Loser

I really had high hopes for the #100happydays project.

It isn't that I don't take photos everyday. I do. Tons of photos. But the steps in between taking them and posting them to the blog, describing them, blah blah blah. Sometimes it's all too much ;)

As you can imagine, a lot has happened since I posted last. That was April 14. I could post the 41 photos (1 photo for each day as per the #100happydays project) but I know that would bore you. There are some good ones though.

Ok, since I can't resist sharing photos, here are the highlights of the past 41 days. Between these and the ones in the post below this one, I'm at day 52. More than half-way through #100happydays!

April 19, 2014

Easter egg coloring. First time the girls colored eggs!

April 20, 2014

Brenna loved hunting for Easter eggs. But her shoes being on the wrong feet really weirds me out.

April 25, 2014

Girls night out to see Chelsea Handler. Hilariously disgusting. Love Chelsea.

April 28, 2014

The girls and I went to the Flower Fields with friends. The flowers were pretty but this was far more beautiful a sight!

Me and my girls!

May 2, 2014

First splashing of the summer!

May 3, 2014

First Padres game for all of us and first MLB baseball game for the girls. They played the Diamondbacks and put up a good fight in the last inning, but ultimately lost. Can't wait for our next game!

May 5, 2014

These girls are hilarious. Ellen sang "Timber" by Pitbull, while Brenna danced in a Hawaiian-inspired Wonder Woman outfit. Constant laughter with these two.

May 9, 2014

Mother's Day tea at the girls' preschool. They were grumpy about going because it was on a day they don't normally go to school. But it was still sweet, despite the grump.

May 10, 2014

Goal race for my 5K, 10K and Half Marathon runners. They worked so hard for 12 weeks and this was their celebration race! They did so well and I cried all morning as they finished :)

May 14, 2014

Almost a dozen different wild fires burned throughout San Diego County, one of which started a couple of miles from our house. This was a picture taken from our front yard of the fire that became known as Cocos Fire and San Marcos fire. We were evacuated from our neighborhood for 2 days and 2 nights. It was terrifying and I hope we never have to experience that again. I know it's a reality living here. The east coast has hurricanes and blizzards. The midwest has tornadoes. We have fires. It's not really a reality I like but need to come to terms with it.

May 21, 2014

School was a really big factor in getting us back to normal after the fires. Keller usually doesn't look forward to going to school but he did the week after we were evacuated. I think he needed to get back into the swing of things and feel safe and normal as much as we did. His class had been working on poetry for a couple of weeks and they were supposed to have a little poetry presentation for parents the Friday we were evacuated. It was rescheduled for this day. His teacher treated the "Poetry Cafe" as an old 60s-style beatnik coffee house where people would have poetry readings, people wore all black and audience snapped their fingers instead of clapped. Here's my cool cat reading his poem.

In the meantime, Keller decorated a poster thanking the firefighters for keeping us safe. After school, we drove up to the firehouse in our neighborhood and hung up the poster on the fence across the street. His poster says, "Firefighters you rock!"

May 25, 2014

Our new Memorial Day weekend tradition! We ran the kids races of the Vista Strawberry Festival. John and Keller did the 1-mile race and the girls and I ran the 1/4 mile race. This was the girls' first race they actually ran and weren't in the stroller. It was TONS of fun and Brenna has already asked to do another race :) I'm a proud mama, to say the least.

Happy

I recently came across the #100happydays project. I know I'm a little late to the game, but it's never too late to try to be happier. The gist of the project is this: you submit a photo to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other social media feed with the tag #100happydays. The photo is supposed to represent something that made you happy that day. It can be anything. The creators of the challenge believe the more you take notice of the things that make you happy, the happier you'll be. Sounds like common sense, right? Well, oftentimes we think we're too busy to stop and and take notice of the random beauty of our lives. And taking part in this project will force you to do so. Supposedly you can receive a photo book of your 100 photos to remind you of what made you happy but I'm not entirely sure how that works.

I'll be posting my photos through my Twitter account. You can follow along daily. I'll also post them here in weekly blogs.

Without further ado, here are the first 10 days of my #100happydays. The subject matter shouldn't be surprising :)

Day 1
4/5/14

I completed my first West Coast/Mountain ultra marathon: the Oriflamme 50K. It was probably the hardest race I've ever done. We started in the mountains, about 5000 elevation. It was sleeting at the start. We descended through the Oriflamme Canyon into the Borrego desert, about 10 miles, and then ran about 5 miles out and back. Then we ascended back into the canyon and up to the mountains. Elevation gain of about 4700 feet. It was rocky and insane but so very much fun.

