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By kilax, July 5, 2009 11:47 pm

Welcome to week 3 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.

Day 15 | Monday, June 29: Cross-train for 30 minutes

The only cross-training I felt like doing when I got home on Monday was moving back and forth from the pantry to the couch*.

But, there was an intervention by the US Postal Service! Jen generously offered to send me her yoga DVD after my “Yoga fail” post, and it arrived! I was too excited not to try it.

She included a nice letter, telling me how happy she was knowing the DVD would go to good use. She mentioned that another friend sent her some books, and this was her way of returning the random act of kindness by “paying it forward.” I will have to do that as well!

A letter and DVD from Jen!

The DVD is Louise Solomon’s Total Body Toner. She mixes yoga and pilates and calls is “Yogalates.” The DVD is set up into 4 segments – abs, upper body, lower body, and total body. I decided just to start with abs (which she called “abdominals/waist/pelvic floor”). I even got Steven to try it.

Louise Solomon is fairly annoying, and we both felt like she was forcing us to breathe and go through the moves too fast, but I felt like it was a good way to force myself to stretch. Because sometimes, I don’t stretch before or after running.

My favorite yoga pose – nap time

*I didn’t get to do this cross-traning. I feel asleep after dinner while Steven was watching Valkyrie, and woke up to him making popcorn for us and Data**. Yum!
**Data LOVES popcorn. It is the only human food he eats, besides fish.

Yoga time: 20:00 (est.)

Day 16 | Tuesday, June 30: Run 3 miles

Tuesday was another speedy 3-miler with Erin. I think we should do a 5K together. I bet we could push each other to sub 25:00. I wrote that crossed out section on Tuesday night, then read her Wednesday post and she suggested the same thing! We signed up to run the Rally for Autism 5K together on August 15th! She also had the idea to volunteer with the PAWS group at the Elvis is Alive 5K on August 6th. I am so excited! I have been wanting to volunteer at a 5K for quite some time.

It was 65°F and overcast when we ran – perfect conditions for a run if you ask me! I think I do best in cooler temps. We ran hard, but I didn’t get as sweaty as I normally do, so I skipped the shower (shh!!!), changed right back into my work clothes (another skirt) and went back to my desk. I know hotter days are ahead, so I am grateful for a simple workout like this! And I am really starting to get into the swing of the midday workout. I really look forward to it – it’s a nice break!

As a side note, perfect running weather does not translate into perfect sand volleyball weather. I am in a Tuesday night league with some coworkers, and it’s been gloomy every time we have played so far (okay, just two times).

Wonderful volleyball weather! Not!

Distance: 3.09 miles | Time: 26:42 | 1: 8:23 | 2: 8:56| 3: 8:35 | 4: 00:46
Volleyball time: 45 minutes

Day 17 | Wednesday, July 1: Run 5 miles

Wednesday was another day of shockingly cool temps. Steven joined me for the first two miles and the fourth mile of this run, then did sprints while I did the fifth. And that is after he did P90X Legs & Back and Ab RipperX. He is hardcore.

My splits are all over the place. Oh well. It was supposed to be a comfortable run, and I did what felt comfortable! It was almost like a tempo run. Almost. Okay, a BIG almost.

I wore one of my anti-nip shirts. I am nipping out, but you can’t tell, because the shirt is so swirly!

Distance: 5.01 miles | Time: 45:16| 1: 9:15 | 2: 9:24 | 3: 8:46 | 4: 9:39 | 5: 8:09 | 6: 00:02

Day 18 | Thursday, July 2: Run 3 miles

Since we were driving to Guttenberg, IA on Thursday night, I decided to save time in the evening by running during lunch. But sadly, without my lunchtime running buddy, Erin.

I was super hungry before my run (after having oatmeal, cereal, a banana, and an apple) so I had a pack of Watermelon Luna Moons. I like the way the Luna Moons taste, but they are impossbily chewy! The only way for me to eat them is before a run when I can pick the bits out of my teeth!

