And I Was Runnin...

I've started running again. This time, for real.

Watching Fred run the 1/2m was inspiring so I went out that night and made it a mile (then felt like I was surely going to die of a heart attack). Since then I've been going out and I'm up to a tad over 3 miles.

My plan? Well - I don't know if I should announce it because then folks are going to hold me to it. Let's just say I have some (lofty?) goals in mind.

Starting with the Havelock Charity Run next weekend with Cindy. It's a 3K (or almost 2 miles) so should be a nice little jaunt through the Havelock area. I'm hoping then to start moving up and maybe do the Omaha half marathon at the end of September. Even crazier, I'm contemplating joining a team to do the Market to Market Relay in October and maybe, just maybe, the Lincoln full marathon next May.

BUT... Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. For now I need to get a solid 3 - 4 miles in every few days before I can start ramping up. AND... I need to buy some running clothes that fit.

Katy - I apologize for my apparent lack of wittiness in this blog. It's kind of a snooze.

Meet the Allergics, FKA the Seckmans

Original allergic family member: Anna
Non-allergic Rhinitis (or non-allergic Rhinocerous as Fred calls me) which essentially means I am allergic to changes in atmosphere. What bothers me? Smoke (of any kind), dust, perfume, humidity, etc.

Newly allergic family member: Fred
Yes, Fred. He finally went in today after suffering for 4 years. Turns out he's allergic to virtually all trees (and definately the big ash in our yard - come on Emerald Ash Borer!!) and weeds. And if that weren't enough - sprinkle on a few mold varieties while you're at it.

I guess he won't be making fun of my allergies any more. And if he thinks I'm mowing the yard he's got another thing coming. I suggest you double up on your pills and get your whiney butt ouside. The yard ain't gonna mow itself!

Message from the Cat

Meow. (I'm pissed.)

Meeeow. (They left me on Friday and Saturday, alone, again.)
Meow... (So...)
Meoooow Meeow Meowww. Maw! (I threw up on the carpet in a few places. Ha!)

Meow... (Then...)
Meoow Meeowww Meooow! (There was a big storm.)
Meow Meow. (Knocked over the neighbor's fence.)
Meooooooooooooooow. (So now I have to stay inside.)

Meow... (So...)
Meoww meeeeow meoowww. (I ate through my bag of catfood.)
Meow Meow. (Hopefully that teaches them.)

Meow. (Love, Sienna)

The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

And the question is what happened to my yard?

So we arrived home from Tecumseh tonight to find that Saturday morning's windstorm had blown our neighbor's fence over right into our yard. (Secretly we want to be just like the Roach family). The wind also basically split our redbud tree right in two. Not sure if we will keep the tree or have it taken out. Looks like the neighbors are out of town, so that'll be a fun surprise for them as well.

Our trash can had blown into the front yard and was upside down, and the wind blew leaves so hard that they are now stuck to our windows. The weather service said we had gusts of 56 mph but it seems like it must have been worse than that.

Blog #3 for Today

I've found my calling in life. Writing job descriptions.

Some people call her Jen - that girl with a tattoo on her belly button that's artsy fartsy and is a stay-at-home mom (kind of). Here's what I say:

Jennifer Craun, Mother of Two
Actively engages in activities appropriate for young children while encouraging positive behavior and growth. Supervises all actions of immediate children and serves as super hero when necessary. Maintains level of understanding and knowledge on all items necessary to do her job in a satisfactory manner and is a whiz in the kitchen.

She loved it so much, I made her facebook page. NOW I'm famous.

Fred Says...

Fred says I blog too much.
So I tried to back off from my blogging.
People noticed.
I noticed.

Take the poll - was I blogging too much and you couldn't keep up? Was I blogging just the right amount? Or should I quit my day job and become a professional blogger?

Kids and the Funny Things They Say

In Tecumseh last weekend, Ethan (age 5) and Alaina Morrissey (almost 3) were up at Aunt Cindy's house. (Cindy is Fred's mom.)

Lainey decided to figure out how everyone was related:
L - What's your name?
A - Anna.
L - What's your baby's name?
A - Elliot.
L - (Looking at Fred, then the baby, then Fred, then me) What's your baby daddy's name?

Ethan met Bubba (big clumsy and lovable dog) for the first time and talked to his dad (Bill) about it:
B - So what did you think of Bubba?
E - (Smiles)
B - Do you like Bubba?
E - Yes. I love him. We're already sleeping together and everything.


Priceless.

Germs and Diseases 1, Elliot 0

Well. Here we are again - Elliot's sick.

I'm not going to mention the part where Elliot's father (who shall remain nameless and probably make me pull this blog once he reads it) had him in the doctor's office on Thursday for shots and probably should have pushed the issue then. But - I'm not going to even mention it.

Elliot has been sick off and on for the last month. On Weds p.m. he started to cough - a deep, gross one. Then Thurs a.m. and Fri a.m. he had low grade fevers and I noticed he was breathing a little more shallow than usual.

Mommy Instincts were firing on Thursday (ah-hem, Dad) - but were exploding on Friday.

I took him in on Friday afternoon. Seems congestion is our culprit and decided to reek havoc on his little system. We have a "pretty bad" sinus infection and we also have to do breathing treatments on him 4x daily for the next week b/c his lungs are pretty full as well. Re-check is next Friday.

As much as I feel bad for Elliot, I feel a little bad for his parents since we opted for high deductible insurance this year. It went like this:

Dr: He has a sinus infection
Anna's Brain: Cha-Ching!
Dr: And he is wheezing so we need to do breathing treatments
Anna's Brain: Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching!
Dr: We'll send you home with a machine and get two prescriptions sent over
Anna's Brain: CHA-CHING! CHA-CHING!
Dr: Oh, and I'll want to see him again next Friday
Anna's Brain: CHAAAAAAAA-CHIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!

