

Happy Running!

Our voting board (ignore the construction in the background)

The cake...I absolutely loved it!

 The Happy Couple...and yes, I am 25 weeks pregnant. You wouldn't believe how many comments I am getting on how I don't even look pregnant. Oye!

Surprise! We are having a girl!

The construction continues

Well, we no longer have a wall between our living room and the kitchen. It looks awesome (I'll be posting pictures soon), but it is a bit strange not to see a wall there. It really opens up the space a ton and brings in so much more light. S is a little concerned about the heat in the living room and wonders if it will now be harder to keep that first floor warm - so, far I haven't really noticed anything different. Hopefully, by the end of the week, this first project will be completely done. Then it is on to the garage and the mud room.

In the midst of all this craziness, we are also getting ready to host about 30 people for a party on Saturday. It really is just a bunch of our family and friends getting together, but we will also be revealing the gender of our baby. We are going to do it by cutting into a cake which will show whether it is a girl or a boy. I also plan to have a board up where people can vote whether they think we are having a boy or girl. Maybe I'll even get prizes for the winners, but we shall see. It will really be nice to see so many of our friends, especially since we haven't seen several of them in quite some time.

Running this week - 3.5 miles on Monday and 3.5 miles on Wednesday

Happy Running!