Sunday through Sabrena's Eyes

I feel really lucky to have such talented photographer friends that enjoy capturing my family with their cameras. My sweet friend Sabrena came to visit last Friday and while I was running around packing things up for a trip this weekend, she was capturing Sunday with her camera. I love that she was able to capture Sunday's silly expressions and moments of her everyday life. She sits and plays on the living room floor almost every day and it never occurred to me to capture that. I am always moving her to the light or changing her clothes and putting her in her high chair.  I have a difficult time capturing her as she simply is because I'm constantly trying to make everything perfect by encouraging her to smile and laugh. So - I love these pictures. They are true to her personality and her daily life!

That last photo cracks me up! It's like she's saying "Hey! Put the camera down and help me here!" That's her classic trying-to-stand spot. We don't have a coffee table so she practices on the couch all the time. I snapped the picture below the other day of her letting her frustrations out between attempts to stand up. So cute!

Thank you, Sabrena, for capturing my baby exactly as she is. <3

P.S. YES we use disposable diapers when we travel! This was about an hour before we hit the road and Sunday was all ready to go. :)

Mommy confession:

So, we have this very useful The First Years American Red Cross Deluxe Baby Healthcare and Grooming Kit:

We love it! Actually - just this week I pulled out the hairbrush for the FIRST time because Sunday finally has enough hair to brush! But we've been using the baby nail clippers, thermometer, and nasal aspirator for a long time!

However, I confess: I have no idea what these are for:

So... I use them to trim my candle wicks! They totally do the job!

Do YOU know what they are for? Do you use any everyday tools to do unique jobs?

Tommy's Birthday Weekend

I am so grateful for this man. He just left for a two week trip and I miss him already.

A few weeks ago we spent the weekend celebrating 31 years of his life. We ended up having three different parties for him with three different cakes! On Friday we kicked everything off by having a cookout at his sister's house where she made him a lemon raspberry cake. She knows him so well. :) We enlisted a good friend to watch Sunday that night and we went out to a concert. We are always going to concerts on Tommy's birthday weekend (it's his favorite thing in the world)… but in the past we've mostly gone to see the Counting Crows in Northern VA. Well, we LOVE Old Crow Medicine Show and as soon as I found out they were playing locally the weekend of his birthday I bought tickets. This concert was much more low key, but Tommy's taste in music favors low-key concerts. He loves that type of musical environment.

Needless to say, the show was awesome!! The Lumineers opened for OCMS and performed a great set. Then of course OCMS came on and did not disappoint. I really enjoy going to concerts with Tommy. It is so easy for us to leave all our worries at the door and walk in and let the music fill our minds. It is such a wonderful time… I love, love experiencing that with him.

Saturday was his ACTUAL birthday. Sometime mid-day I locked him back in our room while I set up his gift:

There are supposed to be 31 bottles of beer here (got the idea from this site) but somehow even with three people having their input and doing their own calculations, we still ended up with 29 bottles. #fail Anyway, Tommy is a fan of beer and made 20+ batches of his own up until Sunday was born. Since Sunday has been here he has laid off of spending so much money on this hobby (habit?). So I went all out and got all of the beer for him that he probably wouldn't buy with his own money. I had to call in the experts and with the help of some really great friends I think the gift was a success! (He is kind of a beer snob so it was vital that he enjoy every single beer I picked out!)

The rest of the weekend was spent with lots of family. We had a Sunday brunch with Tommy's parents and then dinner at his favorite restaurant (Outback!) with the coolest birthday cake ever. (If I do say so myself!) My friend Penny is starting a cake baking business and made this awesome Hokie cake for Tommy! The detail was so awesome and I love the way she ran with the Hokie theme. Look there are even helmet stickers on the Hokie bird! Love love.

I think by the time the weekend wrapped up, Tommy was feeling super loved. He is super loved. I have grown to need and enjoy him every day. I remember being younger and thinking "I don't want to NEED anyone." But, in marriage, it's good to need one another. It's a partnership. A partnership I wouldn't want to share with anyone else in the world.

I love you, Tommy!!

A good friend...

A good friend... Is honored when you call them at 3am because you "just needed someone to talk to."

(Passionately) protects and defends your name if they hear someone else talking negatively about you.

Comes to your house two days after you had a baby just to help clean up, make food, and hold the baby while you sleep.

Does your dishes just to help relieve some of your stress.

Writes encouraging words in your birthday cards (more than just the simple "happy birthday!").

