Exhaustion and A Bit of Bragging

Whew...It's been a crazy weekend. From the reemergence of Doris (she came back with a vengeance, mind you) to a trip to Oz, mass group couples therapy and a birthday party for my favorite just turned 4 little girl - we were all over the place. And of course my heart and mind was in New York with Lester while she ran the NYC marathon. In 4:07, mind you. She did awesome. I'm exhausted for her.

Although things have quieted down, I'm super, super, super excited. By the way, I recently realized how much I use the word "super" when I noticed Addie-Cakes says it about 9000 times a day, but I digress. Anyway - I'm very excited and I have to brag because of an email I got earlier today. From Ticketmaster. Well, it was a forwarded email from Ticketmaster. Not to be redeemed until June 22nd. In Baltimore. Guesses, anyone? I'll give you a hint:

That's right...I got tickets to the U2 concert in Baltimore. Well, technically Lester got them for us and Otterpop. It's just easier to say I got them.

Let me just tell you, Lester has gone to many-a U2 concerts. She's practically a pro U2 concert goer. Okay, I exaggerate. But she has gone to several and does have a friend who is. Practically a pro-U2 concert goer, I mean. I stole this picture off her FB page that she took in Istanbul. She's a professional photographer, which explains a lot but this just shows how close one can get with General Admission Tickets. Which is what we got.

So my calendar is marked. Wednesday, June 22, 2011 I will be with Otter and Lester in Baltimore. All day. Camping out just so we can get close enough to touch Bono. Yeah, it's happened to Lester so I'm going to fire her as my concert tour guide if she doesn't make it happen for us. Not really.

You are all officially on notice. Anything you might plan in June that could involve us will just have to be postponed to a later date. Or you'll just have to do without us. 'Cause we's gonna be at U2!

A Fly On The Wall

Why is it that I always have ideas for a fab blog post only to find by the time I get my rear in gear to write the moment is gone? Yeah, that's pretty much the story of my life.

It's been one of those weeks, or two, that not a whole lot has happened, yet there's gobs to tell. If you were a fly on the wall in my life, this is what you would have seen:

1) It's official. I'm running another 26.2 miles April 9th. Now I really need to find someone to run the entire 26.2 with me. Or just someone that is insane enough to tag along for the long runs. A few friends of mine are running the half marathon which will be great fun for the first 13.1 miles we run together. But then they are done.  And that's really not helpful to me especially on those long, arduous runs this winter. Any takers?

2) I've realized yet again that I'm all or nothing. The past few weeks I've been an organizing maniac. Label maker and all. The result was a large pile-o-crap, a few tense moments between Otterpop and I while we negotiated what should stay or go. And of course our stuff is a great deal more organized than it was before. Why was it this experience that made me realized it's all or nothing for me? You see, in the time I was going through all that, everything else was neglected. Blog included.

3) Yard Sales really aren't for those who don't have mountains of crap to unload. I'm usually the sale-ee, but a few weeks ago Otterpop's sister's community was having their fall community sale and we tagged along with their sale. We tried to sell the crap from #2, and ended up with $40 in our pocket and a big carload to the Salvation Army. The kids, other the other hand, made $60 on their bake sale. Lesson learned: If you want some extra cash, load a table with goodies on the corner and set your kids out there to sell them. (The goodies, not the kids)

4) But...the trip to the Salvation Army made the scant $40 we got for hours of labor well worth it. You see, Serendipity occurred while I was dumping our junk. Another dump-ee pulled up the same time I did with a FABULOUS round, green ottoman. The kind I've coveted for not a short amount of time. Before I even asked if I could buy it off of him, the man offered to load it into my car. For free. I suppose you could say I was paid $40 to get a fabulous piece of furniture I've wanted for a long time.

