Best long run ever

Saturday morning was the best long run ever. I hit the six mile mark with no difficulty AND I got to see some of my old teammates. Two of my former teammates are coaches for the fall TNT Team and my old coach, Harley, is their mentor. The fall and winter teams trained together this Saturday, so I got to see them. A few other alumni I know were there too. I was in such a good mood on the drive to practice and then afterwards. It was great to see everyone. Well, almost everyone. MEG!

I started my fundraising effort in earnest this past week. I've already raised close to $300! Thank you so much to everyone who responded to my initial call for support!! For anyone interested in helping out, my fundraising page can be found here. I'm also organizing a yard sale. I think I'm going to push the date back to September 6 to give myself more time to find donations for the sale. If you're local and have anything you'd like to donate, please let me know!

In other news, it's official: maternity leave is over. Elliot goes to day care in the morning. Even while I feel good about the daycare provider we chose, I can't help but be a little bit anxious. I think it would be unnatural not to be. It hasn't quite sunk in yet that my daily routine of life in Mumford starts again tomorrow as well. Wish me luck!

Wedding/That'll teach me!

The Wedding

This past weekend we attended a wedding in Sabina (that's with a long i), Ohio. It was great to get to see our friends Kevin and Jamie and celebrate with them. The reception was at Jamie's parents' home just outside of town. They couldn't have asked for a nicer day for their wedding. It was just gorgeous! Here are some pictures.

Sabina is only about 4.5 hours from here, but travelling with baby meant that it took about 6 hours each way. Elliot was mostly pretty well behaved. Here are some family pictures from the wedding and the trip each way. The first was taken at the reception. The second and third were taken at rest stops on the way home.

That'll teach me

I did my weekend long run, about 4.1 miles, on Sunday night. It had been almost a week since I ran. I finished the run and it was fine, but it hurt a little bit that night and yesterday. I'm even a little bit tight this morning still. So, I'm back to the training schedule now! This weekend I'm going to try a six mile long run. Wish me luck!

It got easier!

This week's long run was 4 miles. It was easy!! I really feel like I've rounded a corner here. It was a fun route too. We started out at Hessel Park and ran through some nearby neighborhoods. I also met some of my teammates. I think they will be a fun group to train with. The full body workouts are still hard, but that's a good thing. I'm re-building muscle.

Elliot has two new-ish tricks. He has started to intentionally and consistently roll from his back onto his tummy. He can't roll back to his back though, which sometimes frustrates him. The other trick is that for the last week or two he's taken great joy in his favorite new game--kicking off a blanket.

The D

Last weekend in Detroit was a lovely time. Kirsten had a nice shower. I got to see their new place. I was exhausted when I got home, but it was worth it.

On Sunday Kirsten mapped out a 4.1 mile loop for me to run through nearby neighborhoods. I was a little bit apprehensive, since I didn't know the area and would be alone, but it went smoothly. I ran, map in hand. The neighborhoods all had sidewalks, which isn't always the case here. I had a lot of shade from the trees along the streets. Most importantly, I finished the 4.1 miles and it didn't feel as hard as my "long" runs have the last few weeks. I think I'm starting to turn a corner. When I got back from the run I found Dan (my brother) cleaning my car. The man just can't stand a dirty car. It makes me laugh in that familiar, familial sort of way. I'm enjoying having a clean car!

This week has been hectic. I fit in a cross-training day, but haven't been able to run. I'm planning to run in the coming days. After this weekend I should be able to get back to the training schedule.

On the scrapbooking front, I'm starting to collect patterned paper, ribbon, and accessories for my niece's album. I'm finding such fun things! Last night I bought a pack of pink fabric brads, among other things. I'm starting to think about how the pages will come together. I'm determined to finish my wedding album first (which I'm slowly closing in on), but I'm so anxious to get started on the baby album!