Strawberries....

For a couple weeks Alex and I have been trying to plan a strawberry picking trip for Rosalie and myself. Heck... we talked about it last year before she was even born and how much fun we were going to have. We had planned for a week ago but that did not work out. I had an eye doctor apt and it was just too much at one time. So this past week we planned for Thursday. I monitored the weather and Ron planned to meet me at Harris Teeter to transfer Rosalie to my car. She was in such a good mood and Ron dressed her in a strawberry outfit! Too cute! I was shown how to properly put an infant carseat in a car and off we went. I had two places planned out to go to but the first choice would not pick up their phone so I went to the one that did. The day before and night before it has rained VERY hard and it was still overcast on Thursday.
We were off and arrived in no time to the farm. I had a good idea where it was and only needed GPS for a couple minutes. This farm I had never been to. We arrived and went to go find a bucket and then drove to the picking site. It was a very bumpy ride with a lot of dirt, mud, and rocks. I got out the the car and went to the other side to get Rosalie. She was wide awake and ready to go. I took a picture before she got out and then off we went. Phone, keys, money, child, bucket, check!
Right when we got up to the field, I had a terrible site and was worried for our picking adventure. Since it had rained so hard the night before, the field was FLOODED! Seriously, I had doubts. There were workers in the field but I figured they had to have some rain galoshes on or something. It was that deep with water. 

We ended up walking most of the field to find a row that was not flooded with water or weeds. We found a few and kept going in and out of rows for about 10-15 feet picking select strawberries. Rosalie sat on my right thigh while I was stooping down picking berries. She did not get the concept but liked picking at the strawberry plant leaves and the weeds and flowers that we encountered. I gave her a strawberry but she did not understand tasting it so we just put them in the bucket. While out in the field her and I chatted. (mostly me). We talked about how much she loved when Alex would eat fruit and how she (Rosalie) would tumble around in the womb after Alex was eating the fruit. Especially pineapple. We talked about bugs, weeds, strawberries, molding strawberries, and how much fun we were having. Before we knew it, the bucket was full and we left the row of berries. I really wanted to capture some pictures of our trip so I took off my jacket and laid it on the ground for Rosalie to sit on and put the bucket of strawberries in front of her.
She went for the strawberries very fast. She wanted to help squash them in the bucket. (I am sure she thought they were toys). I got some very cute video and super cute pictures. Right when we got back to the car, I was putting her in her seat (Alex would be proud, she didn't cry) and saw some terrible clouds ahead. We packed up fast, paid the lady and drove to daycare. Not but 100 feet after we left the farm, big drops of rain started to come down and then the sky fell out. It was a crazy thunderstorm. I drove slow, turned off the radio and was super alert. Having a baby on board is no joke! Alex called and I only picked up because it was her. She said to be careful because of a storm coming and I told her we were driving through it and I would call her once we got to the daycare. When we arrived at daycare, Rosalie was out like a light. She slept through the whole storm. We sat in the car for a little while so that the storm could pass and finally made a run for it. I took two trips into daycare. The first with her and the next with her stuff and some flowers for one of the teachers. (she was getting married over the weekend)
After dropping her off, and putting her things away, Rosalie was out playing around in daycare and I was off to meet Alex for lunch at the farmers market. We both got the endless veggie platter and both agreed it was so good. I gave Alex some strawberries since we were not able to pick a whole bucket for her too. (due to the crazy thunderstorm)

Coffee Talk

Since the beginning of January when I really started to train for my marathons, Daniel would meet me on Sunday morning for coffee talk. I would run 10-15-18 miles or whatever the plan was for the day and then he would bring me coffee. This Sunday was the first one with no extreme run followed by coffee talk. Instead, we just had coffee talk. It is nice to just sit without a distraction and talk. No tv, other people or cats interrupting. No cell phone or computers. Just talk. I do miss my long runs but there is no extreme distance that I am going to be training for in the foreseeable future. (But.. I might just find a longer race in May.... Still undecided/haven't found anything yet)