Day 2
4/6/14

The half-way point for the 11-mile run for my half marathon group was the Dog Beach in Del Mar. It's pretty much impossible not to be happy when at Dog Beach.

Day 3
4/7/14

We were supposed to go out and do lots of things on this Monday but we stayed in and cuddled instead :)

Day 4
4/8/14

Keller had just woken up and came downstairs to start his day. Yogi was laying on the floor next to him. It was just a simple moment, but really sweet to see my boy and his dog.

Day 5
4/9/14

The girls absolutely love taking pictures of themselves and then looking at them. I can't say I blame them. They're pretty cute :)

Day 6
4/10/14

There were a couple of things that made me happy today. Granted there are several things that make me happy and I'm only supposed to choose one. But I couldn't choose today. I had the best strawberries with my breakfast. They're from my CSA, Be Wish Ranch. Really. THE best strawberries.

This is an empty bag of Marcona almonds from Trader Joe's. A happier picture would have been a full, unopened bag but they don't last long around me. This is such a yummy snack. I am so glad my BFF Lynne introduced them to me.

Day 7
4/11/14

A couple of friends told me about this mom and pop health food store in Oceanside, Cream of the Crop. I knew it would be good, but I'm really excited to have found this gem. I would much rather support a small grocer than the big guys like Whole Foods. The prices are more reasonable and they're a local, small business. Win-win for everyone.

Day 8
4/12/14

Just a silly Saturday morning with the family :) The look on Brenna's face as she watches John swing Ellen is just priceless to me.

Had to have two photos today. We went to Native Foods Cafe to try their avocado crunch wrap with sweet potato fries. It was yummy goodness and worthy of a #100happydays.

Day 9
4/13/14

There are a bunch of photos for today. Some girlfriends and I had a total spa day. It was amazing. I have never done this before and figured we deserved a treat and a day to spend together and relax. We went to La Costa resort and they treated us like queens. Really, a day I won't soon forget. Great day with great friends.

Our beautiful lunch table.

Cheers! Delicious bellinis!

Day 10
4/14/14

When we found out we were having girls, a friend of mine said I'd spend all my money on hair ties. I didn't really know what she meant and I certainly didn't believe her. Well, 3 years later and we're spending all our money on hair ties. Here, Brenna is using them as her bracelets.

I just had to include this photo of the girls adoring a snail in the driveway. They thought it was so cute. It kind of was.

The Warrior

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I wrote something on this blog. I guess things have been busy. Or I haven't felt much like writing. Yes, both of those.

Thoughts about a blog post started coming in as I was reading my new favorite book, Carry On, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. It was chosen by my book club and I'm so glad it was.

Glennon is my new favorite person and she has been added to my very short list of non-family/friend heroes. Before this new addition, my one hero was (and is) Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run and all-around amazing woman. I've written about her a few times (here and here, to start) and had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time when we were starting Girls on the Run of Montgomery County many moons ago. Once we were approved to start our chapter (or council, as they are called), we had to go to Charlotte, NC for meetings with the higher ups of the organization, get trained, meet other new councils and have a nice girls' weekend. We were doing a coach training and playing some ice breakers. When it was my turn to say something, I mentioned how the trip to Charlotte for this training was the first time I had left my then baby Keller for more than a few hours (he was about 14 months old at the time). I cried, of course, and Molly cried along with me. It was just a moment I'll never forget because in most situations, that would have been super awkward and I would have been mortified for crying. But in that moment, I was accepted. My feelings were accepted and welcomed. Great, great moment. Over the years, I've met with her a few times and I feel like my life was definitely enhanced by her presence. Granted, she probably doesn't remember me but I remember her.

Glennon reminds me greatly of Molly. Glennon has lived her life, as she puts it, protected by her many superhero capes. You know, the capes we put on to hide ourselves and our true feelings: the "I'm perfect" cape, the "I am fine!" cape, and so on. Just like Molly's Girl Box. You know, the box we're put in throughout our lives. We have to look a certain way, act a certain way, but we can't be too pretty or too smart, among other "can'ts." The Girl Box sucks. Anyway, after the living the majority of her life hiding her true self, her true feelings, and pretending to be someone everyone wanted her to be, Glennon found herself a decade-plus into bulimia, alcohol and drug addition, scared and newly pregnant. She was faced with a choice: continue the downward spiral into oblivion or get better, remove the capes and become a mother. She chose the latter and now, another decade-plus into sobriety, motherhood and marriage, she shares her stories with us. And I relate to her on So Many Levels. From the issues with food and substances (which is why I'm an anal runner and nutrition freak now!), to pretending to be someone others want me to be, I just feel like she speaks to me. What she shares, I feel. To know that it's ok to be who we are as long as we're truthful.