5) With the end of the growing season comes the end of our CSA season. Bummer. I've really enjoyed our weekly box. The silver lining is that we now get to be gleaners. Last week I gleaned lots of green tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos and made a roasted tomato salsa. It's not my favorite, but it's not bad either. Oh yeah...and I canned it. How industrious am I? Madre y Padre are so proud.

6) Lester visited this weekend, and I was reminded how much I've let myself go this summer. I really haven't been running much, so when I went for a run with her Saturday I felt like a slug. I tell my self lately it's because I've had that nasty lung infection that everyone seems to have. However......I. Must. Run. More.

7) I've also been hearing the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" sung over, and over, and over again by my favorite two year old. Lester got it on video.

8) Halloween is quickly approaching. I couldn't be more excited. While Lester was here I helped her make the patterns for her costume. It's going to be WONDERful. And Otterpop and I figured out our costumes. Last year I was Willy Wonka and Otter was my Oompa Loompa. It was FAB. And a lot of work. Luckily the work is cut in half this year because a friend is letting me borrow a costume. So now I just have to make Otterpop's. CAN'T WAIT!!!!! It's going to be epic.

Oh yeah....the girl's have their costumes picked out too.  But who ever said Halloween is about the kids?

9) Sweet Cheeks started preschool last week. Does it make me a bad mom if I don't bother bringing a camera to document her first day of preschool? I mean, this is her third year of preschool, and she went to the same school last year. So really it's nothing new. Okay. That's me justifying my laziness. Poor kid.

10) Otterpop is out of town. Again. Boo. But...Well, I was going to say there's something good about his traveling this time. Nothing comes to mind. It's another week without Daddy. Hours of Fun for Everyone.

I think that pretty much covers it. I'm trying to force productivity today. That's a pretty silly idea when I just got a book from the library that I've been waiting for over a month to get. You can bet what I'll be doing as soon as this is posted. Till we meet again, wish me happy reading.

Beanie anyone? And for a good cause, too!

I think you all know my sister Lesler. I kinda talk about her a lot. Anywhoo...A while back I told you all that she is running the NYC marathon for charity. It's kinda a big deal.

The thing about running for charity is that you have to raise nearly $3000 (yes, that is THREE-THOUSAND-DOLLARS). The marathon is just over FOUR weeks away, and Lesler is only about half way there. What makes this even a little more urgent is that regardless of whether or not Lesler raises the money through donations, she has committed to donate $3000. They have her credit card and will bill her the difference. Gulp. That could be a seriously expensive marathon.

The charity, TeamContinuum, is a great cause. But we all know NPR doesn't offer those "member gifts" for nothing. So, a la NPR, Lesler is sweetening the pot.

Lesler often says she doesn't have a creative bone in her body. Except for knitting. (I know that isn't true). She has knitted everyone in my little family at least one beanie. We LOVE them and wear them often.

She's putting this skill to use and will knit anyone who donates at a certain level a one-of-a-kind hat. Believe me when I tell you they are totally FAB!

Chillin' in the City of Sisterly..errr...Brotherly Love

Last week the girls and I took a little excursion to The City of Brotherly Love. The best part of it all was that we went to see Auntie Lester.

I've never really thought about the limitations one might feel while living on an island. I guess I've never really thought of Manhattan as an island, for that matter. But it most certainly is, and she needed a mental health day to escape the city and the confines of said island.

The fabulous thing about living in the mid to northeastern part of the country is that everything really is pretty close. And that there are ways to get around if you don't have a car. So Lester Bolt-Bussed it down to Philly where we met her for a day of...well...if I'm going to be perfectly honest - hanging out in Anthropology.

And what is there to amuse ourselves in that highly overpriced if not oh so cute store? If you have to ask, you haven't been there. But, I did capture it on film. Not literally, but it sure sounds better than SDCard. And the bonus...I found a beautiful shirt and resin flower broach. For $30. Together. UNHEARDOF for Anthro. I know I shouldn't brag, but seriously. I loves me finding a good deal!

