Running, Singing, Mama.

Valentines day

2012-02-10T10:48:00.002-07:00

Oh, how I love this sweet little film. Love makes all the difference, doesn't it? If you've got 12 minutes, I'm sure this will brighten your day.

More raw food goodness

2012-02-06T20:41:00.002-07:00

I found another delicious recipe to add to my raw food repertoire (the regulars that are currently in rotation are starting to get a little, well, boring). I've modified it to my own liking, so I feel ok about posting it on my blog. But you can find the original recipe here.

Salad with Asian Cashew Curry Dressing

Salad Ingredients:

1 half a head of cauliflower, cut into small 'trees'

3 inches of a stalk of leek, cut into thin rounds

2 heads of Romaine, chopped or torn into pieces

4 C arugula or spring greens

2 small green apples, cut into small pieces

Dressing:

1/2 C cashews

1/2 C cold water

1/2 yellow pepper

1 inch of leek, or 2 green onions

1/4 tsp curry

1/4 tsp tumeric

tamari to taste

1/2 tsp sea salt

juice from one lemon

- blend all ingredients for the dressing together and use generously over the salad.

If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it!!

When people use their powers for awesome.

2012-02-03T13:38:00.001-07:00

If you are going to be seen, BE SEEN.

I promise I'll post some real content next time and not just videos from youtube.

Public Service post

2012-02-02T12:45:00.003-07:00

Everyone should experience this commercial.

Now, everyone who went to BYU or has heard of BYU or likes to laugh should see this very good parody.

I know. You're welcome.

Our grand day out

2012-02-02T11:11:00.003-07:00

Bean and I went on a little Mommy-son date of sorts a few days ago. It all started when I saw this:

...in the window of Johnny's Luncheonette in town as I finished my morning run. This is no happenstance, I've been checking that window nearly every day since we moved here. I do believe that's the first time some combination of W and Z weren't up there (Wynona Zoolander, you've won free lunch again!!).

On our way to lunch, I notice that the ladder truck was outside the fire station next door and we went down to peek on it. A friendly fireman named Eric promptly came out and showed us around. I thought that Bean would be all over those fire trucks like white on rice, but he was a little intimidated to see them up close. So he had his first tour of the fire station from Mama's arms.

After our tour, we had lunch. Bean's favorite things were the milk cup with the straw, the stone dog behind our booth, and the pickle that came with my delicious meal.

We followed up the festivities with a visit to our friend's house where Bean had a blast in their kid heaven, I mean playroom. Add in the fact that is was almost 50 degrees that day and it was practically perfect!

New Music Tuesday

2012-01-31T07:10:00.004-07:00

I am guessing I'm a little late on the bandwagon, but I discovered Gotye last week and I've been obsessed with the song "Somebody I Used to Know" (though until this morning I couldn't remember the title). I really like the open, sincere and strident tone of his voice. Warning. There is some naked man-hip in this video... and lady-back. My apologies if you've been scandalized.

The other side of pain

2012-01-30T11:37:00.005-07:00

I don't really know how to start this post, except to say that what ever it is we have to learn, I think it's already inside us. I think God puts the answers to our problems in our hearts and it is our job to open the doors, windows and drawers to discover what is waiting there.

Everybody feels pain, I'm not special in that sense, except that I am the only one who can feel mine. Physical, emotional, spiritual pain, it all brings us to our knees and threatens to break our bond with God by the sheer isolation of feeling pain alone. But I'm not writing this to write about pain. I'm writing this because the view from the other side is so beautiful. I have found that after the initial shock of pain, if I can push back, even softly and gently, pain starts to move a little. I can't think of any beautiful metaphors for it, so I won't try. But if I can lean into the pain, instead of hiding from it and let it wash over me, eventually I come out on the other side of it. I find I can see more clearly and that I'm stronger for not having hidden. Like it or not, pain comes for us all at different times in our lives. But it's destructive power comes from the same place as it's healing, beautifying power; from within the heart. This post is a reminder to my past, present and future self that pain is less of a brick wall than an ocean wave. Well, I came up with a metaphor after all.

January snow

2012-01-25T11:11:00.004-07:00

The Bean got his first sled last year around Christmas time from our landlady, Blanche (Bean calls her "Anche"). Last weekend we finally (the word finally is a total joke, I have been loving every day without snow. I guess I need to invest in some cross country skis again. Because snow does NOT make running more fun) got the chance to use it. The little man took to the snow like a fish to water. It made me hate winter 5% less.

It was actually pretty fun pulling him around on that little sled, we just got into trouble when he wanted me to ride with him. Mama's butt and that sled were not meant to be together. Needless to say it was an awkward ride down the hill.

*No, Jeff hasn't taken a second job as a crossing guard, he is about to leave for a run.

Forgiveness

2012-01-23T12:19:00.006-07:00

Lately, I've been learning a lot about forgiveness. I would say it's on my mind a lot. I don't think I've ever understood truly what forgiveness was as much as I do now, and I know there is more to learn. Along with learning what forgiveness is I've had to learn what forgiveness is not. I have to thank a good friend who knows a lot more than me about these things for helping me with both parts of that equation. I've also learned a great deal from a great book I've been reading. I found this summary of some things that are often mistaken for forgiveness that I found especially helpful:

"You do not have to forget after you forgive; you may, but your forgiving can be sincere even if you remember.

You do not excuse people by forgiving them; you forgive them at all only because you hold them to account and refuse to excuse them.

You do not forgive people by smothering conflict; if you forever smother people's differences, you rob them of a chance to forgive. [and I would add, to be forgiven]

You do not forgive people merely by accepting them; you forgive people who have done something to you that is unacceptable.

You do not have to tolerate what people do when you forgive them for doing it; you may forgive people, but still refuse to tolerate what they have done. [or what they are doing]"

- pg. 49 Forgive and Forget; Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve by Lewis Smedes

I will probably post more about what forgiveness is in later posts, but what I've learned so far can be summed up in a few bullet points:

-Forgiveness is a process. Part of that process is allowing myself to feel the full weight of the pain inflicted on me by the person I seek to forgive.

-I can't impose a timeline on forgiveness.

-Forgiveness is for the forgiver first and the perpetrator second.

-I can forgive even if I don't want to re-establish contact with that person.

-God loves me, He is patient with me.

-Being hurt is terrible and inexcusable. But I can learn and grow from my pain and become a better, wiser person because of it.

-Forgiving doesn't mean I'm a doormat. Being a doormat doesn't mean I have forgiven.

-Forgiveness, real forgiveness, feels like the warmth of the sun on your heart.

So there it is. If you made it this far, if you read that whole thing, congratulations! If you were here I'd give you a cookie. And I'd even make it gluten free/vegan/lactose free if you asked me to. You're welcome.

Inspiration for the Bean

2012-01-20T07:02:00.006-07:00

Yeah, my son totally sounds like this:

OK, so maybe not, but he was tearin' it up on the harmonica this morning. We watched this video and Bean was captivated. He clapped after it was over.

Bean has also has been working on his vocabulary. Here he is saying "dain" which is, of course "train".

I realized a few days ago that all that gibberish he's been saying is actually about 50-60% real words. It's like living with someone with a really thick accent that is trying to speak English.

For example: "Mamawasat?" means "Mama, what's that?" and "ooooohhhh, zabahebaduck!" means, "oooooh "That's a, help me see (lift me up) the truck!!". It's definitely a work in progress. Sometimes I feel like I get it, but sometimes he gets the polite "oh" in a sing-songy voice, because I have no idea what he's talking about. (Don't worry, if you've gotten that same response, it means totally the same thing). I don't know if he knows he's doing it, but sometimes when I'm talking to him, Bean will give a sing songy "oooh " in response. Love it.

Bean still maintains that he needs a working mess before he can begin any literary pursuits. I feel the same way.

Speaking of literary pursuits, we recently discovered a really funny, very silly book at the library called A Near Thing for Captain Najork. It reminded me of the silly sense of humor that runs in my family.

I believe the illustrator is the same man who did a lot of Roald Dahl's books. Man, I can't wait until my little guy is old enough to discover Roald Dahl!

Cello, you know you're number one

2012-01-19T07:18:00.004-07:00

I feel guilty after posting about the upright bass. Cello, you know you're still number one. Here's a little cover of Guns and Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" by the cello duo Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser.

They are from Croatia. Everything sounds better with cello. If I could pay a cellist to follow me around and play, I would.

Ok, one more

2012-01-19T07:09:00.002-07:00

This guy is so cool!

and one of his own compositions.

I love those instrumentalists who can imply multiple harmonies with a simple bassline. I know he has multi-tracks here, but the first opening bass ostinato? Love it. Nothing like a solid foundation on which to build upon.

Good morning! Happy Thursday!

2012-01-19T06:24:00.003-07:00

I may have a stomach ache from some bad fudge, and a sore shoulder from not one, but two dislocations yesterday, but things are never that bad when you have this little guy to wake up to.

And for your viewing pleasure, this is the video we found today. We're moving on from the cello to the upright bass. His name is Adam Ben Ezra and he is from Tel Aviv.

and this one's for Kristin. I've never seen the show, but I really like the video!

What the Bean and I watched this morning

2012-01-13T07:40:00.003-07:00

Ok, this interpretation of Bach's prelude to Cello Suite No. 1 may offend your purist sensibilities, but I am almost to the point that the cello can do no wrong. No, this song is not played the way Bach indended it, but since Bach was a teacher his entire life, I think he would have appreciated someone building on his work. I especially like the little "Ave Maria" quote in there since these unaccompanied cello suites were originally written just after Bach returned from Italy to find his beloved wife had taken ill and passed away in his absence. The cello suites are such a beautiful tribute. Anywho. I digress. Here's the cool song we found.

The return of the dragon

2012-01-11T18:40:00.003-07:00

My title sounds like a Bruce Lee film. Bean would use his ninja powers of cuteness and everyone would just sit down in a circle and sing "The Wheels on the Bus go round and round" instead of fighting. Good thing Bruce Lee isn't this cute. Those fight scenes would suck.

Ta-da!

2012-01-11T06:39:00.003-07:00

Bean is wearing his vest he got from Grandma and Grandpa Kyle. I'm trying to hide from the camera :)

Bean will now serenade you with his new harmonica:

Kristi and Ava come to visit!