I ran to the Adler Planetarium and back. I think it might be time to take this “comfortable” pace advise more seriously. I think I am pushing myself too hard. I feel fine now, but don’t want to get burned out.

I had my cell phone with me, so I took some crooked pictures while I was running! (Like in that movie Yes Man, Steven pointed out.)

Crossing Lake Shore Drive is a royal pain in the a$$. I had to stop both times. This is the only time the Chicago crossing guards have come in handy, in my experience!

I see my goal…

…and back to Chicago!

It is SO windy right by the lake! This definitely slowed me down!

The Ferris wheel at the Taste of Chicago

The Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies

Distance: 3.01 miles | Time: 25:22 | 1: 8:25 | 2: 8:31 | 3: 8:22 | 4: 00:02

Day 19 | Friday, July 3: Rest

Day 20 | Saturday, July 4: Run 5 miles at marathon pace

I just can’t say no. My grandma called me on Thursday and said, “There is a 5K in the neighboring town of Garnavillo at 8:00 am on the 4th! Do you want me to call and get the info?” How cute. Of course I want you to, Grandma. Even though I wasn’t planning on running a 5K!

My parents, grandparents, aunt, sister and her boyfriend, and Steven walked the 5K while I ran it. I started off entirely too fast. I am not really sure what I was thinking. I know I was expecting less people to be running, but there must have been at least 50 people there, and at least 10 finished in front of me.

My grandpa, aunt, me, Steven, my mom and grandma

I won my age group with a time of 24:51 (a new PR), but was the only one in my age group! I won a free pancake breakfast, which I gave to Steven.

After I was done with the 5K, I ran back to Steven and we finished together. Then I finished off my scheduled 5-miler pretty far away from my 9:00 minute mile marathon pace goal.

Distance: 5.01 miles | Time: 43:33 | 1: 7:46 | 2: 8:12 | 3: 8:17 | 4: 9:44 | 5: 9:29 | 6: 00:02

Day 21 | Sunday, July 5: Run 6 miles

This run was super slow, because I ran so hard the day before and because my wrist hurt. Steven kept me company by riding a bike with me while I was running.

Distance: 6.01 miles | Time: 01:03:45 | 1: 10:47 | 2: 10:48 | 3: 10:59 | 4: 11:00 | 5: 10:34 | 6: 9:30 | 7: 00:04

Week Summary: 22 Miles

I have stuff to say, but am having such a hard time typing with one hand, it will have to wait.

Comments (18)

By kilax, July 2, 2009 7:05 am

Because today is an 8-hour workday for me, I took the 6:25 am train instead of the 5:23 am train.

Wow. What a difference an hour of sleep makes. I woke up with a bounce in my step, instead of feeling like zombie-woman.

It’s a reoccurring theme here – my struggle to get enough sleep. I fill my days too full and make my expectations too high. I set myself up for failure and exhaustion.

It makes me very disappointed in myself that I am still struggling with this. Being healthy is not just eating well and exercising. It’s a triad of eating well, exercising AND getting enough rest.

I tried to combat my exhaustion by taking naps the past two weekends. But a 2 or 3-hour nap in the middle of the day? Or two 1-hour naps in one day? That doesn’t seem right (even if it feels right).

I’ve been putting a lot of hope into this 3-day weekend at the river with my family – that it will be relaxing and easy-going. I imagine myself sleeping on the beach, closing my eyes and relaxing on the boat, having relaxing conversations with my (immediate) family, enjoying leisure activities… we’ll see. I’ve learned it’s best not to have my expectations too high (ever, really) when going somewhere where my imaginary schedule has to be coordinated with 9 others people’s.  

And however the weekend turns out, what happens when I come back? I’ll still be skimping on sleep, I’m sure.

Comments (20)

By kilax, June 28, 2009 10:30 am

Welcome to week 2 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.