Between Glennon and Molly, both of which I follow on Facebook and Twitter (the links from their names lead to their Facebook pages if you're interested), I get daily, multiple daily, reminders that I am enough, that it's ok, and together, we can do hard things. And while I may seem to be handling things well on the outside, there are times when I'm in the fetal position on the floor wondering how this all happened to me. Trust me. I am. We all are. And it's ok. And I know that the gifts I have are enough. And you are enough. And together we can do hard things. We just have to show up.

People, man or woman, I highly recommend Glennon's book. I highly recommend following Glennon's blog and Molly's blog. They are smart, insightful, hilarious women. Their words will delight you and pull at your heart strings, but it feels good to actually feel.

Carry on, Warriors!

Driven To Tears

I received a call yesterday from a little girl who participates in the New York Road Runners Youth Programs, which is funded by Team for Kids (the organization I'm raising money for). I wasn't able to take the call when she called, so I was listening to her voicemail as I was in the car (hands-free through Bluetooth, of course!). Her name is Keara and she is a sweet little girl. She wanted to talk to me and thank me for raising money for Team for Kids as I train for the New York City Marathon. She said she couldn't imagine how hard it was to train for a marathon. She wanted me to know that she would be rooting for me, and cheering me on every step of the way. I was brought to tears.

As I'm crying my way home, her words are dancing in my mind. She can't imagine how hard it is to train for a marathon. Honestly, I can't imagine how hard it is to be a kid now. I mean, it was hard to be a kid when I was growing up. I was bullied, made fun of because of my skinny legs, my pipe cleaner arms and my chicken neck (that was a personal favorite), among other things kids are so cruel about. But there weren't things like blogs and Facebook and Twitter where my bullies could broadcast my shortcomings to the outside world (they just chose to write lovely things about me in the bathroom, on my locker, etc). I can't imagine what kids go through now, where it seems everyone knows your business. Sure, some kids put more of their business out there than they probably should, but that doesn't mean they deserve to be bullied. My point in bringing this up, is that I handled my being bullied through running. Those skinny legs and pipe cleaner arms got strong and have carried me through so much. If it weren't for joining track in the 8th grade and continuing with it each year, I don't know how I would have gotten through the torture that was high school. Running gave me confidence. It helped me see that I'm more than what the bullies pick on and my real, actual friends, don't care that I have skinny legs or pipe cleaner arms. My track coaches took a chance on me and were certainly glad they did because those skinny legs helped me eventually win races :) Ok, maybe the coaches had something to do with it too.

But not every kid has a track team to help them. Not every kid has the opportunity to meet people that believe in them and value them for what they already are. That's what Team for Kids provides: a chance for kids to build confidence, to build friendships, to live happy, healthy lives. I want to help these kids so much. They deserve to be happy and live their lives feeling good about themselves. I can still hear the gratitude in Keara's voice when she thanked me. It brings me to tears every time I think about her. How she is cheering me on when she is the one that needs the cheerleader behind her all day, telling her how much she is loved and how much we believe in her. But at least she has the programs provided by Team for Kids to be a part of.

That's where you can come in and help. Team for Kids, which through the New York Road Runners, will provide free running programs to kids and teens throughout our country and South Africa. They have already helped thousands of kids, and ultimately their families, get the information they need to be healthy. These programs help kids feel good about themselves, feel like they matter and feel like they are able to achieve greatness, whether it's in school, in sports, or just in life. Without these running programs, there's no telling where these kids would end up. 

Please help me help these kids. There are 5 weeks left until my fundraising deadline. I've already raised over $1600, helping 33 kids participate in these free programs. But there is so much more to do, so many more kids to help. For me, I still have over $900 to raise before October 5th. I know times are tough right now. I know the economy sucks and every cent is hard to part with. I get that. Which is why NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL. It will mean so much to the kids and families who receive your support. And your contribution is pretty much instantaneous: all of your contribution goes towards providing these programs. It's not so much about helping me, but helping them!

