a little catch up.
friday september 7 i did go into boise and run with jason. we did 5.5 miles on the greenbelt.
saturday (9/8) we spent the whole day (minus kids naps) replacing fence posts and pulling 13 lawn and leaf bags of weeds at our rental.
sunday (9/9) we did 5 miles on the nampa greenbelt.
monday (9/10) i walked 1 mile on an incline on the treadmill
tuesday (9/11) i walked 2 miles on the treadmill (just trying to get it in.)
wednesday (9/12) i weighed 169 pounds.
thursday (9/13) i drove in to boise to run with jason. we did 4.75 on the greenbelt trail at 11:30 pace, our best so far. finished it up walking back to his office for 5 total.
sunday (9/16) we had 9 planned on a new trail in nampa, but a mile and a half in i knew i hadnt had enough water to drink all day and it wasnt going to happen. we scaled back and did 5 instead (after a potty break at jesses house.) the 9 are still on the schedule, tentatively for thursday in boise.

i have been reading in jeremiah for the last couple months. and this week i started beth moores daniel biblestudy.  God really planned that out for me. ive been reading about the babylonians coming to capture the city for more than 40 chapters and in the first 2 verses of daniel it happens.

also, on saturday i had the chance to take part in the simulcast.  i was one of the moms with kids at my feet, in my jammies singing along. for the first couple hours anyways. jason and i tag teamed the day to make it work.  he watched the kids while he mowed the lawn, then i had them for lunch and naps, then he brough back 3 kids from boise for a friend and had all 5 for the next two hours. then i took a longer break and helped out for another hour. then i finished up the last session and came down to make dinner. there were moments that were so hard just having all the kids around and trying to focus on what i was learning, but it was also so so good. i am glad we were able to make it work.

so thats where im at right now. ive settled one of the issues i had plaguing me last week, and today i will work some more on another. at nap time i will sit down to finish my bible study homework. thats the plan for today.

168.

i have spent a lot of time this week feeling off. i tried reading, walking, eating, quiet time, a hot bath, and still couldnt get a handle on it. i told jason there are just too many things buzzing around in my head and i cant get any of them to hold still so i can focus on it to take care it if. its exhausting.

thats my explanation to today being friday and finally posting for wednesday. its just the way its been this week.

last wendesday, the 29th i walked 4.25 miles and did 15 minutes of weight training after i posted.
sunday september 2, jason pushed the kids and we ran out to the lake and back. a 7 mile loop with a good 2 mile climb. (we are sticking to our sunday runs. this one was right after church instead of waiting for the evening. im not sure yet which i prefer.)
wednesday the 5th i weigh 168 pounds (again. still.)  my new number i suppose. i swing between frustrated that i cant seem to break it, and pretty content that my body isnt swinging several pounds up and down all the time. i walked 1.5 miles while reading the secret life of bees (jason had the kids at church) in an attempt to get out of my funk. it didnt work.
thursday the 6th, in the late afternoon, i took the kids for a 3 mile run/walk. coming back the end of the second mile my calf balled up. i clearly remember that pain from more than a year ago and dont like to mess with it, so i walked most of the last mile with short running breaks.

and that brings me to today. i plan to take the kids in to boise tonight to go 5 miles with jason before dinner. his day isnt panning out like he though, so im not sure what time that will actually be, but i always like a run on the boise greenbelt, so it should be good.

and today i am feeling a little better. i cornered a couple of those buzzing issues and tried to get them organized. one of them i have no control over and no idea what is going on at the other end, and thats what the real struggle is. i like to stay informed. i am having a hard time resting in today and trusting God with tomorrows struggles, when tomorrows struggles affect the choices i make today. its been rough.

i was given a little gift yesterday though, a compliment on the way emma and georgie were acting. i hear ashleys voice in my head telling me "this is your pay check." thats what im working for, training my kids to be kind adults, and when someone notices its working, thats my compensation. it was good reinforcement and encouragement for me.

quiet week.

we took the kids camping friday night, and were exhausted by bed time saturday.  (who am i kidding, i was ready for bed at 2pm, and actually went to sleep at 8pm) my eyes started hurting almost as soon as we got home, and finally yesterday afternoon i was able to see my eye dr. i was feeling better by the time i woke up this morning, but that didnt let me go back in time and feel well enough to get in loads of running. jason and i did put in 7 miles on sunday evening though, and it was so nice. we did a trail run from his office out to barber park back, and i really did enjoy it. tonight ill walk for a while after i get the kids in bed, just because i dont want to go any longer without logging miles.

as for my weight this morning, it was better than expected. after camping i had gained several pounds (mostly from all the salty chips i ate) but this morning i was at 168.4 pounds.  no matter what i do, i seem to be holding steady to that. i have started getting into a morning routine with all the kids, and i am slowly adding to that my other responsibilities. i am never going to enjoy doing the dishes, or folding laundry, but i can enjoy the neat and clean space i get to live in when those things are finished. along those same lines, jason and i have figured out a simple running routine that allows us to take a long run together on sundays. im looking forward to those too.

that about covers it for this week, its been a bit of a quiet one with me not feeling well, but no real complaints.

two long weeks!