Day 8 | Monday, June 22: Cross-train for 30 minutes

Welcome summer, you’re right on time! On Monday, it was 85°F but “felt like 90°F” according to weather.com. Uh, wasn’t it just in the mid 70s last week?! That’s okay, the heat was no big deal on this 2 mile walk. Steven joined me again. I really miss running with Steven. I enjoy chatting with him while I work out.

I’ve been wondering if I should get my bike ready, or do my cross-training at the office gym on Mondays for something different than walking. I think for now I will stick to walking.

Distance: 2.00 miles | Time: 30:04 | 1: 15:12 | 2: 14:49 | 3: 00:02

Day 9 | Tuesday, June 23: Run 3 Miles

I worked out with a coworker at the office gym on Tuesday night. I wasn’t really feeling up to it (I have been feeling down and not too social lately), but figured it would be better to work out indoors, as opposed to the mid 90 degree weather outside. I still had a rough time though. After one mile, I felt like I was going to throw up (Hello falafel pita!). I slowed it down, since it was supposed to be a “comfortable” run, and spent the next two miles bitching about my Memorial Day Weekend (we had some catching up to do!). The bitching made the last two miles zip by.

Lesson learned – stick to my diet throughout the day! My coach took me out to lunch to celebrate a project we completed, and I had an awesome falafel pita and homemade chips (A shout out to Cafe Mediterra is due. If you’re just south of the loop, check them out.)! It didn’t sit well in my stomach though. I need to be even more careful about what I eat before I run!

Distance: 3:00 miles | Time: 29:23 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 10:00 | 3: 10:00

Day 10 | Wednesday, June 24: Run 5 miles

Well, this was an interesting run! I didn’t start until 7:30 pm and it was still 92°F outside! I realized it wasn’t going to be a super speedy, easy run, so I went with the mentality that I would just go out there and have fun. I strapped on my hydration belt (and brought my cell phone in case of an emergency), and put two full water bottles and a bucket of ice on our porch. My plan was to run a loop around our house, stopping for water and ice.

During my warm-up walk, I ran into my neighbor, Fritz,  and his daughter, Maya. We walked together for a bit, and she said, “Daddy, I want to ride in the stroller.” Then the words came out of my mouth, “Do you want me to push her in the running stroller?” So, Maya got strapped in, and off we went. I ran with her from her house, all the way around the park, and back home, making up the first 1.6 miles of the run. It was actually fun to run with the stroller. Those were my fastest splits! She told me cute little stories for most of our run together. When we got back to her house, Fritz and his wife, May, were waiting outside with the camera and video camera. How cute! And they brought out cold water for me. What a fun way to start the run!

Isn’t Maya cute?!

While I was running with the stroller, I passed a group of three young girls, whom I actually ended up passing 5 or so more times during my run. Well, the first time we passed them, instead of warning the younger girl that we were coming, one of the older girls just pulled on her pig-tails to pull her off the sidewalk and let us pass! Poor girl. That must have hurt!

After I dropped Maya off, I noticed there was a group of about 8 kids riding their bikes in their street. It was mostly boys, probably ages 12 or so. They were taking up the entire two-way street with their bikes. Cars would come by, and slow down, and the kids wouldn’t let them pass. When the cars honked their horns, the kids would finally move, but finger the cars as they drove by. This made me feel really disappointed. I wanted to follow these kids home and ask their parents if they knew what they were doing, but hey, if the kids were doing that in the first place, I doubt their parents would really care. That’s just so dangerous, and irresponsible.

I stopped by our house to go to the bathroom about two-thirds into the run, and when I came out of the house, I dropped some ice cubes in the front and back of my bra. Of course, those three young girls happened to be walking by our house then. Ha ha. They probably thought that was a strange thing to do. Hey, it felt good.

And, this question isn’t related to the ice cubes, believe me, but how can I be nipping out for an entire 5-mile run in 90 degree weather?! (see paw prints in photo above)

This was a surprisingly good, fun run, despite the heat! It left me in a good mood.