2012-01-09T17:24:00.005-07:00

I have known Kristi since I was 5 years old. I'm not sure on the details, but I think my Dad called up her Mom and said something like "I think they want to hang out." And the rest, folks, is history. We had sleep overs as much as we possibly could, I spent the weeks at their cottage on Long Island (the one in Maine, that is) in the summers and we talked nearly every day. I think at some point we agreed to buy houses next to eachother with matching pink rocking chairs when we were old and grey. When I went off to college, we lost contact for a while, but now that I'm back in the East, we can pick up where we left off. This last week Kristi and her little girl came down from Westbrook, Maine for two days. It was so much fun!

Mostly we just hung out and our little ones played together but we went into Boston and walked around, rode the T, had lunch...

and watched them take down the Chrismas tree in Haymarket. They actually cut it down, limb by limb. I got one of the guys working on it to get me an ornament. I am now in possession of a lovely Christmas ornament as big as my head. I think we'll hang it in the middle of the room next Christmas like a disco ball for elves.

It was great fun and over too soon!

This one's for dancing

2012-01-03T10:17:00.002-07:00

Thank you, once again, Pandora for bringing my attention to new music. This piece is a Senegalese version of the Talking Heads' song "Once in a Lifetime". The language is Wolof, a language spoken by many Senegalese. The Bean danced his little diapered hiney off to this one.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

There is something about the cold winter months that makes music with a strong, danceable beat even more attractive. I think it sounds like the warm sunshine I miss.

A singer with "God in his throat"

2012-01-02T19:18:00.005-07:00

I love when this happens. I found the most beautiful song yesterday that I've never heard before. I follow Jessica Duchen's classical music blog and found "Ombra di nube". The title means "The shadow of a cloud" and was written by the Italian composer Lincinio Refice. I think I'll let Ms. Duchen take it from here:

I have yet to get the whole story on this composer, but Refice (1885-1954) was a priest who taught at the Scuola Pontifica for sacred music for most of his life. "Ombra di nube" is from his first opera, Cecilia, a story of the patron saint of music. As Ms. Duchen put it, "he sought a singer 'with God in their throat' " to perform this piece. He found Claudia Muzio, and we find another singer with the same gift in Jonas Kaufman. The words of "Ombra di Nube" as Ms. Duchen wrote, "are a prayer, a plea and a reminder of the eternal beauty that remains when the pain goes."

With a voice like that, the pain indeed goes and and only beauty remains. It's pieces like this that always make me happy to be alive.

I love Radio Lab. Just accept it.

2012-01-02T06:18:00.004-07:00

If you talk to me more than once, chances are I'll bring up Radio Lab. Radio Lab is a radio program that talks about all kinds of scientific phenomenon and what effect it has on the human condition. I learned that the game tic-tac-toe is virtually a world wide game, that the CPR dummy was actually modeled after a real drowning victim from the 1800's, how dogs were domesticated, how running prevented seizures and oh, so much more. Did you know that pigeons mate for life? Yeah, I totally knew that. All this information doesn't really serve in a practical sense. But it sure gives me something to say when conversation runs dry at a party.

The last program I listened to was about stress; what it is and what it does to our bodies. Did you know that the reason why your mouth gets dry when you are stressed, or nervous, is because your body is shutting down all unnecessary functions and your digestive system is the first to go? I could go on, but you should just listen to it. You're welcome.

Starlings and a New Year

2011-12-31T17:19:00.005-07:00

During a long run with a my favorite running buddy, we talked about some of the bad things there are in the world and easy it is to get caught up in life's unfix-able problems. The conversation to a turn for the better as we concluded that though there is a considerable amount of ugliness in the world, there is so much out there that is astonishingly beautiful and full of hope. When I got home I remembered murmurations. A murmuration is a gigantic flock of starlings. The group is actually composed of many different flocks and the group displays some amazing aerobatics. I hope someday to see one for myself. Their magical flight doesn't fix my problems or yours,but it does remind me that God loves us and continues to want us to feel happy and inspired despite of our pain or sorrow. I saw this video on another blog I follow and it was so beautiful I just had to share. With all it's faults this world is still breathtakingly beautiful and definitely worth preserving. Happy New Year everyone. May 2012 be filled with a sense of joy and wonder for you all.

He sings!

2011-12-29T06:33:00.002-07:00

It's definitely a dinosaur-type day

2011-12-28T18:27:00.005-07:00

Bean picked out his outfit a few days ago. This was what he chose.

As I got him dressed he kept saying, "Dada? Dada?" When properly attired he went to straight to Jeff and wouldn't leave. Are you flipping out at how cute my son is? Because I am. Seriously, how are you not flipping out?

Playing Catch-up

2011-12-28T18:14:00.005-07:00

Hello, interweb. I've missed you. I've been busy, occupied and the like, and whenever I'd sit down to write something I just felt like... Meh. But I'm back! Christmas was lovely and I'm feeling much less meh in my life.. so here we are! First and foremost, here are a few adorable pics of the Bean doing various things with his typical 18-month -old style:

Helping me make bread:

Drinking a chocolate-banana smoothie (no sugars were harmed in the making of this smoothie)

Verdict? Yum!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T07:47:00.005-07:00

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Kyle!

Everyone's got a dream...

2011-12-17T17:41:00.003-07:00

If we ever buy a house, I just want a room that has one wall that looks like this. Is that too much to ask?

Perhaps.

In which Bean learns some important words

2011-12-17T11:00:00.004-07:00

Things are getting more exciting in the Kyle home. Bean's vocabulary continues to expand and he continues to learn to use said vocabulary to communicate with us which is nothing short of awesome. Bean learned three very important words this week.

1. Banana/"Nana" - I have always loved this fruit, so this is an important development. It was the first food he tasted after breast milk. Besides muffins, I pretty much lived on bananas during pregnancy (there's an old-wives tale that women who eat a lot of bananas tend to have boys - kind of funny in a phallicly-symbolic kind of way). But who am I kidding? I eat tons of bananas every day. They are the most perfect fruit I know of.

2. Jesus/"Dezis" - I really wanted him to learn this word around Christmas time. I know he's very little but I totally want him to know that we don't just celebrate Christmas to further the cause of capitalism. We were listening to my favorite Christmas song on youtube and looking at the pictures of Jesus and by the second go round he figured out how to sound out the word. I felt so damn pious. That said, I am TOTALLY going to tell him about Santa, leave out cookies and milk, and write letters with him to the North Pole.

3. Penis/"Memis" - Having a little boy has made me realize more than ever that the life-long love affair with this body part starts pretty early. He may as well know what it's name is.

15 words down, 17,200 to go.

The world is the best

2011-12-06T19:22:00.005-07:00

You know that song "Christmas Shoes"? I hate it. Stupid songs like that always makes me cry-even though I know it's not real. Well, the first time anyway. Then it just makes me cranky. Come on, just tell me you want me to cry already. Stop trying to be so poignant. Well, here's one that makes it's emotional manipulation a little more blatant. I appreciate that.

I realize the irony of this post directly following a post with a very serious poem in it. Is that irony? Crap.

A poem for Tuesday

2011-12-06T07:20:00.002-07:00

I write poetry. Not that I'm any good at it, but I actually have a poetry blog where I post poetry oh... every six months or so. I found this poem that I posted a few years ago and I know that perhaps this sounds narcistic, but I found it comforting. Happy Tuesday.

Thou Art

Thou art

the Invisible Heart of the nations,

the Blood of the vein,

and Wind of the sea,

Thou art

the journey back,

the road unknown,

the palm and pine and oak of Love

and the breath which swells the forest.

Art Thou the unshakable bridge over black water?

Thou art the Gold of the sun

The Velvet of grass

and the Footpath home.

Art Thou the unshakable bridge over black water?

Music for Monday

2011-12-05T06:17:00.003-07:00

Today Bean and I ate cereal for breakfast because it's grocery day and there's nothing else in the fridge besides condiments and vegetables and happened upon this day. We watched this video 4 times through. His name is Kevin Olusula and he is a beatboxing cellist. Peoples creativity never ceases to amaze me and bring me joy.

Have a very happy Monday.

and one more.

New words!!! `

2011-12-01T19:18:00.004-07:00

The Bean doubled his vocabulary in the last week. That's pretty exciting when you know less than thirty words! Here is his vocabulary as it stands today:

Mama

Dada

Doggie (this one was first)

train

Water (wa, actually)

truck* (Guck)

plane*

Car*

Walk

cheese

please

Thank you*

That*

This* (that and this fill in EVERYTHING else he doesn't know the word for yet)

Go (usually in sets of three)

Bye

fish* (we went to Petco)

*this week!

He also does some baby sign, but I won't bore you with that list.

As you can see, his vocabulary is pretty strong in the transportation department. He gets really excited on trash day and I have to lift him up to the window to watch the truck at work. Sometimes, if we're lucky, the trash guy sees him and waves. Yeah, we're pretty much livin' the high life. But it is pretty fun to point out things that used to be mundane ("Bean! Look! It's a truck!) and watch his delight. Seriously, this kid is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Grad School? To be or not to be?

2011-12-01T10:36:00.004-07:00

So some of you may have heard me talk about my application process for a DMA (Doctor of music arts). I have been working my hiney off to get ready for it, it was due today. I did not turn it in. I have decided to wait another year, refine my voice and get some more performance experience. This decision happened yesterday. Up until then it was all systems go. But when I met with my voice teacher to discuss the recording I was planning on sending in with my application, it seemed evident that it was not a sure thing that I would get in. I have made a lot of progress in the past few months (especially since I started taking asthma medication!) but I honestly still feel like I am rolling the dice and hoping for a seven every time I open my mouth. My technique needs to be more secure than a crap shoot. I know that one more year can't guarantee that I get in anywhere either, but I want my application process to feel a little less like this (the first 20 seconds):

and a little more like this:

So I'm waiting til next fall. Honestly, I'm relieved,I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. So for the next year, in preparation for the real submission of the application, I'll be the singing version of this:

Boston Public Gardens

2011-11-25T09:02:00.003-07:00

Last Sunday was so beautiful. It was at least 60 degrees and sunny, we simply had to get outside! We went to Boston Public Gardens where it seemed everyone else had the same idea. Bean played in the leaves, we walked around from performing musician to performing musician (they were all talented and they all got some money from me - I'm a sucker for performers, when they are good that is.), we watched a few photo shoots and explored the park. It turned out to be the perfect way to spend an unseasonably warm November day.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T08:50:00.004-07:00

Turns out when you've got a lot on your mind, the creative blogging juices just don't want to flow. But I'm back blogosphere! Did you miss me? As it turns out I have a lot to be grateful for.

