Last Day to Sleep In

Today was our last day to sleep in this summer.  The life of a teacher is a charmed one.  But we must go back to work tomorrow and my feet are surely dragging.

 We have done a lot this summer, in fact, I think we have played harder this summer than ever before.  Perpetual barbeques bleed lunch into dinner, one day into the next.  Waterskiing until we are sore, frisbee for Jon and running with my girls for me.  Kitchen remodel and visits home.  Kayaking and paddle boarding in the lagoon.

And sleeping in.

This was the view in our summer bed today, trying to hold onto the last threads of both the season and the sleep. 

I am extracting the dread and infusing the joy as I go into Fall; may I enjoy this year as much as I have enjoyed this lovely, lovely summer.

Surprise Visit

I have a friend who sometimes blogs, with a wink and a smile, about all the wonderfully embarrassing things that happen to her in her less than mundane life at home with her two adorable girls.

The Fluffy One likes to lay out too...and share my pillow

Here is my nod to her:

Step 1: Don itty bitty bikini that no one but the walls in the back yard ever see me in.
Step 2: Hammock and Psychology lecture on iPod.  Turn it up, zone out.
Step 3: While listening to the various stages of consciousness and sleep, be vaguely aware that the dog is barking somewhere inside.  Ignore it.  Again.
Step 4: Furiously scramble to cover myself, twisting, turning and flailing. Readjust said bikini in areas where it's been inched back to allow for fewer tan lines, but do this in the most graceful and expedient way a hammock will allow, eventually being spilled on the cement, along with my iced tea.
Step 5: Excuse myself, not at all awkwardly, from the pest control man who just rounded the corner and likely got the surprise of the day.

Note to self: Remember when it's bug spray day.

Oh, By The Way...

I forgot to tell you.
Guess what I did!
This summer I got to run two half marathons and I want to tell you about them.

The first one was, at first glance, a bust.  After only 1.5 miles I conked out.  I got too excited and messed up my pre-run routine, and started out too fast.  Going up a little hill, my friends took off.  My mentor/coach/Mr. Miagi stayed with me and never left, but I was so upset about doing poorly and not keeping up.  Finally she told me to get over it, and I wouldn't have wanted them to stay with me and wait anyway.  I knew she was right, but I still couldn't enjoy my run.

My Mr. Miagi, Sheri

I started to get all philosophical and began to think about how I've also felt left behind by friends who have all gone on and started families, even though I started the race before many of them.  It was an emotionally exhausting run, as well as a physical one, but I don't think it was as much of a failure and here's why:

My mentor helped me realize that I wouldn't want anyone to wait to start families as I wouldn't want these girls to slow down, and neither did the race end at the finish line.  I didn't stop running, and I've only gotten better.  I've gotten healthier and even ran another half marathon since then.  And this is life too; we are all called upon to exercise our endurance at many different times, and we are all forced to run.  But how we react and become stronger from these events is where the true success lies.

So my excitement at their finish on race day is just as genuine as my excitement when dear friends and family announce pregnancies and have baby showers.  There is nothing that will ever keep me from sharing in their celebration, and knowing that their victory is also my victory.  The God that is writing their story is my God too, and I love that he works in the people I love.

This first race was the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half, and the second was the Freedom Half in Salt Lake City on Independence Day, which I ran during my recent vacation there.

Night and Day.

It was me, running it myself.  No comparison, only enjoying the ride.  Much of it was downhill, and I had no goals but to enjoy it.  I finished 8 minutes faster than the other one, and I had a blast.  My family was so supportive, and my dad even came out and met me at mile 10 on his bike and rode with me for a while.

I've been reading Ryan Hall's Running With Joy, and I finally got it this time.  This is my run, I am not running it in competition with anyone, this is my story and I'm running it at my own pace, my best pace I can.  I love that I have companions to pull me along and encourage me to do better, but ultimately, this race is my own and no one else's.

I have learned so much about life from running, and I have so much more to learn, in both areas.  But one thing is for sure: I am hooked.  And now, I am training for a full marathon in Long Beach this fall.  I can't wait.

I Have an Announcement!

A few of my friends have asked me to blog about our endeavors in bringing home baby, but I made the decision to keep much of that content outside this blog, as I wanted to maintain this as a blog about creativity and art.

I have decided that I will include a few little stories and bits of info, just so the people who are watching my life and art are included in all aspects which affect those two areas.

So here's the scoop: we are adopting!  Last year, I never wrote about our plans or our short efforts with the doc, but after three years and no smushy little one to call our own, we decided to adopt.  As I learned, one can do a private adoption (international or domestic) or through the county.  The former can cost between $15-30k, and the latter is free, but likely stickier situations.

If you're more interested in how we came about the decision to adopt versus through fertility treatments, or about how we decided to go through the county versus private agency, or anything else you can think of, I'd be glad to be a sounding board, a mentor, a shoulder, or informational source. 

As for this little blog that I've loved for sometime, and I've had the pleasure of hanging out with you all, I would still hope to share all things creative and motivating and lovely. Don't worry, I'll for sure be posting about DESIGNING the NURSERY! and other such baby-related frippery, but not yet.  I just wanted to keep my loyal lovelies abreast of the situation...and solicit some prayers and such for the long process ahead of us.