BUT.. no one said having a child is cheap. And if this is what it takes to get our "old" Elliot back, I'd gladly pay double.

Moment of Silence, for Fred

As many of you know, Fred submitted one of his home-made beers to Lazlo's for their current IPA contest. We found out on Friday that Fred did not make the top 10.

(Insert Moment of Silence.)

I believe he got his score sheet on Monday and it did say that it was "good" - he came in at #13 and only the top 10 (of 21) get to go to the next round. But I say that since it was his first all-grain, first IPA and first Lazlo's challenge that he did pretty darn good!

Next time you see him - give him a good pat on the back and say 'Way to Brew, Fred!'

Fits, Continued

A little behind-the-scene funny...

I got a few sign books at the library today to mostly figure out some of the signs he's been flashing us lately. I emailed Fred and said that maybe now Elliot will express his feelings via sign instead of thrashing. Fred's response?

You should have got one one how to sign: "Stop throwing a fit or daddy is going to sit you outside to live with the squirrels"

Oy.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Here are some things that have changed recently:

For starters, I've changed my list to be only what Anna's reading. It seems I'm the only one reading things anyway these days.

Sienna is no longer allowed outside, per me. I heard a terrible sound the other night followed by Fred running out into the yard. In my dreams it would've been her getting run over by a garbage truck - but instead it was her trying to maul a baby bunny. Fred swears she only got a little fur - I prefer to not know the truth. A week or so ago, she brought a mole up to the back porch. You! Inside, Now! Not that I particularly love having a dead-mole-mouthed cat around Elliot...

My computer password at work changed. Now, instead of typing in "Wendi" each morning, I have to type in "banana." Why banana? Why not!

What else has changed? I could talk about weather and the price of gas, but then once I post this all I'd hear is a collective groan. And I'd be joining you in that.

My peaceful and funny mornings have changed. This entire week my mornings have become a screaming death match between Elliot and whatever just made him mad. Some folks say these last until 3 years - I hope that isn't our case.

I wish I could change into jeans. But - at this job I don't get the luxury of wearing my Canadian Tuxedo on Fridays. Perhaps I should have thought harder about losing this perk when I left the City?

Coming Soon to a Highway Near You!

If you see Elliot on the side of Highway 2 one of these days, know that I have had my fill of his temper tantrums. He's in full swing these days - flailing, kicking, head-butting all while screaming and crying.

This morning I was seriously tempted to take him for a "long drive in the country" like some folks do when it's time to oust a not-so-loved family pet. I decided, though, that if I dropped him off on the Highway that he'd have a better chance of some family picking him up. Then he can scream at them for a while.

I love him.. don't get me wrong. But, boy he's really testing my patience lately. Not old enough to understand a time out and too fresh off an ear infection (3 days ago) to completely ignore him.

So if we don't answer our phones it's because we forgot to take our ear plugs out. And if you drive through our 'hood and hear screaming - either come take him from us for a while or keep on driving.

Letter to Aunt B

Dear Aunt B,

I ran a mile tonight.

Love,
Anna

Great Way to Start your day

I have to disagree with my wife's post, I think wanting to challenge yourself and see what your are capable of is completely normal. This morning's half-marathon did't go like I had planned. I really wanted to race the Full again this year but when I caught the Flu so bad late this winter it kept me from running for nearly 3 weeks, it was like starting my training all over again.

This year's race was bigger than ever with over 6,000 entrants. As always it was a blast. I am amazed at how small a town Lincoln can be sometimes as numerous people out cheering recognized me and yelled at me. What really makes this event special is how the city has grown to love it and the wacky things they do to cheer the runners. From Elvis at 16th & O to the Waiter handing out water on 48th, to the bearded Nun on 27th, Lincolnites of all shapes and sizes come out to cheer on the runners and watch the race. It truly is a sight to behold seeing 6,000 people all running through Lincoln, it's one of the greatest events in this city. Even for non-runners it's something that a lot of people look forward to each year as it brings people from all 50 states to our city for a weekend.

My race went OK, I started too far back in the pack and couldn't hit my pace until mile 3 or 4 due to all the congestion. So many walkers start at the front, that it really makes it frustrating when you constantly have to go around them in the first mile. I felt pretty good once I finally got going and finished only slightly slower than my goal. I ran the half in 1:49:19 which was 102 out of 256 people in my age group, I always say my goal is to finish in the top half of my age group, so I guess I succeeded there. The highlight of the day really might have been Elliot enjoying the medal once I got home.

The Definition of Normal

According to my pal Webster, normal means "conforming with, adhering to, or constituting a norm, standard, pattern, level, or type; typical."

According to myself, abnormal means "Elliot James."

This week started with the bovine disease. Then I find out he's still anemic and is now on a vitamin supplement until he's two. Friday, daycare called for me to come get him - he threw up and had a mild fever. Since last night at 6:30, he has slept a combined amount of 15 hours and is snoozing as I type. Perhaps I should check to make sure he's breathing...

According to myself, abnormal means "Freddie William."

He's running the half marathon tomorrow. I'm not sure what type of person finds it nearly as enjoyable as he does. Sure - it's a goal of mine to some day accomplish but I don't know that I'll be springing out of bed that morning to do it. (By the way - I will be out there cheering him on if anyone wants to join me!)

I could go on for days about how abnormal our cat is...

And we all know that I fit the bill of "normal" perfectly so there's no need to comment on that.