1. I am grateful for my little family. Those two guys make my life full of laughter and joy every day. I am grateful for the choices I have made that brought both of them into my life.

2. I am grateful for this lovely day! We went running along the Charles today. It was warm enough not to need gloves or an ear-warmer, we ran fast, the bikers were nice and all rang their bells instead of scaring the crap out of me as they nearly took off my arm, and the sun was beautiful. Who could ask for more?

3. I'm grateful to live in a beautiful place. The longer I am here, the more I realize I was meant to be here. The people I meet, and the experiences I have here all indicate that moving to the Boston area was no coincidence.

4. I am so very grateful for my friends. These past two weeks especially, I am grateful for the wisdom, patience and amazing listening skills of certain people (you know who you are!). I am grateful for all the friends who do babysitting trades with me so that I can work and rehearse and practice, and for all the friends who help me stay sane and bless me with their compassion and sense of humor.

5. This is silly that this is the last one, but I think He understands that I am grateful for all the above things because of Him. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has guided my life, my thoughts and my good choices (I made the bad choices all on my own :). I am a better version of myself today because of my faith in Him.

It was one fantastic Thanksgiving.

Agradacimiento

2011-11-20T08:59:00.001-07:00

Sometimes stuff happens that makes you feel like the world should stop and feel what you are feeling. Sometimes things are so big that it doesn't makes sense when everyone around you doesn't carry the same joy or pain you do. But I am grateful the world doesn't stop. I am grateful that even on a bad day the sun shines, babies laugh and people get to taste chocolate for the first time. Ultimately, though sometimes I wish the world would cry and rejoice with me, it is a beautiful thing that the wheel of time keeps moving so that we can learn to cherish beautiful moments and let go of the painful ones. Today, I am grateful for that.

How did I not know about this girl?

2011-11-18T20:41:00.005-07:00

Seriously. I don't know all her songs, but at first glance she's cool and funky, like a less-high- female James Brown. Seriously, why did no one tell me about this chick? So cool! What a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day!

Do yourself a favor and click on this link and watch her video "Tightrope". The dancing, the funk, the tuxes, it's definitely better than "Cats". Brothers and sisters, that's some sweet soul. Amen and goodnight.

Don't fear the beet

2011-11-18T17:51:00.005-07:00

One of my favorite meals while serving an LDS mission in Uruguay started with a stop at the vegetable stand. We would buy every vegetable we could find, and peel and chop it all into the most beautiful salad I've ever seen. We would top it with some lemon juice and salt and sometimes some broken up wheat crackers. Heaven. It was the best lunch ever. I looked forward to it every day. That was the first time I tried raw beets, and they've been a favorite ever since.* When I saw this recipe in this cookbook I was excited to try it. I'm posting it here with my own modifications.

Beet Burgers on Romaine

1 Large beet

1 Carrot

1/3 C pistachios

1 avocado

The juice from one lemon

sea salt to taste

Capers (for garnishing - don't put in the food processor!)

Romaine lettuce leaves.

Put the first 6 ingredients in the food processor and process until blended or finely chop all ingredients and mix.

Place about 1/3 cup of mixture on a lettuce leaf and garnish with capers.

Enjoy!

p.s. beets can turn your pee pink, don't freak out. You are not bleeding internally. I wish I had known that when I first consumed a large quantity of beets. Sigh.

*I never really had canned beets growing up, but I am told they are disgusting. Raw beets are very different, they are crunchy like carrots and a little sweet.

ευγνωμοσύνη

2011-11-17T12:04:00.006-07:00

The title is Greek, but if you've followed my titles this month I bet you can figure out what it means.

Today I am grateful for silliness and joy. I'm especially grateful for the people in my life who exude those two qualities. I was teaching voice lessons two days ago and noticed we needed a music stand. My student rushed out to find one, raising her fist and yelling "Adventure!" as if she were on a quest for the holy grail. When she returned from her quest (successful, I might add) she mentioned that she likes to make everyday things seem either grandiose or ridiculous because it makes it more fun. That totally made my day (I love high school students, by the way). Sometimes life can by &*%$-y and the more joy we can see, create, and relish, the better. So thank you, all you joyful, silly people in my life. Thanks for brightening my day.

avec reconnaissance

2011-11-15T18:01:00.004-07:00

Today I'm grateful for the piano duo Anderson and Roe. They are amazing. This is an exciting, classy, and artfully-sexy version of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. Love it.

This next one is deliciously creepy and artsy and all that. Seriously though, the film is a bit trippy and spooky, so you've been warned*. I love the modern interpretation of Schubert's Erlkonig. The original piece is for piano and voice and tells another very dark tale. I'm usually not one for the morose, but I love the intensity and passion of this piece, the marriage of an old piece with a fresh look, that still honors the original intent.

So today, I'm grateful for the piano and those who can play it well.

*The film is shot in the Steinway factory in Queens, New York. I've totally been there! I've toured the place, and it was awesome. I just wanted you to know.

The cutest thing I've ever heard

2011-11-14T20:29:00.004-07:00

Riconoscenza

2011-11-14T13:03:00.006-07:00

It was a great weekend. Songs were sung, a race was run, and it all ended with a very bad pun. Seriously though, here are my three things I'm grateful for to catch up for the weekend:

1. I made it through my recital without exploding. It could happen. Seriously though, I felt very loved and supported both by my loved ones and by my Heavenly Father for helping me do the best I knew how. I still have some work to do before I submit a recording with my application, but I was grateful to feel a sense of peace and joy as I sang on Saturday night. I had been going through a period of serious self doubt about the whole thing just a few weeks before, and I am grateful for having found the tools I needed to feel prepared for the recital (which included starting work on this book again, as well as movement based warm-ups to free up my stressed-out, crazy tense body, affirmations and energy work from this book - I'm such a hippie.)

2. Jeff rocked his race yesterday. I am so proud of him! He killed his last half marathon time, beating it by 18 minutes!! Wow! I barely made it to the finish line (Bean and I were cheering him on along the course) when he came sprinting in. Way to go, Jeff! His buddy, Justin also ROCKED it, by the way - Yeah Justin!

3. We got hand-me-downs in the nick of time. Just when I was running out of clothes for our little guy and coming upon a new season (anything that fit him was shorts and t-shirts!)we got some great clothes for the Bean for winter from my neighbor and Jeff's co-worker. It was great to be able to outfit our little man without breaking the bank!

This brown hoodie is his favorite, by the way. Even if he's wearing his footie pajamas, if that hoodie is within reach he will bring it to me so I can put it on him. Then he happily pats the dog that sits right over his belly, content as can be. It's adorable.

Gratia

2011-11-11T14:50:00.005-07:00

I have come to terms that I'm not going to get in a gratitude post every day, but when I get them in, I'll make 'em count. So here's what I'm grateful for.

1. The first voice teacher to tell me that I had a beautiful voice. When I started graduate school I was actually a music theory major and had no confidence in my singing voice. I had just come from a pretty cut-throat music school where I got my bachelors and where if you weren't the child of a faculty member you pretty much wouldn't amount to anything. It was tough. Then I met Carol. I think the first few times she told me I had a "beautiful instrument" I didn't believe her. What a difference a teacher can make. What a difference someone who believes in you can make!! I am grateful for Carol, and how her confidence in me changed the course of my life.

2. I am grateful for beautiful music. I heard this song for the first time yesterday and fell in love. I believe it was raining at the time. Where would I be without music with that much soul? I am certainly a better, happier person because of it.

"I think it's gonna rain today" - Norah Jones

Gratitude and playing catch-up

2011-11-08T18:31:00.005-07:00

Well, so much for posting a gratitude blog every day. This week I've been pretty caught up in getting ready for my recital, it's all I think about, I dreamt about it last night and it's what's been causing all these stupid headaches. So here are the things that are helping me make it through.

1. This guy (the tall one).

My confidante, my best friend, my favorite person in the world. I am not exaggerating when I say I'd be a basket case without him.

2. This little man.

(the sleeping pic is a few months old, but its the same sweet face!)

Tonight I sat in the rocking chair and sang him songs from my recital in the most lullaby-version of my voice that I could. He laid his head on my chest and fell asleep. It was magic.

3. This book.

It's been at least 10 years since I read it last. It is still changing my life and my students' lives through the way I teach. If you are a performer of any kind, READ IT.

4. Prayer. After a discouraging lesson last week with the avenging angel (my awesome voice teacher who looks like an angel but won't let anything slip by - she amazes me) and an even more discouraging rehearsal yesterday I was feeling pretty crappy about this weekend. I've been praying all day for help; help that I don't get sick, help that I can find what is lacking and fix it, help to not get discouraged. Tonight's practice was infinitely better and exactly what I needed. As always, I give it my all and Heavenly Father makes up the difference. God is awesome.

5. My good friend Kate told me that DeCordova was free to all Bank of America customers on Saturday (making up for the debit card fee, now aren't we?) and we cruised up there for a walk around. It was beautiful!

6. The weather today. 70 degrees? Seriously? It was like I high-fived a million angels and they spent the rest of the day cheering me on with sunshine. It was freaking amazing. When I stepped out this morning for a walk with the Bean, I nearly passed out from pure joy. Don't worry, my neurotic tendancies toward stressing out soon brought me back to my senses. But still. 70 degrees in November is not something to be taken lightly. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Happy Tuesday everyone.

No more greasy-mom hair

2011-11-04T06:54:00.004-06:00

Today I am grateful for dry shampoo. It makes me feel better about myself and my not showering today. Specifically, this dry shampoo:

I have no idea how I made it this long without it.

Chasing the bandwagon

2011-11-03T13:04:00.004-06:00

It's November 3rd and all the cool kids started their gratitude blogs two days ago. So, like most of my life, I'm jumping on the bandwagon from a dead sprint to join the already-started-party.

So. Today I am grateful for three things (to catch up). I'm grateful for my lungs. They may be asthmatic, but they are the reason why I can talk, sing, and run.

I am also grateful for sunshine. It warms my body and my soul and reminds me that though winter is coming, it's not here yet.

*This picture is from the Bar Harbor Marathon (aren't you jealous!) and taken by my talented friend Kristin.