You can read more about my goals, what Team for Kids and the NYRR Youth Programs do and to donate to our cause by going to my personal fundraising page here: http://www.runwithtfk.org/Profile/PublicPage/8956 No amount is too small and EVERY bit helps! Please forward this email to anyone who you feel would like to give back to a wonderful organization. The more people we reach, the more kids we help. Thank you to ALL of you who have already donated. You can still help by forwarding this email to everyone you know!!

Today

Today marks 3 years since we lost our second baby. I can't believe it's been 3 years already.

We have conflicting emotions. We are still sad. We still think about what "could've been." It's especially hard when Keller says he wants a brother. He had a brother.

But then we think that because of that loss and the year it took us to get through it and try again, we have our girls. Had we not gone through that horrible period, they wouldn't be here. In fact, so much of our life would be different. I don't think we would be here in California. I think we would still be in Maryland. I'd probably be still working as a government contractor. Life would be so different from what it is now. Would it better? I don't think so. I don't know. Like I said, it's conflicting emotions.

I think about that first anniversary. We found out we were pregnant the day before. We didn't know then we were having twins but it was so strange that we found out we were expecting so close to the anniversary. There was definitely divine intervention involved to ease the pain of that day. And then to find out we were having twins? It isn't that our lost baby was "replaced" and we were suddenly over it. But we were given a gift when we thought all was lost. In fact, we were given two.

I will try today to not dwell on what we lost. It still hurts and I still cry but I am grateful for what I have. I know how lucky we are to have 3 beautiful, healthy children. I will focus on that and look to our future together.  

Cuppycake

I have officially lost my mind. Huh. I wonder how many times I've started a blog post saying that.

Anyway, I have been on a cupcake kick since a friend of mine was here over Memorial Day weekend and we visited the one and only Sprinkles Cupcakes in La Jolla. It isn't THE original Sprinkles, but it is the original recipes, style, etc. that you find at all the Sprinkles. Sprinkles is the very first cupcake bakery and it started the whole trendy cupcake business. I know, my obsession is late in the game, but better late than never.

Sprinkles pretty much rocked my world. I haven't been able to get cupcakes really out of my mind. I told you, I'm insane. This has been going on since Memorial Day, so well over a month. When we went to Disneyland, we had to make a pit stop on the drive home to the Sprinkles in Newport Beach. Yes, we had to make a pit stop (notice the bold and underline!). Then I decided to try every cupcake place I came across. You know, in order to make an informed decision as to who makes the best cupcakes. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Below is a list of what I've discovered so far, including some cupcake places from back in Maryland. For comparison purposes, of course.

Sprinkles (La Jolla and Newport Beach, CA): Hands down, the very best cupcakes in the world. I've sampled quite a few varieties. You know, to be sure I am making an informed decision. I've had the coconut, milk chocolate, peanut butter chip, peanut butter chocolate, red velvet, strawberry, vanilla milk chocolate, chocolate marshmallow (my favorite so far).

Little Cakes (Vista, CA): We happened upon this place when we went to a waterpark that's down the street from the bakery. They had a sign out front that said they were winners of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars. I hadn't seen that episode, so I was intrigued. We worked up a great appetite at the waterpark and headed to Little Cakes. It's a really cute place and the people there were super nice. I met the owner, Don, who was on Cupcake Wars. We sampled The Norman (named after one of their dogs), the Cannoli cupcake and the Strawberry Milkshake (that one rocked). It was hard to choose which ones to try as they have a pretty extensive list. 

The Danish Bakery (Carlsbad, CA): Now, this isn't an official cupcake bakery. But one day when I picked Keller up from his summer camp in Carlsbad, I was jonesing for a cupcake. Thanks to my Yelp app, I found the Danish Bakery was around the corner from where we were. I had the carrot cake cupcake and Keller had a white cake with chocolate frosting. Both were decent. I'll leave it at that.

Cupcake Love (Solana Beach, CA): I haven't yet had the pleasure of going into this shop, but I've sampled some of their goodies at a couple of events. Because it wasn't in the shop, I don't know which flavors I've had but they were gooood. I'm looking forward to going there and eating everything.  

Georgetown Cupcake (Georgetown - Wash, DC and Bethesda, MD): I have to be honest. I'm not a huge fan of Georgetown Cupcake. I know, I'm in the minority. When I lived in MD, we went to Georgetown Cupcake a few times and I tried really hard to like it. I enjoyed the flavors we had, but it didn't spark an obsession fueled with the fury and heat of a thousand suns (ahem, Sprinkles, you dirty mistress). We have sampled a good variety of offerings, including the chocolate, milk chocolate and vanilla birthday cakes, chocolate ganache and others. Again, not bad by any means, just not obsession-inducing.