Sweaty Happy Kim

Distance: 5.01 miles | Time: 47:32 | 1: 9:02 | 2: 9:16 | 3: 9:42 | 4: 9:47 | 5: 9:40 | 6: 00:02

Day 11 | Thursday, June 25: Run 3 miles

Another fun lunch time run with Erin! The forecast called for rain, but it never happened, so we ventured out into the scorching sun (I don’t really feel like I am exaggerating when I say that). I was definitely drenched with sweat by the time I got back to the office, and boy, did that shower feel good!

No rain in the view from my office!

Every other Thursday is a “tele-work” (meaning “work at home”) day for most people in my office, so it’s fairly quiet. With that being said, I was looking forward to running with Erin! I needed to talk to someone! I hope I didn’t talk her ear off.

We did a good job of running slower than we did last week, but we were still running considerably fast (for us). I wish I could run with Erin more often. I can tell we are going faster when we run, but it doesn’t bother me because my mind is on the conversation. I love runs like this. I am looking forward to our next one together!

Distance: 3.18 miles | Time: 29:06 | 1: 9:19 | 2: 9:31 | 3: 8:49 | 4: 1:25

Day 12 | Friday, June 26: Rest

Day 13 | Saturday, June 27: Run 5 miles

I was super excited when I checked the temperature at 6:00 am and saw cooler temps:

59°F and feels like 59°F! Hurray!

That forecast totally makes getting up “early” on a weekend worth it!

I met my neighbor, Fritz, and we ran an easy 5 miles around the neighborhood. It just flew by. That is what happens when you have great company to talk to! I am so lucky to have this happen two runs in a row!

Around mile 3.5, I knew I had to go to the bathroom, so we started to run back towards my house. This is the second time this has happened while running with Fritz. He’s such a cool guy. He said to me, “If you have to go, just go! It’s no big deal!” Ha! I told him that during a race, I would, but that we were so close to home, I could make it. It’s nice to know it wouldn’t bother him if I went on my leg though. Ha ha ha.

Distance: 5.01 miles | Time: 49:25 | 1: 9:54 | 2: 10:09 | 3: 9:58 | 4: 9:39 | 5: 9:40 | 6: 00:02

Day 14 | Sunday, June 28: Run 9 miles

My alarm was set for 6:30 Sunday morning, but I was having a hard time getting out of bed. Enter Alarm Clock Kitty Cat:

Data seriously makes me crazy by rubbing his teeth and whiskers all over my face when I am trying to sleep, but today he actually helped me get out of bed. Thanks, Data.

I got to the park by 7:00 and started running at 7:20 and got back home after 9:00. That is a lot of time for a 9-mile run! What am I going to do when I have to run further… wake up at 5:00?!

I think I ran this a bit faster than I should have for a training run, but that’s okay. I will surely slow down as I add more mileage. I enjoyed this run. It was nice and sunny and breezy.

More photos from the Nippersink Forest Preserve:

My savior – the public restroom!

Distance: 9.00 miles | Time: 1:22:16 | 1: 9:10 | 2: 9:11 | 3: 9:22 | 4: 9:09 | 5: 9:00 | 6: 9:04 | 7: 9:16 | 8: 9:15 | 9: 8:44 | 10: 00:02

Week Summary: 25 Miles

Compared to last week, my runs this week were more fun and easier. I think that’s because I went out prepared for the heat, and because I ran with friends more often.

One thing I noticed though, is that my running clothes are really starting to stink. I wash them twice and they still won’t come clean. The July issue of Runner’s World has an article called “Stink Stoppers,” reviewing eight new shirts that are stink resistant. Unfortunately, I don’t have the cash right now to buy a new wardrobe, so… any advice?

Comments (6)

By kilax, June 27, 2009 9:13 am

Alright, it’s the big question! CourtneyInControl asked, “What made you decide you want to go vegan?”

Disclaimer: My intent is not to convert you to veganism, just to share my feelings on the subject!