I am also grateful for wonder and how much this little guy reminds me that there is so much in this world that is worthy of our awe, curiosity and wonder.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:45:00.005-06:00

Though he really had no clue what was going on, we did take the Bean trick or treating. We went to three houses. We just wanted people to see how cute he was. Our mistake was taking the pictures after he'd had the full body dinosaur suit on for a half hour. Don't let that smile fool you, I was going crazy behind the camera.

This is pretty much how he really felt about the whole thing.

But so cute!!

Movember

2011-10-30T18:34:00.003-06:00

I stumbled on this little add on youtube today:

and I think it is totally awesome.

I remember the day my sisters and I found out my Dad had prostate cancer. I'm not sure I had ever cried that hard in my life. It was a dark day, but thankfully it was caught in the early stages and he is totally cancer free today. So, though generally I am not a fan of the mustache on anyone but Tom Selleck, I will be cheering the 'stache in it's many different forms during the month of November. Let's go gentlemen, grow a Mo for prostate cancer! (And go to the doctor regularly).

Happy Halloween Eve!

2011-10-30T18:27:00.004-06:00

The Bean was too young to really care about snow last year, so this early snow storm was pretty exciting for him. His enthusiasm helped me uncurl from the fetal position and stop sobbing at the early onslaught of winter long enough to take some pics of my adorable son. Here's to children who's joyful discovery of snow helps their parents not slip into seasonal depression!

Mama's Boy

2011-10-28T13:13:00.005-06:00

I remember the first time I changed a little girl's diaper after having the Bean. It was incredible. She just lay there, patiently, cooing at me as I wiped her bum. Changing the Bean has ALWAYS been like changing a caged badger.

I remember, before we knew what we were having, being sure we would have a girl. It took a little bit for me to wrap my head around not being able to dress my baby in pink after that first ultrasound. Most of my sibling's children are girls so naturally I thought I'd be having one too (one sister has 4 daughters and no sons! That's a lot of estrogen!). It was a little different at first, always being on guard for a stray stream of pee, making sure he had enough 'wiggle time' even when he was 6 weeks old, and stopping to check out construction sites (as I stand there with the Bean pointing and gawking at the construction workers...it makes me want to shout "Ha! Who feels objectified now?!?"). All in all having a boy has been a VERY fun ride. For the most part, I love chasing him as he runs (walking was so 2 months ago, he runs everywhere now - I'm so proud) from place to place trying to see, taste, touch and experience everything. I love the fact that he already likes to take things apart and see how things work, that he likes to race his cars and wants to put his hand over mine when he sees me dribble a ball. The only downside, I would say, is the frequent bumps, bruises, scrapes, and cuts that are starting to appear on my budding Captian America as he climbs over, through, around, and falls off of, everything that will stay still long enough. I'm happy to announce Mister Evil Kneivil Jr. has survived another day. That is no small feat.

Now it's time for Handel

2011-10-26T18:55:00.004-06:00

I am singing an this aria by Handel. I wasn't all that excited when my teacher suggested it. But the piece has so much passion and urgency to it that I totally understand why this pianist decided that Handel's music needed to be taken to the masses. Behold, another incredibly talented and very cool musician:

Handel hits the road! from Daria van den Bercken on Vimeo.

P.S. She is in Amsterdam. I've been there! What a lovely city!

The Mt. Desert Island marathon

2011-10-25T18:11:00.001-06:00

I ran a marathon a week ago. As always, it was an incredible experience (wonderful, terrible and everything inbetween - isn't that what makes something incredible?). My much faster running buddy and amazing photographer friend, Kristin, and her family came up to Maine with us, we shared a house and Kristin and I ran the marathon at the end of the weekend.

Marathons are a lot of work but they are also a time of physical, emotional and spiritual growth and renewal. Though the high I get doesn't last quite as long as the one after a recital, it is marvelous indeed (minus the G.I. issues from this marathon, but I won't take you there - suffice it to say it was pretty crappy - HAH! Too late! I just did!)

Moving on, the course was BEAUTIFUL and hilly. Somehow, though, I missed seeing half those hills when we drove the course. They magically appeared, however, on race day.

*This lovely picture was taken by Kristin (head out the window, sometimes entire upper half of her body out the window) while I drove the course.

It wasn't quite as hilly as the Mad Marathon, but the uphill/downhill pattern was relentless. There were very few flats. Running by the ocean for a good part of the race was so very lovely, refreshing even and I would even say a consolation prize for the hills. I have to admitt however, that I was frustrated by the pace I kept as I felt like I was giving the right amount of exertion to get a faster pace but it just wasn't happening. I found out later I had a bit of a stomach bug. Boo. But it was still a wonderful race.

I met these three 50-year-old guys they were all best friends and had flown in from Indiana to run the race together. They were so supportive of eachother and of everyone around them. I stayed with them for most of the race and their orange t-shirts were an encouraging sight. Thanks Denton, Cass and Nubbins! I passed a guy playing the accordian at mile 23 with a lady playing the tamborine. Best idea ever.

Jeff was awesome as the support vehicle (with the Bean of course) and provided much needed enthusiasm, inhalers, snacks and pats on the bum as I passed. Jeff is the best. The Bean just seemed a bit confused by it all, but seeing his sweet face was so motivating (not to mention the compliments on my gorgeous son from my fellow runners). The spectators were awesome! I loved the spectators that read your name off of your bib number and shout "Go Amy!! You can do it!!!"

Finally, as most of my long runs are, this was definitely an experience that made me feel the hand of God in my life. As I ran those last 5 miles, sick, tired, and a little disapointed in what was evidently going to be my finishing time, I prayed. For 5 miles, I had a constant running prayer in my mind that varied from a whisper to a scream. As I prayed, I told Heavenly Father that I would give it my all if He would just sustain me. I gave everything I had in me and He did sustain me, and I swear I ran faster. Now that's love. I finished 243rd or something like that, and He still buoyed me up and made me feel like crossing that line was a victory. It made me feel so very, very loved and at peace with the effort that I gave. Ultimately, that is why I run, and that is why I run marathons.

My dream last night post #7 or how man discovered fire

2011-10-22T12:01:00.007-06:00

So. I was in a speed boat with some guy that I think is famous right now, maybe the guy from Green Lantern? I'm not sure. He shot his cabbage gun (a gun that shoots cabbage, not a gun made of cabbage) and it turned him into a water-skiing hippo.

He tried to morph into a giraffe, but only succeeded in becoming something between a cheetah and a turtle. A churtle? A teetah?

I think he did it by flexing his muscles (the changing of one shape to another. Think of the flexing a baby does when he/she poops. Yeah, that kind of flexing). Then I think as he let go of the rope and skied (on his feet/flippers/whatever) to shore he changed into something vaguely resembling a stegosaurus where there were some dinosaurs milling around, because evidently my dream took place during the Mesozoic Era.

So, it turns out that my stegosaurus friend started talking to the dinosaurs and found out that they were quite smart! They lived in villages! They communicated from village to village through a town crier! They had a town crier! How smart is that? It turns out they also had fire, and that secret was brought to some cave men nearby by my cabbage gun wielding, stegosaurus looking, movie-star friend.

And that's how man discovered fire.

Happy Friday!

2011-10-21T08:56:00.002-06:00

I found this video while looking for something for Bean to watch while I clipped his fingernails (which he will NOT sit still for). He was transfixed. We watched it three times. It makes me think of the African Dance class I used to take in Salt Lake City, which made me feel like the dancers in this video, light and free and beautiful. Hope you have a lovely Friday!

Tufts 10K and some VERY important visitors (to us - no Bon Jovi didn't stay at my house)

2011-10-18T07:50:00.003-06:00

I wasn't going to run it. But a friend of mine had already registered and couldn't run so I took her spot. Who knew it would be 80+ degrees? It was just a 10k, but Franklin Delano Roosevelt, it was hard. I chose a pace that I could have maintained had it been about 5 or 10 degrees cooler, but as it was I was mentally yelling at myself for the last 2 miles:

"DON'T STOP! THE FASTER YOU RUN, THE FASTER THIS IS ALL OVER!"

It was inspiring to see all those women (and the occasional dude) running together through Boston and I was proud of my time in that heat. But see that look on my face? It is saying "I'm so happy it's over! I'm so happy it's over!"

And I would do it again tomorrow. Runners are crazy.

Then we hung out with my dear parents who came out to Boston just to see us before they left on their mission to London! Wow, I felt so loved!

We hung out in the North end, Bean got totally drenched playing in the fountain and scared the crap out of a sleeping guy at the park by grabbing his nose. How jarring must that be to be woken from a blissful sleep in the sunshine to a tiny hand grabbing your face?

We finished our tour of the city with a pantsless baby because Jeff and I are still rookies and didn't think to bring extra pants. Seriously, how are we parents anyway?

Still, a good time was had by all.

Bah Hahbah (Bar Harbor for those who don't speak Mainiac)

2011-10-17T14:01:00.004-06:00

We went to Bar Harbor this weekend with our good friends the Marshalls so that Kristin and I could run the Mt. Desert Island marathon. I'll post about the marathon next time, but this post's all about the town. I grew up in Maine, and Mt. Desert Island was like all of the loveliest memories of that time all squeezed into one beautiful island.

The woods behind the house we rented were indeed, lovely, dark and deep. Bean thoroughly enjoyed himself.

It was beautiful. My favorite thing was walking along the land bridge that leads out to Bar Island. The land bridge is only accessible at low tide, so we inched our way out there as the tide receded. All while trying to keep the Bean from taking a swim.

A letter to my nephews and nieces

2011-10-10T18:22:00.000-06:00

When my sister asked me to send a message to her children about the importance of listening to good music I was captivated by the idea and totally intimidated by the task. Talking about, and labeling music as good or bad is really tough for any musician. I can see the talent and appreciate the work that goes into any piece of music whether it is by Eminem or Brahms. However, as much as I can see the good in all music, there is definitely music that is not good for you.

Music is emotional. There is no way around it, it makes you feel more deeply, and draws you in. This piece for example, will always stir my soul, and make me feel things in my heart almost indescribable.

Music is powerful. That is why every movie I've ever seen has a sound track. Music makes you feel things. That's the beauty and the problem with music. If music is good, it can come back to your mind and bring those same awesome feelings again. But if music has a message that tells you to mistreat women, take drugs, use people just to have sex with them, that stuff comes back too. Your mind can remember nearly everything it experiences and I promise you, that music about when Eminem* beats his wife will stay with you, it will come back to you and you will have to make a conscious effort to put it out of your mind.