Lilly Magilly's (Gaithersburg, MD): This is a cute, local cupcake place that opened right before we moved. I was pretty happy we had the chance to try it before we left. In fact, I got a nice assortment for John's birthday a couple of months before the move. Honestly, I don't remember the exact flavors we had, but I do remember really enjoying them.

That's about all I can list for now. I'm not going to list various cupcakes I've sampled at restaurants because they aren't cupcake specialists. I'm trying to stick with just cupcake bakeries, or bakeries that also do cupcakes. I know there are a lot of cupcakes in my future. I feel I am definitely up for the challenge!


     

Teach Your Children

You all know about the crazy year we've had: having twins, John getting a new job, moving across the country, etc. It's been a whirlwind but we're feeling a little more settled everyday. Part of what has helped me get back on track here in California is exploring the roads and trails as I run. Running has always been my therapy and a way for me to connect with life, and it has been no different here in our new home.

As I was looking ahead to what races I wanted to do this fall, I realized that my fall marathon will be my 10th! I am pretty excited about this, especially since it's been so difficult training with everything we have going on. I decided I wanted to do something special.

I decided to make the ING New York City Marathon my 10th marathon. It is, by far, my favorite marathon and there isn't any place else I'd like to celebrate this goal. I'll get to see my family and some friends and go all out. But I felt this wasn't really enough. So I decided to do some fundraising for the New York Road Runners Youth Programs and Team for Kids. Team for Kids are volunteers who raise funds for critical services provided by New York Road Runners Youth Programs. These programs combat childhood obesity and empower youth development via running and character-building programs in low-income schools and community centers in New York City, throughout the country, and in South Africa. You know how helping kids has always been a constant in my life, whether it was through my work with Girls on the Run, coaching kids privately, volunteering at kids races, or helping my own kid become more confident and empowered through running.

I'm asking you all for your help in bringing much-needed youth programs to the kids who really need them. These are kids who live in low-income areas and don't have access to free programs aimed at helping them live healthier lives. And what these kids learn in the programs will go back to their families, indirectly helping thousands more people be healthy. This isn't just about providing fun sports programs. This is about giving them the tools to make healthy choices, while keeping them safe and off the streets.

You can read more about my goals, what Team for Kids and the NYRR Youth Programs do and to donate to our cause by going to my personal fundraising page here: http://www.runwithtfk.org/Profile/PublicPage/8956 No amount is too small and EVERY bit helps! Please forward this email to anyone who you feel would like to give back to a wonderful organization. The more people we reach, the more kids we help.

Whether you have kids, work with kids, or know a kid, I hope you'll join us as we change lives through running! Remember, running changes everything!

THANK YOU and happy running!

P.S. I Love You

Dear Ellen Joanna and Brenna Jane, on your first birthday,

We made it, girls! Today you are one whole year old! It was quite a year, wasn't it?

You were born on a Friday. Ellen Joanna, you were born first. You arrived at 8:34 am, 5 lbs 4oz of perfect. The name "Ellen" means ray of light. You were the first baby I saw when we had our first sonogram and you filled my life with light from that very first moment. Your middle name, "Joanna," was given to you by my mother, your grandmother, Joan. She is the strongest, most wonderful woman on Earth and we hope you grow up to be just like her. The name "Joan" is a variation of "John," and it means God is gracious, and you're a gift from God.

Brenna Jane, you are our youngest baby. You arrived at 8:36 am, 5 lbs, 5 oz of perfect. The name "Brenna" has 2 meanings that we know: little drop of water (you were so very tiny in that first sonogram, we barely saw you! Just a little drop of water. We cannot live without water as it gives life and you, dear Brenna, gave us life.) and raven-haired maiden (we could see your hair on the sonogram!!). The name "Jane" is also a variation of "John." While Ellen's middle name came from your grandmother, your middle name came from your Papa. You are named after the most kind, wonderful man and father in the world. And you too are a gift from God. 

Who knew our lives could be filled with such joy and happiness with two little bits that weighed less than 11 pounds combined?? :)

I just wanted to let you know how much your family loves you. When you two arrived, you opened some doors in my heart that I thought were closed forever. I never in a million years thought I could be as happy as I am right now. And I know it's because of you and the light you bring into our lives. You complete our family.