Comes over in their PJs to curl up and watch TV with you (like when you were kids) even if they have a husband at home.

Brings dinner and a movie over when your family has had a rough weekend.

Let's you move into their house for a week when the power goes out and actually enjoys your company the whole time.

Calls you just to encourage you after they read your down and out facebook status message.

Drives across three state lines just to make it to your baby (or bridal) shower.

Wants you to stay at their house instead of a hotel when you are on a trip to their town.

Signs up to run a half marathon with you just so you don't have to do it alone.

Stays up late to talk to you online until you really are feeling better.

Walks with you through the hard times and celebrates the good times.

This:

"Oh, the comfort -- The inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, Having neither to weigh thoughts, Nor measure words -- but pouring them All right out -- just as they are -- Chaff and grain together -- Certain that a faithful hand will Take and sift them -- Keep what is worth keeping -- and with the breath of kindness Blow the rest away."

And this:

I have had the honor of having real friends in my life. Without these ladies I would have shed many more tears and felt heartache for much longer periods of time. I love them and have incredible gratitude for all the love they have shown me. I hope to both spend many years returning their love and continuing to make the effort to pay it forward for the rest of my life.

I wanted to also say thanks to all of you for your incredibly encouraging words this past week. (With Sunday's sleep habits, preparing and then experiencing the half marathon.) I am beginning to understand the power of blogging and the awesome blessings it brings to both writers and readers. It's hard sometimes to share so much, but at the end of the day, I am always glad I clicked the Publish button. Thanks for being here, for listening, for encouraging me and for not judging my terrible grammar skills and overuse of the comma. I hope to be able to do the same for you in the coming years. :)

Much love today, friends!

Reflecting on my first half marathon

Standing at the corner of my corral, my body was already covered in a thin layer of sweat. Starting by sealing my pores with a thick layer of sunblock (yucky), I had dashed from the porta-potty line to a hotel restaurant bathroom across the street, and back to my corral all within 5 minutes of the start of the race. Tommy and Sunday were directly to my left on the other side of the corral gate. I think I kissed him "bye" maybe 5 times? They counted down to the start time for each corral in front of me… and then they shoved us out into the pack like a herd of cattle. "Off ya go!"

Humbling.

That is my word for this experience.

• Sweet messages of encouragement from friends and family.
• Completely losing it at mile 9.
• Realizing how incredibly inexperienced I am.
• Not being able to "get in the zone."
• Starting too fast. No matter how hard I tried not to.
• My body aching from head to toe by mile 8.
• Realizing I was in the very last corral. (And not even getting our own starting line countdown.)
• Hearing the cheerleaders cheering "Let's-go-walkers!!"

All of it.

Completely, undeniably humbling.

Here's the boldface truth: I was absolutely not prepared for this half marathon. I knew I started training too late in the game. But I figured… if I can pull off 10 miles in a training run, then I can finish a half marathon.

I did finish.

In fact, I totally reached all of my written goals. They were:

1. Learn to love running.
2. Get to a place where 3-5 miles is a comfortable regular run.
3. Finish the race.
4. Stay hydrated.
5. Have fun.
6. Don't get sunburnt.
7. Continue on my journey of getting healthy.

All of those things happened. But, still, I left my pride on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach.

The half marathon was. so. hard.

Something new is brewing in me. In years past I would have left my pride and not thought about it again. I am a quitter. In fact - I did that in 2008 when I participated in my first sprint triathlon. I finished 4th from last and laughed about it. I mean… what was I really going to do about it? Get better? Stronger? Work harder? Pfft. Nope.

Well, that was Liz pre-baby. :)

The Liz now? I'm more pumped than ever. I will get better… I will grow stronger. I will do it again and improve my time. I will learn how to "get in the zone" no matter where I am or who is around me. I will learn what I need to eat during a run and how often to eat it. I will learn how to run with or without music, with or without company, with or without a baby jogging stroller.

Yes, I feel defeated. I feel humbled. I feel worn out. But I am going to pick myself back up and work harder and longer this time.

I've already set my next goal: another half marathon on November 17th. Coming right up.

This isn't my race report... that'll come. This is mostly my race emotional check. Stay tuned for a less emotional report of how it really went down.

(A mini report for those who really want to know: With the humidity the air temp "felt like" 104 degrees, the sun was behind clouds for most of the race (I might have had a heat stroke had it not been) and I finished with a time of 3:28. Also, I walked a lot more than I ever planned or expected I would.)