I could write an entire book on this subject, but the bottom line is, we all want to be happy. I mean, REALLY happy. So, fill your mind, and your ipod with music that allows you to be happy. Listen to music that is going to make you joyful. There is SO much out there!

Like this:

and this:

and since we're on the subject of my favorite b boy,
this:

Music, like all art, should make you higher, deeper, better. Find the music that does that and you will never regret it. I promise you.

Love you guys and miss you so much,

Amy

*I actually think Eminem is enourmously talented, but most of his lyrics reflect a pretty painful life and a very angry guy.

Bathtime with the Bean

2011-10-07T08:11:00.007-06:00

Someday my son is going to yell at me for posting bath pictures of him on the interweb, but until that day, you HAVE to see how adorable he is in the bath. I think I mentioned that he doesn't sit down in the tub anymore. Bean hasn't sat down to take a bath for quite a few months now. When we brought out the foamy soap he belly laughed. It is so cute. I wish I could recreated his slightly raspy, guttural, belly laugh that is pure joy, but when I try it just sounds old-man-pervy.

Check out our super-chic pale pink tile. Hey-oh!

Taking care of your voice

2011-10-06T14:22:00.005-06:00

I don't have all the answers, but this is an email I just sent to my voice students about taking care of their voices through the cold and flu season:

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone is staying healthy! With the start of school there's been an upswing in the

amount of colds going around.

In preparing to perform, practicing at least 4 times a week, and probably singing frequently

in chorus, it is important to take care of your voice. Singing through a cold is no fun,

so preventative measures can really make a difference. I am not a doctor, but I've sung

about health before, so I'm totally qualified to give advice :)

Here are some things I have found that help or hinder the health

of your voice.

1. DRINK. LOTS. OF. WATER. This is a basic rule of thumb. Drink not only

to stay hydrated and to keep all the working parts of your voice lubricated,

but also to cool down the muscles of the throat. Singing is an

aerobic activity and preventing inflamation is just as important in the

muscles related to your voice as it is after a long run. We can't ice those

muscles after a strenuous choir class or a difficult piece but we can cool

them down by drinking water. Water can also flush your system of toxins

and prevent a few more illnesses!

If you are drinking enough, your pee should be clear or very pale yellow.

2. Take a multivitamin. This is not a quick fix, but it really does boost

your immune system. Make sure your multivitamin contains zinc, which has been

proven to help lessen the symptoms and duration of a cold (that

comes straight from the mouth of my son's pediatrician).

3. Don't strain your voice. Screaming at games is fun. It's fun until the

game ends and you are stuck with a voice like an 83 year old with emphysema.

Cheer occasionally, but don't scream if you can help it. Over use of your voice

can cause inflammation which can make you more susceptible to infection.

Talking won't cause strain unless you talk for a long time with poor posture

and little support.

4. If you do get sick, take cough drops with zinc.

5. Humidifiers actually don't do that much for your voice (unless you have

it right next to your face), but they can make you sick if you don't clean out

the gross stuff that grows in them. The manufacturers actually

recommend cleaning them after each use. There was a

recent study that showed that they have little

influence on your overall health when it comes to getting rid of a cold.

I recommend hot steamy showers to clear the nasal passages and humidify

your lungs in the morning.

6.If your throat hurts, don't sing. If your throat doesn't hurt, you can sing

without worrying that you are causing damage, just take a little more time to warm-up

and be patient with yourself.

I don't have a medical degree, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I wish you all luck in staying healthy! Do you have any tips for staying healthy this winter? If so, please share!!

Blueberry!!!

2011-10-04T13:17:00.001-06:00

The Bean may struggle with eating his veggies, but his capacity to consume blueberries is endless. I don't think his hands will ever be the same color again.

The kind of style I may never have

2011-10-03T13:53:00.002-06:00

If I were rich, I'd hire a stylist. I'm definitely style challenged. But like those who feel they are musically challenged, I don't think I'm short on appreciation of good style. I know it when I see it on other people, just not on myself. I LOVED this video! Such a visual treat.

Dieter F. Uchdorff is my hero

2011-10-01T19:25:00.002-06:00

This is beautiful. This whole sermon seems like it was meant for me. Take a minute to listen, I hope it leaves your heart as warm as it did mine.

A Bean update

2011-09-28T19:17:00.006-06:00

Things are going pretty well for the Bean. Except for the little bump on his forehead that he is now sporting from falling yesterday. That's another story. I'm still getting over it. Anyway, Bean's got to wear his fall/winter jammies from his Grandma. He looks so cute in them I can hardly stand it.

He can channel his inner Tom Cruise from "Risky Business".

He's getting pretty good at occupying himself while I'm practicing or rehearsing with my accompanist. Sometimes it will get really quiet and I'll come out to check on him and he'll be seated in the midst of a pile of books, quietly leafing through the pages. My little baby nerd. It warms my heart.

A friend loaned us a dragon costume for Halloween and so far, he's not a fan. Here he is fleeing the scene:

He now can say two new words: train and doggie. They sound more like "aggie" and "dain" but I'll take it!

We are thrilled to be his parents everyday and have the very special job of making sure he doesn't kill himself before he reaches the age of two. It's a pretty challenging job.

Foods I'm addicted to right now

2011-09-26T14:40:00.003-06:00

1. Dill Pickles (that is pretty much a standard though)

2. Sparkling water

3. Home-made Larabars inspired by this blog, sent to me by this blogging mama friend.

4. Spring rolls - with a Thai nut sauce to die for - made by this raw-food goddess.

5. Sigh of shame...as I proclaim how stereotypically female I am..... dark chocolate.

6. Fage yogurt. It has tons of protein, so it's great since I rarely eat meat anymore.

7. Cilantro. It makes everything better. Except chocolate. Well, I haven't tried, but I'm going on a hunch.

8. Dried pears. Anything that cilantro does not make better, dried pears will.

9. Quinoa. So yummy, so healthy.

10. Mango.

I could go on and on...

What foods are your faves?

Bach's got soul

2011-09-18T20:01:00.004-06:00

Who said you can't break dance to Bach? Sorry to all of you who clicked on the link and came up with nothing. I leave you with a much more polished video, the actual trailer. Complete with a breathy announcer that is probably starting off with something like "In a world, where Bach wasn't dance music... one woman, lots of dudes... and a stage painted like a piano will change your life forever" only in German. I love that prelude in the background. One of my faves. Go Bach!

How I feed my child vegetables

2011-09-18T18:37:00.003-06:00

Don't judge me. While Jeff and I are getting all hippie-like with our raw-food this, and our grass-fed that, my child is eating mac and cheese. It's the organic kind, but still. I have TRIED to get him to eat raw veggies to no avail. All the raw vegetables I give him end up forlorn and rejected on the floor near his high chair. The only way to get greens in him is to cook, puree them and spoon feed him. Even then it's pretty much only sweet potatoes that he will eat without dramatic and elaborate distractions.

So I put them in his pancakes. Yup, I have a pretty simple pancake recipe and I substitute some of the milk with.... pureed peas, chopped spinach, sweet potato, you name it. It works great for us.

Oh, and here's the recipe:

1 Cup flour (I usually do half wheat half white)

1/2 C milk

1/2 C pureed veggies, raw or cooked

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp agave

So, What do you do to get your little one to eat veggies?

Sunday, Running Sunday

2011-09-11T19:42:00.004-06:00

I was worried when I decided that I needed to do my long run on Sunday for a few reasons.

1. I am Christian and a Mormon, Sunday is a special day, one that I should be thinking about God and my relationship with him.

2. I didn't have my usual running friend to accompany me.

3. Part of me still thinks I might get hurt just because I was running on Sunday or maybe bit by a rabid badger (I hear they can smell when you're doing something bad). It could happen.

Well, I didn't get struck by lightning, and there are surprisingly few rabid badgers in the Boston area. Actually, it was one of the best runs I've had in a long time. I started early, and I didn't see a soul for about the first 3 miles. I reached the Charles and the sunrise hit the water and made it sparkle as a lone rower glided through the water. I stayed just behind him for about a mile just hypnotised by the little splash of his oars and I decided right then that for me, it is ok to run on Sunday. The silence of the cool morning, the feel of my body working and the clarity of mind that the repetition of step after step created made it feel like the best kind of prayer. As the river stretched out before me I repeatedly thanked God for my body, for the beauty of this world and for moments of sweet stillness and joy such as that one.

Don't get me wrong, 20 miles is still twenty miles which means it is hard work, but this run had me so excited that (embarassingly) it was all I wanted to talk about for the rest of the day. In fact, I realized at the end of the day that I had squeezed it into practically every conversation I had. Here's an example:

Random person: "Hello! You look nice today!"

Me: "Thanks! I went running this morning, and it was awesome!"

Random person 2: "Hey, do you think it will rain?"

Me: "Not sure, but I ran this morning and I feel closer to God!"

Random person 3: "Your little boy is getting so big!"

Me: "You bet, and I ran this morning and it was the best run ever! I love Boston!"

I may or may not have alienated a few people on Sunday. Note to self: share your running stories with other crazy runners like yourself and be a little more lowkey about how much you love running.

Europe: the remix

2011-09-09T07:33:00.005-06:00

I always wondered when artists released a "remix" if they were just out of new material or stalling because they had writer's block. But I was looking through some old pictures yesterday and found my pictures from our trip to Europe two years before Beck was born. It was a different time. A little more carefree, and way before part of my soul was housed in a wiggly, adorable, perpetually-in-motion little boy. So come with me for a trip down memory lane.
One of my favorite parts about our visit to Paris and Amsterdam was the outdoor markets. So many interesting things, and such beautiful colors.

I love these little metal toys, I am kicking myself for not buying some for the Bean.
I'd have to say my favorite thing was being in such a beautiful place with my favorite person in the world, my sweet husband.

Sigh. I want to go back...

The Bean's guilty pleasure

2011-09-07T12:03:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was a bit of a rough day for the Bean. He's got a stomach bug, so he's been more clingy and needy than usual. We were in the car and he was NOT happy. When times get desparate, I just start passing him non-sharp, non-toxic items just to see if one will catch his interest and placate him. I passed him this little coloring book and the crying stopped. Pretty soon however, I could hear from the back seat:

"No!"