I’ve been a vegetarian for over 8 years. The idea of becoming vegan (not eating milk or egg products) did not become intriguing to me until I lived in Rome, in 2006. I volunteered at an animal shelter with a lot of vegans who shared information with me about the lifestyle. I believed in the cause, as well as the health benefits of the diet, but honestly, I was NOT ready to make the change yet. I didn’t want to spend time worrying or caring about what was in  my food, especially when living in Rome! I wanted to be carefree and eat as much pasta and gelato as I could fit in in 7 months (rest assured, I accomplished that)! I didn’t want to go to the trouble of learning even more of the Italian language to read food labels, and ask waiters in Italian, “Does that have dairy or egg in it?” I was just lazy.

Since then though, I made a somewhat conscious decision to cut back on dairy and egg products. I didn’t eat them that often. When I lived by myself, I didn’t even keep those things in my apartment. BUT, I did enjoy the occasional slice of pizza, bowl of ice cream, or scrambled eggs.

Since then, I’ve constantly run across information on factory farming and animal exploitation. Honestly, I do NOT search this information out, because I cannot stomach it. If I read/see/hear something cruel, I CANNOT get it out of my mind. It makes me feel sick.

But since I kept finding myself running into this information, I did force myself to think about it, and came to the conclusion that I must use my actions to voice what I believe:

I believe that animals should not be exploited for our gain. I believe they are sentient beings, who should have the basic right of living a free life. I believe they should not be used for food, clothing, research, or entertainment, even if there is no unnecessary suffering.

I feel like cutting out dairy and eggs is one small step for me. Animals are used for more than just food. There are many ways they are exploited that I do not agree with. But I honestly cannot go on a rampage through my house throwing away all of my leather products, glue, the tires off my car, etc. I can only make small steps towards a more compassionate lifestyle.

I really want to share some of the awful things I’ve learned about animal exploitation, but I don’t want to ruin your day, if you are like me and cannot get the images out of your head, so I am going to share some links below.

Thanks for reading with an open mind.

Continue reading 'Vegan Saturday II | Why go vegan?'»

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By kilax, June 24, 2009 12:42 pm

I didn’t get home until 8:45 last night. I was a little bit frustrated that my train was late, but all of that frustration washed away when I opened the door and smelled… fresh chocolate chip cookies! Steven decided to try this vegan recipe. How awesome is it to come home to fresh cookies? Steven is such a sweetie. I am so lucky to have a husband who loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen.

They turned out very thick on their own. Steven pressed down the second batch, but I liked the big, thick, chewy ones.

Nom Nom Nom

Steven had to make some substitutions to the recipe. We didn’t have unbleached flour, so he used all-purpose. And we didn’t have raw sugar, so he used half white and half brown sugar. He found out that most white sugar is not vegan, as it is often filtered using bone char – an animal product. I am sure as I continue on this vegan journey, I will discover lots of interesting tidbits like that. I will have to accommodate them when I run across them.

Anyway, he thought the cookies were a little bland, that they needed more flavor. He thought they just tasted like sugar cookies with chocolate chips in them – that they were missing that “buttery” (?) taste. I liked that they didn’t have a overpowering taste, as I generally do not consider myself a chocolate chip cookie fan. As you can see, they weren’t laden with chocolate chips. He only used a half of a cup. I don’t like it when chocolate chip cookies are overloaded with chocolate chips. Blah.

With all of that being said, I scarfed down three cookies. Then went almost immediately to bed. These cookies sat like a brick in my stomach, and had me tossing and turning all night. I don’t think it is necessarily the cookie’s fault. I think it is MY fault for eating too much, too fast, too close to bedtime, on an already full stomach.

I got into a bad pattern for awhile in the end of May and beginning of June where I was eating too much in the evening and sleeping very poorly at night. I’d wake up because I feel so uncomfortable and gassy. I would still feel gross when I woke up in the morning. That’s not a good way to start a day.

And the dumb thing is, I couldn’t figure out why I was tossing and turning all night. I just kept repeating the same actions over and over. It wasn’t until I actually slept well, that I looked back and thought, “Hmm, what did I do differently yesterday?”