(apparently Addie-Cakes needed a closer look at the unmentionables)

That isn't all we did. Philly is a great walking city, and there is some A-MAY-ZING architecture. We didn't have the full day, really it was an afternoon, being that the city is about 3 1/2 hours from VA.

But...it took more like 4 1/2 hours to get to Lester because Otterpop was out of town and I didn't have our GPS and Google Maps gave me wrong directions and we ended up driving through downtown Philly stuck in traffic only to find that once we got out of that mess we circled around the Amtrak station more than once before we figured out where to park and then I bumped the car in front of me just a little too hard when parallel parking and the guy was in the car and made mild drama about it and then Lester had to catch a 7:30 bus back to NYC. Is that crazy enough for you? Thank heavens I bought a map when we stopped for a potty break long before entering the city.

Rest assured, we did visit Liberty Square saw the Liberty Bell and at least looked at the exterior of Independence Hall. But the only pictures I took were of the bell. Apparently the rest of the square wasn't important enough. But lunch at Qdoba was.

We were absolutely sure to climb the Philadelphia Art Museum stairs doing our best impersonation of Rocky. Not that any of us have even see the movie. I guess that would be "s". Plural. See how much I know?

It was a great trip that we'll have to do again. Only with Otterpop too. There is a half marathon every Fall that I've heard is fab. Maybe I'll fun that race next year. Whenever we go, next time we'll be sure to take advantage of the world-class children's museums. And maybe actually go into Independence Hall and the Art Museum.

Getting Fancy For Tea

Last week was Auntie Lester's birthday. She came down to visit this weekend since Madre was here and all, so we decided to have a little party for her.

Not just any birthday party would do. You see, Sweet Cheeks is in LOVE with the Fancy Nancy book series. While at the library last week she found "Fancy Nancy Tea Parties". It is essentially a step-by-step guide for planning and hosting a "Fancy" tea party - from decorations to food and games, it's got it all.

The book is super cute. And Sweet Cheeks decided she had to have a fancy tea party. (Can you guess what her next birthday party will be?) Truth be told, Grammy (aka Madre) suggested we do one, and Miss Sweet Cheeks gladly became the Party Coordinator.

The party was a huge success. It helps that Leslie was such a great sport about it all. Of course she adores that little girl, so how could she not be? Here are some party pics for your enjoyment!



Oops...I didn't get any shots of the Parfaits (that's a fancy way of saying Ice Cream Sundays - if you've read the books you get it). How could I have missed that?! Especially given that this week Sweet Cheeks asked about a hundred times in a fancy voice if it was time to make the Parfaits. Silly Girl.

c leslie run

I am a runner. But I wouldn't be without my sister Leslie (often referred to as Auntie Lesler). All because a few years back she convinced me that I needed to run a half-marathon with her.

I finished the 13.1 miles and was hooked. Fast forward a few years and she was determined that the two of us should run a full marathon. So last fall we completed the 2009 Marine Corps Marathon together.

Being a New Yorker, she is now determined to run the ING New York City Marathon. Cool, right? The problem is, something like 50k people are turned away. Every. Year. And it's not like this is a small race. There are about 40-50K people that actually run it.

It's the biggest marathon in the world, and if you aren't lucky enough to win the lottery (literally - it's a lottery to get in) you have to try again. Or run for charity. Which is what she's doing.

And here it is...I'm asking you to help my sister run the New York City Marathon.

Like many of you, we have had friends and family battle cancer. We've seen the awful impact it has not only on the patient, but also the families trying to help that patient survive.

Leslie is running for Team Continuum, a non-profit organization dedicated to taking care of anyone involved in fighting cancer. It provides assistance to patients and their families by filling the physical and emotional gaps of support so the patients can have the strength to focus on their treatment.

So, I'm asking you to give your support. Not only to my sister who deserves to run this race, but to the cancer patients and their families that need the support to fight for their lives.

Every little bit helps. Donate today!