Silence

"Na-na-na-NO!"

...and on and on. Looking back at the mirror positioned in front of him I could see that Bean was munching on the coloring book and then scolding himself for doing it(he knows I don't let him do that)... and then munching on it again.

It's OK, Bean, we all have guilty pleasures. I do pretty much the same thing when I eat cheap chocolate (expensive, well made chocolate, on the other hand? There are rarely any regrets...).

But I still stopped the car and took it away from him.

I don't have any pics of him in the act of paper-consumption, so here's the Bean engaged in a Mama-sanctioned activity.

I've got the power!

2011-09-01T08:50:00.003-06:00

Hurricane Irene came and went, we emerged relatively unscathed. But I whined like a fat kid who had been cut off from chocolate cake; for two whole days we were without power. This is strictly a first world problem (up there with your GPS taking you the long way home), but I seriously thought I was going to die, or at least huddle in the corner during the Bean's naps and write really dark poetry.

Here's the funny thing, we were planning on going camping that weekend but after experiencing all the non-fun things about camping (eating out of a cooler, making sure your mayonnaise doesn't go bad and kill you all, reading by candle light, figuring out how to fill all the daylight hours without recorded music...) all the fun things about camping (the woods, the adventure of it all, pooping somewhere new...) couldn't lure me away from a working fridge, an apartment full of electric lights and my lovely computer. Maybe in a few weeks.

It was a grand day out

2011-08-28T06:35:00.007-06:00

A few weekends ago my sister came out to Boston to visit on her way to her 20th highschool reunion. She stayed with us for a few days and we LOVED having her there. On her last evening with us Jeff offered to stay home with the Bean so Sis and I could go out on the town. We had such fun! I know it might be old hat, but I love Boston's Public Gardens.

They are so picturesque and nearly always have interesting musicians in different corners of the garden. These guys were AMAZING!

They were all from the Berkley School of Music, so it is a good thing they were worth their salt. I always give to street musicians if I stop to enjoy their music and I have the money. Call me silly, but I feel a kinship to any struggling musician. Anywho, we had a great time exploring the city, watch some amazing break dancers,

and had some great Italian food in the North End. Hurrah!

P.S. At the end of the night there were these guys setting up a watermelon stand for the next day and I bought one. The guy gave me the biggest one he had and I had to carry it on the subway all the way home. I think it was heavier than the Bean. The things we do for visiting sisters and delicious fruit.

My dream last night post #6

2011-08-27T08:10:00.000-06:00

So I dreamt that my family had a crypt in which the bones of our predecessors were kept and I was told it was my job to go count how many coffins were in there so they could plan who else would fit in the crypt.

The crypt turned out to look a lot like a supply room in an office and the "coffins" were actually those insulated pizza box carrying cases in two stacks on the counter of the crypt/supply room. I was slightly creeped out when given the original task, but it turns out our crypt was all modern-y. It had electrical outlets, a place to make copies and was well lit and friendly; not at all what one would expect from the resting place of one's progenitors.

The pizza-box-carrier coffins were about the size of a large pie-so I assume it was just bones in there (how they got the skull in there I don't know). Anyway, I counted the stacks but kept having to go back realizing that some of the pizza boxes were actually folded up lawn chairs(there were 15 by the way - coffin/pizza boxes that is). Who keeps lawn chairs in a crypt? Seriously.

Anyway, a few running buddy's showed up after I finished to talk about how to PR on a race and I decided to look in all the cupboards before I left. They were all full of super cool office supplies. I LOVE office supplies. Stacks of markers in really cool colors, blank cds, journals, paper and cool pens. Am I in heaven? No, just in the family crypt. Anyway, I decided since it was my family it would be OK to stock up, so I helped myself. Then I looked out the door and noticed it was right across the street from the Bertucci's in Watertown.

The end.

My dream last night post #5

2011-08-26T00:23:00.000-06:00

So I was going out my door with Beck for some reason and discovered that in the stairwell, my 90 year old upstairs neighbor (that part is true, I really do have a 90 year old upstairs neighbor) had built a Rube Goldberg machine. It contained numerous 5-gallon buckets, gumballs, spools of thread and I believe a few goldfish bowls. It was not quite as impressive as the one by OK-Go, but considering that in my dream she had given birth to a little girl some months past I decided to give her some slack. I think I had moved something inadvertently trying to get a gumball before she came out of her apartment, and so when she tried to show it to me it didn't work until she tinkered with it. While she was doing said tinkering some of her friends arrived to see the baby. Since she was busy, the machine was blocking the stairwell, and Bean was already in my arms, I suggested they just come and see Bean instead since he was clearly cuter. My neighbor didn't argue with that one.

And now, a Rube Goldberg machine that I could only wish would be in my dreams:

Cliff diving? In Boston!?

2011-08-25T12:33:00.004-06:00

Yes, my friends, there is cliff diving in Beantown. Jeff, Bean and I were carousing about in Boston when we stumbled upon the Cliff Diving World Series in Boston Harbor. A huge platform was set up on top of the IGA building, over 90 feet in the air, and we watched as diver after diver did flips, spins and all kinds of crazy stuff before the careened into the water with only a minimal splash. It was incredible!

That little dot is a diver. And behind the camera is me, regretting the loss of my zoom lens.

Jeff's content, Bean can't help wondering if that last diver really deserved that 9.7.

I love going into Boston, you never know what you are going to stumble upon!

My dreams last night. Post #4

2011-08-22T12:22:00.007-06:00

I can't really remember the whole thing. All I know is I was chasing Robert De Niro on a snowboard through the woods in the dark. I kind of wish he had said something. Something like: "Hey, are you lookin' at me? Are YOU lookin' at ME?!?" But alas he was snowboarding too fast, even if he had said anything I wouldn't have heard him.

Also, I was a really good snowboarder.

That's how I knew it was a dream.

My dreams last night. Post #3

2011-08-21T07:23:00.008-06:00

So last night I dreamed I was standing at the edge of a pool and realized that it was full of tadpoles that were quickly growing into bullfrogs. They were growing into big bullfrogs, that would drag you into the pool with them. So I ran away. Melanie, the winner of So You Think You Can Dance, chased me and tried to drag me into the pool (I suspect she was half frog, but I couldn't prove it). I tried to beat her off until she said: "Why do you keep hitting me?".

"um, because you won't let me go!"

And that was my dream.

Dream #2

Then I had a dream that Johnny Knoxville (whom I have NEVER liked as an actor - blech) gave Jeff and I these special chocolate bars that were only for cool people. I thought, as he gave me the chocolate: "Well, I guess he can't be all bad". We were all hanging out in the kitchen in my old house in Maine, Johnny was sitting on the dryer. As we were discussing the chocolate (it came with stickers so you could label each square with the months of the year). I half heartedly got out the stickers, which didn't really make any sense to me, so I just started to eat the chocolate. Jeff got a mysterious phone call on the old school phone on the wall (it had a very long cord that could stretch all the way across the kitchen) from a guy that said if he wanted to buy an HP touch pad (they are being discontinued and are VERY hard to find) he had to meet him in a half hour.

And that was my other dream.

The End.

Raw food and Moby Dick, an update

2011-08-20T18:12:00.003-06:00

So I recently blogged about my discovery of the world of raw food and how it has been helping Jeff and I to lose weight and feel great. We are still eating about 5 raw food dinners a week, and about 3 or so lunches. The rest of the dinners are still mostly vegetarian (remember Food Inc? Also, grass fed beef is expensivo!) but not as high in fiber. Well, we've hit a bit of a plateau. I know I can't lose weight forever, but I was hoping this momentum would see me through about 5-7 more pounds. Sigh. Like all life changes, it looks like this diet thing will need a bit more tweaking. I think we need to address breakfast (which right now is TOTALLY random stuff as I try to make sure the Bean gets fed) and snacks. Raw food does fill me up, but I've noticed hunger comes on with a vengance when it does strike and I start eyeing my arm as a possible protein source. It get's pretty despirate. Sooooo, I'm headed back to the drawing board as I plan next weeks menu and I'll let you know what I find!

There's hope

2011-08-17T14:17:00.003-06:00

Never fear. Great things are happening to get kids off the streets and creating beautiful music. In... Venezuela. Someday, when I have lots of money, I am going to do two charitable things with said money. One of them is to create a foundation that funds children's choirs in low-income areas in the states and around the world. Now I just have to figure out a way to fund it.

Holy. Crap.

2011-08-17T13:23:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure how my dancer friends will feel about this, whether or not it is trampling on a sacred work of art or not, but this is incredible. Yeah, sometimes at night for fun I just do pirouettes on Jeff's bicep too. No big deal.

I love a piano

2011-08-16T04:15:00.005-06:00

If you don't know that song, by the way, it is by Irving Berlin. Once apon a time a good friend decided she didn't want her little toy piano anymore and I jumped at the opportunity and now the Bean has his very own! He loves it, though we do have to stop him from climbing on top of it, OFTEN.

It's definitely a cure for piano-envy from which Beck was recently suffering. Every time I'd go to practice he'd climb up on the (real) piano bench and pound on the piano. It makes it a bit hard to concentrate on technique and vowel placement when you are making sure your child doesn't swan dive off the piano bench. This was a welcome addition to the family. So far, I don't mind the noise at all.

Raw! Raw! Shish-kum-ba!

2011-08-15T06:53:00.003-06:00

So, I've been posting a lot about diet and food and such lately. Jeff and I have been eating more raw food and losing weight and loving it. Since I love lists, here is what I've learned/noticed about a raw food diet so far (though we are not doing it 100%, you can pry that cheese out of my cold dead hands).

1. I feel lighter, more alert and like I run faster (though I'm not sure if that is quantifiable or just a feeling :).

2. There is a TON of variety in raw foods, it is not just a glorified salad.

3. There is an abundance of easy, fast delicious recipes out there. Just like conventional cooking, you can find the recipies that suit your eating cooking style.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes so far:

Pad Thai salad, Rawshi (think sushi but with only veggies and diced jicima for the rice), Raw Burritos. The Pad Thai salad can be found here and the raw burritos can be found here. The Rawshi I found here, but I've modified it enough that I will just write out the recipe:

Rawshi:

(you will need Nori sheets to make this recipe)

"Rice"

Dice 1 Jicima* in a food processor

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp (optional) fine grain raw sugar

*this makes enough for about 4 rolls, you can also use other root vegetables like carrots and beets in the same manner as the jicima.