Better late than never

I try to post events that happen in my life in a timely fashion so that I don't forget details, etc. BUT work has been a zoo this week and after work, my brain is so fried that I don't want to touch the computer.? Anyways... I ran in a 1/2 marathon this past Sunday morning. I left work on Saturday evening late of course and drove to Daniel's Gma's place to spend the night. We had a really good time sharing photos, videos, letters, and stories. We of course had green beans (they are my fav!) for dinner along with sandwiches and potatoes. I had to call it an early night because I was going to get up at 5am.
5am came way too early but I did only wake up once during the night which was good since in the past I have had troubles sleeping the night before a race. This is the second time in row (I think) that I have not had trouble sleeping. I think my mind/body is getting used to the nerves and excitement. I gave myself 30 minutes to get ready in the am and was ready within 26 minutes. Out the door I went and to the race start. I allowed a lot of time to make sure that I was not standing in a long registration line and that I had time to scope out the area and find the restroom. I made it to the race start with no problems. The roads were pretty clear and the line for registration pickup was very short. SO.... I had an hour to kill before the race started. Unfortunately they only had large and extra large shirts left so I took a large. I went back to my car, put my stuff away and drove closer to an exit for after the race. A bunch of cars were flooding in and I wanted to be prepared for then end of the race. I hung out in my car and read some and then about 30 minutes before the race decided to find the line for the bathroom. Thankfully I did not wait a minute more and that I picked a fast moving line. There were only 10 stalls to use for over 1000 half runners and who knows how many 5k runners. Needless to say, I had to run... i mean sprint back to my car to grab my race water bottle and music because I had just a few minutes to spare after moving though the line.
The race started smooth. There was no delay which was nice but there were no mile markers. Not a single one out there anywhere. I felt bad for some people who were just doing their first race and knowing that they might not have a good judge on time/distance. Thankfully, my trusty Garmin came along with me and I was telling people where they were in the course. (only because they were asking the volunteers and they didn't know anything). Overall, there were a few very big and long hills. We traveled through a greenway for a good bit of the race. There were very very few spectators because there was no good place for them to stand, but the water stations were manned with enough to drink and enough people to hand out water. As far as doing this race next year.... Im not sure. It was not my favorite but all proceeds went to an excellent cause. (the puppies and kitties at the shelters)

Grown up

Well Mom and Dad..... you will read it here first... I ACTUALLY ATE lima beans on purpose the other day! Can you believe it?! That's a long way from swallowing them whole, hiding them in a napkin, feeding them to the dog, and my favorite.... trying to scoop mixed veggies out of a large bowl while trying to avoid the dreaded bean. I ate them for a few reasons... 1. I accidentally bought them in a bag of mixed veggies at the store. 2. I will not throw away perfectly good food just because I want to act like a child, and 3. I was not going to return it to the store. That would have been just a waste of gas money.

Finishing out 28 years

Ok yes... I did just turn 28 but I have completed 28 years on Earth. To start my 29th complete year I did the following... got up early and went for a run. This run was very unsuccessful. I am not sure why, but I stopped at mile 3. I had a side stitch that would not go away and there was just no point in pushing it if it wasnt enjoyable.

I went to IHop with Daniel for breakfast and then went to our rental property to do yardwork. (I HATE yard work!) but it had to get done. I worked in the backyard while Daniel mowed the front yard. My project ended quicker than his so I left to go run some errands (Harris Teeter) and then went home to do more yard work! This yard work was a bit more enjoyable since I was in the garden and I got to get some sun while wearing my bathing suit. :)
Last week I went to Home Depot and bought 13 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants. I have high hopes for this season!! Due to the high volume of tomatoes, I decided to expand my garden bed. I dug up dirt for a 12x4 extra bed. I did just have a 4x8 bed before. After fumbling a few times and cutting my foot and leg, I decided it was best to go inside and forget about anything further. Plus there was no point in acutally putting the plants in the garden in case there is a frost that comes.
I decided to take a 3 hour nap which was nice and when I got up, Daniel had started cooking pork chops, peppers, and onions. I finished off the night by talking about dreams with Daniel. (plans for the future, trips, goals, etc) And of course watching The Killing! (second best show on tv until next week after Justified is off the air)

Finding the silver lining

Year 27... It came and its about gone. It definitely did not turn out how I had envisioned it. Some parts it did but most parts, it did not. There were some highlights ( Beach trips, Rosalie, Vegas, California, 2 marathons, a couple half marathons, a 10k, and even one 5k.) Lowlights... well... we are just not going to go there. Tomorrow is a day to celebrate my life and thank my parents for not giving me away/go crazy when they found out "there were two!" in the delivery room. HA!! What a surprise! Its a day to thank my parents for being so patient with me, help guide me into the person I have become, teach me good morals, and encourage me to (in my fathers voice) "never lower your standards." I have always thought that even though I get the birthday wishes, my parents should really be the ones getting the high fives and a great big THANK YOU for everything.
Anyways... year 27 has ended much like it has begun... at the doctor's office. I went back after months of deciding not to go/have a break. The doc told me what I already knew. My body is still wacky, I am completely healthy but for some reason my body can not produce Progesterone the way "normal people" can. SO.... we are trying to get this regulated. (still)
On another note.... next weekend I have an awesome half marathon! This race benefits all the puppies and kitties who have no forever home in Raleigh. No dogs are allowed on the race course but I can't help but have a soft heart for these animals. So fingers crossed it will not rain that day. :)
So tomorrow... what am I going to to.... RUN!!!