So, while I’ve always laughed at the theory that you cannot burn off calories you eat in the evening* (because you go to bed), I think I will be making an effort not to eat so close to bedtime.

*I think the advice to “not eat after 7:00 pm” is meant to help people cut back on mindless snacking done after dinner. But it seems to have turned into this belief that calories you eat after 7:00 pm will never be burned off.

Comments (10)

By kilax, June 20, 2009 7:47 pm

I started following a vegan lifestyle (diet-wise) this Monday, June 15th. I am going to do a series of “Vegan Saturdays” posts to answer all of your questions, rather than create one super long post. Thanks all for your thoughtful questions! If you think of any other questions, you can ask them here, or on the original Q&A post.

I know some people could probably care less about veganism (understandable), so I chose Saturdays for these posts since readership is usually lower anyway. Along with my marathon training posts on Sundays, you can just skip over the entire weekend if neither is of interest to you. Easy peasy!

I was going to begin by addressing CournteyInControl’s “What made you decide to go vegan?” but I thought I could better answer Erin’s question, after our dinner tonight. So I will probably save Courtney’s question for next week.

First though, I must say, it is my goal to permanently follow a vegan lifestyle, but if I find my health is negatively affected, I will have to re-evaluate my diet. On to the first question…

Erin asked, “Will Steven become vegan also? How will this affect meal planning/cooking?”

Steven will not be becoming vegan, at least today. But he is on board with helping me eat vegan.

Most of the meals we eat on a day-to-day basis at home already are vegan – boca sandwiches with fresh veggies, salads, pasta, beans and rice, etc. Where the problem comes in at home is with pre-packaged foods. A lot of items we didn’t think would have eggs or dairy in them do. Last night we wanted to make a homemade pizza, but all of our pizza crust mixes had milk in them, so we couldn’t. However, I picked up a dairy and egg free mix today, and it worked out wonderfully!

Homemade pizza made with Namaste pizza crust, red pizza sauce, zucchini, onion, tomato, spinach, olives, and…

…cheese on one half.

The finished pizza

My dinner and…

…Steven’s dinner!

Which plate would you take?

I think eating out will be an issue AT FIRST. We usually visit one of three places – El Famous Burrito (his favorite), Red Robin (my favorite) and Subway (our healthy favorite). Okay, and let’s throw Sweet Tomatoes in there too. At El Famous, I get the Chilles Rellenos (cheese). At Red Robin, it’s the Royal Red Robin Burger (cheese and egg). At Subway, my sandwich is pretty much vegan, but I need to check and see what’s in the bread.

I don’t want to ruin the eating out experience for him (or anyone), so I need to do some research and figure out what I CAN order before we go out. I can get a burrito instead of Chilles Rellenos, and ask for my burger without cheese and egg. Hopefully it won’t be too big of a deal. We don’t eat out often, but when we do, I don’t want it to be stressful for him or me!

I think making this change means that meal planning requires actual planning. It’s won’t be as easy to throw things together anymore, at least at first. But, we will figure it out, together.

Comments (24)

By kilax, June 19, 2009 7:53 am

What foods are on your “will not eat” list?

I don’t want to encourage picky eating (says the vegetarian/vegan), but I am curious to find out what foods do not appeal to other people.

Besides not eating meat, dairy and eggs, I also do not eat tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.). They give me severe headaches, so I avoid them altogether. Sometimes even the smell of them is enough to make me sick.

I avoid olives, mushrooms, and seeds, because I do not care for their taste. I will still try dishes that have these foods in them, but I am probably not going to like it if they are the main ingredient!

And brussel sprouts. We tried. We really did. I think this requires another go-around.

Side Note: Why are all of my Friday Questions about FOOD? I had two other questions in mind that were NOT food related. Hmm.

Comments (24)

By kilax, June 17, 2009 5:46 am

This lady took up an entire seat on a crowded train, for food for her and her friends. What the heck?!

I saw this chair during one of the NeoCon classes I attended on Monday. What the heck?!