Filling:

1 cucumber (peeled and julienned)

2 carrots " "

avocado " "

*there are so many veggies you can use as filling in the rolls, I'm not going to list them all. Just look in your crisper and get creative!

Assembly:

I like to use a bamboo mat (you can get a sushi making kit with the mat fairly cheaply at most cooking stores and maybe even TJ Maxx) but you can just put down a sheet of plastic wrap on a plate.

Place a sheet of Saran wrap on your bamboo mat and put the nori with the rough side up down on the mat.

Spread the jicima 'rice' on the nori leaving about an inch of nori on the top of the sheet (the side furthest from you) don't spread the rice too thickly, about 1/4" thick max.

Place filling in a line down the center of the nori sheet.

Using the bamboo mat to guide your hands roll the sushi and hold it in place for a few seconds before you take the plastic wrap off.

Cut the sushi roll into pieces.

*Use the sharpest knife you have. To keep the knife from sticking to the nori, wet the blade before each cut.

Serve with pickled ginger or soy sauce (I know soy sauce is not raw, but it makes it so tasty!)

I'm sure I'll be posting more recipes as I discover them, but I totally encourage you to check these out! They are delicious!

Note: I'm still working on getting Bean to eat this stuff, his diet is much more cooked than Jeff and mine right now, I'll keep you posted.

The haircut

2011-08-09T18:53:00.003-06:00

It's not the first, not the last, but it just happened to be documented.

Here goes (perhaps next time we should get bigger scissors, I believe those are eyebrow trimmers!):

We let the Bean watch some "Baby TV" on youtube so he would sit still. He sat still alright, but I'm afraid that red butterfly was going to eat his soul.

"I will obey Baby TV..."

The Bean now demonstrates some sweet styling and how you too can achieve "The Bean" style.

It really doesn't look that different, we basically just made it so it didn't fall in his eyes. I can't bear to cut too much of that gorgeous hair.

The white whale and weight loss.

2011-08-05T08:43:00.007-06:00

Call me Ishmael(except in my story I end up kicking the whale's trash, yeah!). Weight loss is my Moby Dick. Don't you think it's quite fitting to compare fat to a white whale? Especially since I'm quite pasty. Applaud me.

Anywho, losing weight is something I've thought about, obsessed over, worked on ever since I was a chubby pre-pubescent teenager (oh yes, I was pre-pubescent well into my teens - explains a lot doesn't it?). I've tried many diets. I may try more in the future. I was worried that after my baby I would never lose those last few pounds. I ran a marathon mostly because I love running, but also because I wanted to lose that baby fat (cute on the Bean, NOT on me). I've been on and off the no sugar train so many times I should just buy a monthly pass. Nothing really worked. Well, I may have found the heavy artillery to bring down this cursed white whale.

If you recall, I watched a few movies about food and decided to try a few raw food recipes. Then entered the heat wave of the summer and the fact that we have no AC and that I couldn't bear the thought of cooking anything most nights. So, our meals have been mostly sandwiches, raw food salads and the occasional quesadilla, or something like it, that's lighter on the cheese and has tons of veggies and lots of flavor (breakfast is a free for all: sometimes cereal, sometimes a smoothie with toast, sometimes eggs, etc.). It's been about a month I've lost 8 pounds. Hot to the D to the A-M-N. That's the most weight I've ever lost in the shortest span of time (unless you include my short stint with the Atkins diet in which I laid on the couch like a slug when ever I got home as I had NO energy. I may have lost 7 pounds in a week but I could have eaten my hand while sitting in the dark writing, no just thinking, about depressing poetry as I had no energy to write.)

I would like this to be a permanent change in our lives but don't I want to be so crazy vigilant that it takes over my life. I think making this change also meant overcoming the mental road block that eating raw foods recipes was eating boring tasteless salads and always being hungry. So not true! We found a few recipes that worked for us and they are so delicious, very flavorful and totally filling. So I am looking at a 80 to 20 ratio of raw foods, lighter meals and healthier options to the occasional yummy treat now and then. I'll take the next few months to see if all that weight was just a fluke or if this is a sustainable thing.

What do you think?

Like a fish to water

2011-08-04T19:50:00.004-06:00

Bean loves water; baths, the ocean, and splash parks. Now that we finally bought him some swim trunks we can hide our white trashness from the world once again.

Let's just call a spade a spade

2011-08-01T07:13:00.000-06:00

Have any of you taken the color test? It is supposed to tell you what your personality traits are and where your strengths and weaknesses lie. I don't live by it, I took the test a long time ago, but I came out as Red/Blue. Anyway, what I got from it at the time was that I am assertive and I like to be a leader (Red), but if I cross some hidden propriety line in my head I have to go back and fix it/apologize (Blue). Bleh. I'm not one of those to go around speaking my mind or saying unkind things just because they 'needed to be said' but I do get nervous sometimes when I let the less polished side of me out.

So here's a confession for you. I love the word damn. It's not one of those REALLY bad swear words. It never makes me feel that guilty, just maybe a little edgy. Honestly, there are some occasions that just need a damn. Now, I'm not saying I think it's OK to say it all the time; there is definitely a time and a place.

When I think Jeff looks extra sexy?

You bet.

When Bean does something I don't like?

No way.

When I'm congratulating myself on a high C well done?

You bet your sweet patootie.

When I mess up in front of my avenging angel voice teacher?

Yeah, Probably not.

The list goes on. But what I'm getting at is that I (and I think most people) have beautiful, wonderful, classy things about them and then there is all the rest of the stuff they do. Why can't all those parts be visible side by side? Everybody wants to be loved for who they are, right? I still want to be the best version of who I am, but I think the spicy/quirky parts of us all make us more interesting and understandable.

Last week I wrote a blog post and ended it with a "Hot Damn!" and then I chickened out and changed it to "Hip, hip, hooray!". Well, that just doesn't quite convey the same thing, does it? Hip, hip, hooray seems tame in the face of the mighty exultation: Hot Damn. So, though I hope this doesn't offend (I hope you still love me, Mom and Dad I promise I still go to church and pray morning and night - but really it was your fault for letting me listen to that one man show about J. Golden Kimball), the Hot Damn is here to stay.

Curly Hair

2011-07-26T09:20:00.005-06:00

I blame Anne of Green Gables for my obsession with curly hair. I remember seeing that movie for the thousandth time, dizzy with the romance of it all and LONGING for red curly hair. I've always had straight hair. Until I had a baby. Now it's sort of frizzy, kind-a curly and in no way does it resemble my idol from days of yore, Anne Shirley.

I now realize that since I got 60% of my wish granted (honestly, 60% of a wish doesn't usually work out that well), I have no idea what to do with my hair. What does one do with curly hair besides straighten it and put it back in a pony tail? Gah! Any suggestions mildly curly haired people would be welcome!

News flash!

2011-07-26T07:51:00.008-06:00

The more you do something, the easier it gets. I know, something everybody knows right? But often I still sit on my duff and think, "I just wish I was good at ______". How many times have you seen someone do something really well and thought, "Man! I wish I could do that!" and then sat back down and did nothing?

Putting this into practice with my two main passions, I can DEFINITELY say running has become easier since I've been running 4 times a week. I'm thinking of going to 5 days per week in preparation for my next marathon. But running has definitely become something my body can just do. It is a wonderful feeling. Running has really held my ego intact while my voice has been stripped down to the core and rebuilt from the ground up. I'm not kidding. I would go to voice lessons, get totally ripped apart (totally sweetly, mind you, my voice teacher is an angel- no joke, she even has the white-blond hair and the amazing blue eyes) and go home and slog through another week of not feeling like my voice would ever be where it should be.

Today while I was working on a very difficult aria I got to the end and the high C just popped out. Like daisies in spring time! Easy peasy. I've been a lot more consistent with my practicing; working on technique much more and I think it's finally paying off. Well, I think it's been paying off for a while, but I am finally able to see consistent proof. Hot Damn!

...One giant step for baby-kind....

2011-07-23T13:50:00.002-06:00

Beck is walking! Slowly but surely, everyday he ventures out further and further. Just three days ago I saw him walk halfway across the auditorium while I was rehearsing my little children's opera class(now THAT's a post in itself!). The whole thing started on Monday when he started walking towards me every once in a while. Now it's the end of the week and he barely crawls at all. Seriously though, when he walks, I have a hard time carrying on a conversation with anyone. In my brain I am thinking "yes, I know that must have been hard but LOOK! He's walking! With his arms outstretched all wobbly and stiff like an cute huggable baby Frankenstein! How can you even think of anything else when overwhelmed by such cuteness?"

To quote James Taylor "He's the walking man, the walking man walks". Yes, yes he does. It is so adorable I can barely breathe.

The Brave Little Toaster

2011-07-22T18:03:00.003-06:00

I don't even know why we buy him toys...

This brave toaster provided at least a half hour of non-stop 1-year-old-style fun.

Singing Mama

2011-07-20T17:51:00.005-06:00

I am currently working on a few new pieces for my recital in the fall and I'm mildly obsessed with them. It's sometimes a challenge to practice whilst chasing the Bean so I go through songs over and over in my head (I usually do the majority of my practicing at night after he goes to bed). So let me share, so you too, can have them stuck in your head.

The first is an aria from Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress. Anne Truelove, wrestles with feeling abandoned and her desire to go find and help her wayward lover Tom. Stravinsky is a bit strange sounding at first listen, but his angular lines all make sense when you think of the opposing forces at work in Anne's mind. I am quickly falling in love with this song!

My favorite moments are at 2:20 and 3:45 if you can't make it through the whole thing.

Another piece that I've got on the brain is "La Fille De Cadix" by Delibes. Here sung by the incomprable Dame Joan Sutherland.

Seriously Joan? Seriously. That was awesome. I could make out with that song.

I've got to go practice now that the Bean is asleep. That French isn't going to mispronounce itself.

Uber-salad

2011-07-20T14:15:00.006-06:00

There are salads and then there are SALADS! I had a SALAD! today for lunch and it was amazing. So filling, easy to make, and totally comprised of raw veggies. Even meat-loving Hubs liked it when we had it for dinner on Monday. I thought I'd share it with you all so here's the link. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to eat more veggies and raw foods than what is seen as the average American diet. Recently I have seen the following movies that have influenced my food choices:

"Food Inc." really got me with the ick-factor of how most meat is processed. It was after watching this movie that Jeff and I made a commitment to purchase organic meat. Which also means we just haven't eaten much meat since then because it is more expensive. I can't say we miss it all that much.