8/9 thursday 1.25 mile walk, train like a mother weight training circuit
8/10 friday shred it with weights
8/11 saturday 3.25 mile run in 36 minutes
8/12 sunday off (packing for a trip home with mom and the kids)
8/13 monday off (driving home 11 hours with mom and the kids)
8/14 tuesday 2 mile walk to evergreen park and back
8/15 wednesday playing at the park with the kids, loads of painting at moms house

wednesday weight 8/15 168 pounds

8/16 thursday painting
8/17 friday painting (mom and i painted the entire downstairs of the house. living, diing, kitchen, and hall, all the way up the stairs. also, all the trim around doors and windows, and all the doors. in three days, usually between the hours of 6pm and 2am. it was a long three days, but we got it done. that also included a ton of getting rid of things, and rearranging and removing furniture.)
8/18 saturday 2 mile walk to the park and back (family reunion! there was a great group of family this year, and the kids had a lot of fun.)
8/19 sunday running at the ocean! we met up with ashley and all her boys (dan included!) and went to heceta. we ran, jumped, laughed until we froze.
8/20 monday off (drive back to idaho with jason and the kids)
8/21 tuesday 4 mile run to the church and back so jason could help move furniture in the nursery.
8/22 wednesday 4 mile run to preschool and back

wednesday weight 8/22 168.8 pounds

it was a really big two weeks, though summarized as it is above it doesnt really feel that big. i am 8 days out now from real half marathon training, and thats why ive started easing myself back into it as soon as we got home monday night. i also started watching the boys and chauffeuring to preschool and back this week. so far so good there.  today i am finishing up dishes and laundry from this week (and finishing unpacking for the kids) just in time to pack up a smaller bag for the whole family as we have decided to squeeze in an overnight camping trip friday night.  im not sure where we will go thats not on fire, but we will find somewhere that the kids can get dirty and play.

and thats the last two weeks i guess! whew, its been full.

16.5 miles this week

last week i weighed 168.8 pounds and today i weigh 169.2 pounds.

and ive put in some miles this week. 
thursday 8/2 we ran a 5k in 35 minutes and finished up for an even 3.5 miles.
friday off
saturday 8/4 5 miles up hill! both ways! (kidding.) we ran up iowa two miles, which means running up the hill to get to the lake. it was tough, but i also really enjoyed it. it was in the 8pm hour so the day was cooling off and after dealing with a broken irrigation main early in the day it was nice to just run for a while.
sunday/monday off
tuesday 8/7 i did 3 miles on the treadmill while on skype with katie.  kids have been running wild this week (probably not as much as i think, i just keep staying up too late watching the olympics, so ive got shorter patience in the morning.) and i really needed to just get some miles in. so there they are.
and today, after an incredibly full (but good!) day of errands i found myself still in boise at 5pm and headed to jasons office for a run. he couldnt leave work yet, so i went on without him. we met up at the fish park (fish and games animal park, im not sure what its called, but the kids love it.) neither of us were feeling a run, so we walked out 5ish miles out and back, then to dinner. he had to go back to work when we were finished at 830, and i had to assemble georgies crib and get the kids to bed once i got home. it made for a long, long day.

treadmill wall

its been a great week for mail, and there is still more to come! (this is what happens when i shop. i finally find the best deal, and its online, so i have to wait for things to arrive.) but- todays mail was extra nice.

i dont decorate. im just generally bad at it. it isnt something that i think of to do. (kind of like putting dishes straight into the dishwasher. great idea huh? never think of it when they are in my hands.) but i decided my treadmill wall, the little two foot jut that our dining room (where the treadmill lives) sticks out from the rest of the house, needed something pretty.

its bright and cheery and motivating. the two 5x7s are scripture verses.

and the others are just pretty.  so, thats my new treadmill wall.  its nice to have something to look at now instead of just the most recent pile of laundry that needs folded, or dishes that need washed, or kids fighting.

today

(2 miles for tuesday, finishing july with 88.55 miles.)

i slept late, rushed the kids through the shower and off to school. then georgie and i headed into boise to see heidi and squish on her sweet new baby.  but not before i drive into the wrong side of town, and ran a stop sign (for the first time since i was hit and ticketed 4 years ago running one. yikes.) then baby baby baby for the next hour. hes adorable.

from there i met jason for a quick run. he had a meeting scheduled for 2 so we needed to be fast. we finished 3.8 miles in time for him to eat lunch and shower before his meeting.

my lunch was late and quick at home while georgie napped, then picked up emma from school with slushies from sonic and we all headed out for groceries. back at home i made dinner (scrambled eggs, toast, yogurt, watermelon) for the kids, then we made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies together and did jammies, songs, stories and prayer and bed.

it was a kind of typical day, with ups and downs all over, but i really did enjoy it. it felt full and nice, and happy.  i like that kind of a day. in fact, i would take another one just like it.

with that perspective, the 0.4 pounds i am up this week doesnt even seem to matter. last week i weighed 168.4, and this morning i weigh 168.8 pounds.  im not concerned. what am i shooting for? more miles in august.