Dato Potato was meowing outside at a turtle on Sunday, but when I took him outside to see him, he got all scared. What the heck?!*

My sunburn is barely visible anymore but it still hurts big time. What the heck?!

This “June” weather. Seriously. What the heck?!

Have you said, “what the heck?!” about anything lately?

*Grow a pair Data! LOL, just kidding, mean joke.

Comments (31)

By kilax, June 12, 2009 5:21 am

Are you a breakfast eater? If yes, what is your typical breakfast?

What a weird question, right? It came to mind because I was with my sister last week and she told me that she doesn’t eat breakfast, because it makes her feel sick.

I am the exact opposite. I HAVE to eat breakfast, everyday. Even if I ate my weight in food the night before, I will still be hungry in the morning.

My typical breakfast is Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. I have been eating that almost everyday for a few months and haven’t gotten sick of it yet. I love oatmeal!

Comments (34)

By kilax, June 9, 2009 5:06 am

Today is my mom’s 50th Birthday! Happy Birthday Mamu!!!

Do you think I look like my mom at all?

My siblings and Steven and I threw my mom a surprise party this Saturday in Cedar Falls, Iowa. When my dad turned 50, we threw him a surprise party as well, so I was sure my mother would be expecting it. I sent her a “fake” birthday gift last week (I am not sure why I am calling it “fake” – it was actually two tangible gifts) to throw her off.

My grandma (her mother) who lives out of town told my mom that she was coming to town to watch her grandkids and wanted to know if my mom wanted to meet her for dinner. My grandma even called my mom during the day and said something like, “The kids are behaving so nicely!” Ha. She wasn’t even in town yet.

We held the party at my uncle’s bar. The bar has a main area, an extended seating area, and a partitioned off room with a bar. We set up the food in the room with the bar, and crammed back there to yell “surprise!” when she arrived. I think we succeeded in surprising her. I wish I had a photo of her reaction. Hopefully someone got one.

I also wish I had a photo of the setup. My sister and Steven and I worked really hard all day at preparing the food and decorations. We had cold cut sandwiches, fresh veggies and dip, a wonderful fresh fruit salad (grapes, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple and strawberries), chips, pea salad and rye bread cucumber sandwiches that my grandma insisted on making, cookies (photo below!), two cakes and soda and water. We decorated with balloons and streamers and posters I made (I will update them to the photo page later in the week).

A lot of people came to the party -about 35 adults and 4 kids. We had everyone sign a frame with birthday wishes on it, the same thing we did for my dad’s party.

Our big gift for my mom was a purple 8GB iPod Nano (if that’s what it’s called). We put her favorite video – I’m on a Boat – on it. When I showed her the video, she turned to her friends and said, “Did you know these things have video?!” It was pretty cute. I bet she’ll use about 20% of it’s capability in her lifetime. The night before the party, we set up the iPod and named it “Forever 39,” so when we found a “39 Forever” button at the party shop the next day, we had to buy it for her!

Steven and I also bought my mom a big can of beans. Ha.

The party was a whirlwind. I was honestly a lot more worn out than I would have liked to be. Fitting party planning in with my already hectic schedule really exhausted me. I felt pretty edgy on Sunday because of my lack of sleep. I hope I get to catch up… someday. A full six hours of sleep in one night would be nice!

Of course, it was totally worth it. Even though I was totally exhausted, I still was having fun being goofy. My mom and sister are pretty good at bringing it out of me.

Trying to eat ice cream cupcakes…

It would be my honor, to be your new stepfather.

And I have to share this photo of my parents looking pretty bad ass back in the day. Steven really likes this photo for some reason, and we got them to “re-pose.” Ha. When explaining the photo, my mom said they had attitude, before there was attitude. Riiight…

And how is my mom spending her actual birthday? In class all day! She has a three hour math class (with a test!) in the morning, and a three hour speech class in the evening. Boo! I hope she still gets to do something fun today!

More photos…

Me and Steven.

My younger brother, Anthony, and my mom.

My sister, me, my grandma and my mom.