"Food Matters"

We just watched this one a few nights ago (Net Flicks has opened up a whole new world!) and it was good, if not a little too dogmatic for me. I really enjoyed the facts that were presented, but I felt like sometime of the speakers wanted everyone to eat completely vegan and raw food diets. Which, honestly, doesn't seem very practical or fun. But it did open up my eyes to the possibilities of raw foods!

So, dear readers, your thoughts? What do you eat to stay healthy? What information has influenced your diet?

A Bean update

2011-07-20T09:03:00.005-06:00

Things have been moving along steadily in the world of The Bean. Independence is the name of the game, and he definitely has been letting us know what his likes and dislikes are. His current drag is teething, which hasn't been a problem in the past, but molars are making things a little bit more... well, volatile. That would be volatile in a figurative, temperament type way as well as the diaper outcome type way.

So here are a few pics of the Bean's latest exploits.

The Bean enjoying some, well, beans.

Bath-time - his favorite pastime.

Trying out new styles. We could call this one the mobster, or the Gordon Gekko, or simply The Banker, but we like to call it (just a little shout out to our Mormon-ness) The Monson*.

So suave! So debonair!

*President Monson, by the way, is an amazing man whom I greatly respect. He has filled his life with good things, exceptional service, love of God and mankind and extrodinary leadership. He also happens to do his hair by brushing it straight back.

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad, marathon

2011-07-14T06:25:00.011-06:00

Well, I finished. It was a lot harder than I had expected. When I finished my last 22 mile training run in Salt Lake, I felt ready. I had included 5 miles of climbing up City Creek Canyon so I felt like I could tackle anything that those rolling Vermont hills could throw at me. Boy, was I wrong.

We arrived in Waitsfield, Vermont on Friday evening and I was a little nervous, but pumped for the race. Then we drove the course on Saturday. Shut the front door, sweet fancy Moses, and any other ridiculous non-vulgar phrase that can indicate to you the real words that were going through my brain as we climbed and descended enormous hill after gargantuan hill. The hills seemed endless and horrifically steep. On the bright side, the scenery was gorgeous. Although, at the time, it seemed like a weak consolation prize.

I spent the rest of the day convincing myself that I hadn't really seen that many hills and that it was going to be easy peasy.

Here I am after a lovely melatonin-induced sleep all rarin' to go:

Here I am with my two man support crew.

At mile 13, already hit my first wall, the first 6 miles were mostly up hill, the rest is just crazy up and downs.

I won't belabor the point, but I definitely didn't meet my time goal. I made some mistakes along the way that cost me a few minutes, but mostly it was the insane hills and the heat. Ooooohhhhhh the heat. I do recall thinking about ice-cubes for at least an hour when I happened upon a spectator handing out otter pops. I think I said something like "I could make out with you right now!" as he handed me that magical sugary frozen treat. Ahhhh.

It was one tough race, I'm glad I did it, but words cannot express how happy I was to be done! The Bean is scouting the horizon for more blueberries (he ate his weight in them this weekend).

All in all it was a good, very hard, learning experience. I am glad I ran. But everyone (myself included) that I talked to was a half hour off their projected finishing time. Looks like I'll be doing another marathon in October just to so I can see what one feels like without the insane hills. Here's a recap of what I learned:

1. It's ok to re-evaluate your goals in tough terrain.

2. Don't ever, ever, ever let someone else dictate your pace. *

3. Bananas are an awesome mid-race snack. Around mile 13 just when I was thinking I'd barf if I had to eat my next Gu Chomps, Jeff appeared with a smile, a cheer, a banana and some ibuprofen. I love that man.

4. Don't let Jeff run the last mile. When Jeff appeared I had just come down a 4 mile hill and my quads were nearly at the breaking point. He started to run with me and all I wanted to do was cry on his shoulder about the heat, the hills and being off my goal race time. He was so sweet to run with me but I'm afraid it brought out my inner wimp. What I REALLY loved was him at the end getting the crowd all stirred up, chanting my name and helping me sprint the last 100 yards. That was awesome.

So, for those of you that care, sigh, I'll tell you what my time was. I'm not proud of it, but it will give me something to beat in October.

Official race time: 4:26:55

You live and learn. Marathon, you haven't seen the last of me. I will break 4 hours and someday I will qualify for the Boston.

*Around mile 7 or 8 I caught up with (and would have passed) this girl. She was really nice and we had some good conversations. We ran together for about 8 miles, maybe 10. It was a slower pace than I hoped for, but I was worried that without company I'd get discouraged on the hills. After about 8 miles I realized the pace and the fact that she kept asking me to wait for her was more discouraging. After the words "looks like another 5 hour marathon" came out of her mouth I cut my losses, told her she'd do great and took off.

The Beach

2011-07-03T22:31:00.007-06:00

My friend and I somehow agreed that a great idea would be to brave the crowds on 4th of July weekend and head to the beach with our families. She even brought 2 extra kids for added excitement (our friend was in the hospital having her 3rd, so Kristen kindly took the two kiddos for the day). As annoying as the traffic was on the way there, it was worth it just to see the Bean in 7th heaven. Seriously. I feel a little bad that we've denyed him this enjoyment up till now (we went to the beach last summer but he was too little to realize it was his natural habitat and the origin of all happiness).

His favorite thing was when Hubs would dig a hole, Bean would sit in said hole. That and crawling around in the water like it was a giant bath tub. Oh, the good times he had!!

We begin the journey, fully clothed, unaware of the joys that await the little man:

It begins, Bean helps Daddy dig the first hole.

Bean and I both agree that clothes are just keeping him down, and though he'd like to be a nudist, his unprepared mommy happens upon a friend with a swim diaper to spare.

Well hello to my adoring public! Don't I have the most fantastic, chunky, baby butt cheeks ever? I know.

Ahhhh, much better (He has a swim diaper on, I swear it - a little ghetto I know, but honestly, it didn't even occur to me to get him a swim suit.)

So many ways in which to enjoy a hole in the sand...

I promise we didn't put him there, he climbed in.

Bean kindly paused in his merry making to pose for a few pictures

One of the whole gang (in which Kristin show's me that yes, I do have a self timer that I've never used in the three years I've had that camera...)

All in all, in the midst of making sure that the Bean didn't crawl off, drown or try and eat someone else's food, it was a lovely day!

His favorite place

2011-07-01T21:14:00.006-06:00

His favorite hangout is near the cupboards where I keep the pots and pans and tupperware, and sometimes in said cupboards.

It's one small step for man...

2011-06-28T19:23:00.006-06:00

He walks!! Well, he took a few steps. While we were in Utah, our little man took his first steps from his great grandma Leola's walker to my open arms. How exciting! We don't have a picture to document the event, but here's a pic of him that looks like he's getting his groove on to some sweet toddler tunes:

And one of a well enjoyed meal...

and his new fascination with anything vehicular.

Our little man is growing up so fast!

The Yellow Dart

2011-06-20T08:52:00.003-06:00

Perhaps you've noticed my new blog heading? It is compliments of my sweet hubs. He did it to surprise me and I'm not sure if he intended it to be permanent but I liked it so much I haven't taken it down yet. Ever since I got these shoes:

Jeff's been calling me the Yellow Dart. The name comes from an internet cartoon found on Homestarrunner.com - http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail64.html. I think it is equal parts ridiculous and awesome. Like a super heroine that knows how to laugh at herself. If I truly was said super heroine, here would be some of my superpowers:

1. Runs faster than a 3 year old on a trike going down a hill with over a 3% grade.

2. Laughs in the face of 9 mile runs in 95% humidity.

3. Sings well enough (consistently) to have her voice teacher say "you are DEFINITELY ready to audition for your DMA program, go for it girl".

4. Performs regularly with really good musicians.

5. Laughs in the face of pronouncing (and singing in) French. Does it so well that people picture her with a beret and a baguette in her hand.

6. Speaks Italian well enough to not have natives think in their head "Don't kill her, she's trying, I swear she's trying...".

Incredible super powers, I know. I may not be there yet, but some day I will be....

The Yellow Dart.

And when said day comes, you can bet I'll don a yellow cape, turn on the fan and take pictures of myself looking off in the distance and flexing my arms.

The Toddler channel

2011-06-16T19:30:00.003-06:00

I have recently rediscovered Pandora, this amazing internet radio service that just plays songs of the genre or specifications you put down. We have this channel called the Toddler station. It is unlike any toddler music I've ever heard. Sure, it's got the standard Raffi, and Wiggles and Sesame Street, but it also has these great moments of just chill yummy acoustic artists including the one I just discovered. This song made me stop mid-spoonful of greenbeans (for Bean that is).

Blog readers, meet Nouvelle Vague, performing "In a Manner of Speaking".

So sweet and yummy. Happy Saturday everyone!

More pics

2011-06-15T13:20:00.004-06:00

Don't you just love pics by someone who knows how to take them? P.S. I'm thinking about going blonde. Any opinions/advice on the matter?

Our first family pictures

2011-06-13T08:09:00.008-06:00

We finally got family pictures taken! Seriously though, I think it only happened because I have a good friend who is a photographer and she did them out of the kindness of her heart. Now THAT's a good friend!

Bean was feeling ornery that day, so the people at the park got an extra show as three grown adults acted as goofy as possible to get him to crack a smile. They must have thought we were on something. Just high on life, people, just high on life.

Anyway, here are the results. Kristen now has the distinction of being the first photographer in a very long time to take a picture of me that doesn't make me go "aw man! I look like that? Why didn't anyone tell me!?" Well done, my friend. Well done.

It was at this moment that my very professional photographer friend had a stuffed duck on her head and was dancing around, I believe I was laughing hysterically and the Kyle men were a bit more stoic.

The Bean's Birthday - Part Deux

2011-06-13T04:43:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Bean! Part two. He has grown so much and has pretty mad baby skills (I resisted the urge to end skills with a z, you should thank me).

He can climb stairs really well and can go down them with help.

He can also get into lots of stuff very quickly, really well. He is a very adept stuff getter-innner.

He does glam oh-so-well. I believe this was following his screen test for Ocean's 14
Happy First birthday Bean! You are so much fun, and I love your little personality, even if you are stubborn like your parents. Many happy returns!