You girls are my little partners in crime. Boy, do we have fun together. Just going to the grocery store is fun when you're with me. Let's see, in your first year of life, you've already seen some pretty awesome things that some people will never do in their lifetime like watch the Royal Wedding (hey, it was a big deal! And watching it live with you two and your brother was silly fun!); you've been on 6 airplanes already (and you travel better than most adults!); you've lived in two states on opposite sides of the country; you've been to the beach and put your little toes in the Pacific Ocean (some people go their whole lives never having done that!); you've seen whales, dolphins and seals swimming in that ocean; you've completed your first 5K (the first race in a loooong running career, I hope!).

You've already been there for your family in big ways. You've been to your Papa's new lab where he's going to discover ways to improve our health and lives; you've been to your brother's baseball games, saw him graduate from Kindergarten and start 1st grade at a brand new school, smiled through his belt tests at karate, watched him run almost 120 laps (which is 30 miles!) at running club and so much more. And you were there when I completed my first California race. I can't imagine how we ever got through life before you two arrived!

We are so excited for what lies ahead for you and for all of us. You two are the most gentle, sweet souls. One can't help but smile and feel good when you're around. I start every day of my life seeing the smiling faces of my three beautiful children and it just fills my heart with light and love. There is no better way to start a day! Watching the three of you play together, hearing those squeals of delight, it makes me feel like my chest is going to burst. I hope you always know how much you mean to us and how much we love you. There is nothing you can't do and I will always be your biggest cheerleader.
 
Happy First Birthday, Ellen and Brenna!

Love always,
Mama

P. S. I love you!

My Girl

My little, tiny 5 lb babies turn one in one week.

Needless to say, I have been an emotional wreck. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time with this birthday. But the past couple of weeks have been particularly emotional for me. I even had a crying jag in Target one afternoon. I was looking for outfits for them to wear for their birthday party and saw all the tiny little newborn clothes and it just slapped me in the face that my girls are growing up. My kids are all growing up and I hate it.

I look at Keller and he's such a big boy. I mean, I have to remind myself that he's only 6 because the way he acts, how incredibly smart he is and how tall he is all point to him being much older than 6. He is doing well in school and learning so much, we have actual conversations about real things. He isn't the little boy he once was and it breaks my heart. Yet, I am excited to see the young man he is going to become. He says now that he wants to be an anatomy professor. We'll see what happens, but I see only great things ahead for him.

And really, I don't know if I can write about the girls growing up. I'm already crying as I type this. If you see typos and poor grammar, just chalk it up to the fact that I can't see through my tears. It feels like they were just born yesterday. They are now walking (while pushing something, not by themselves). They wave and clap. They laugh and squeal. They are quite possibly the happiest babies in the entire world. Being with them makes me feel so good. I walk someplace with them and am in awe of how many people smile and stop to look at them. It makes me happy to know the girls make people smile. And now they are no longer infants. They are still little but they are growing up way too fast. It hurts sometimes just thinking about it.

When Keller was born, literally the day he was born, I cried to myself because I knew someday he would leave and be his own man. I don't know why but for some reason that thought came into my head. I was overwhelmed with love for this tiny being and I couldn't imagine a single day without him by my side. And then I realized that he wouldn't always be by my side. He would have a life to lead and become a great person. And I guess I'm coming to the same realization with the girls. They will have their own lives to lead and be great people.

I know that's a long way off. Trust me, I get that I'm being irrational. But if this first year went by so fast, it's only going to go by faster as they get older. I mean, Keller is 6 now! It's just all happening so fast for me. But I am definitely doing my best to savor every moment I can. I love them all so much!

Happy birthday Ellen and Brenna!

Orange Crush

Six months ago today, I became a Californian. I cannot believe how fast time flies. I feel like we've been here longer, like we've been here all our lives. It's amazing how quickly we have planted some roots. It's definitely starting to feel like home.

On a completely different note, I started juicing again. You may recall I went on a juicing frenzy a few years ago when I was going through a particularly bad bout of insomnia. One night when I couldn't sleep I saw an infomercial for a juicer and it all went from there. I haven't juiced in a while since we had packed up the juicer for the move and I hadn't brought it out yet. Between the CSA we joined and the farmer's market down the street, I have all these fresh vegetables. I brought the juicer out and I am seriously loving it. I've tried some interesting combinations:

Juice 1: apple, beet, carrot, strawberry (yum!)
Juice 2: grapefruit, orange, lemon, apple, basil (a little tart)
Juice 3: celery, fennel, carrot, cumin (I was wary at first but it was actually quite good)
Juice 4: celery, tomato, beet, basil, lemon, cayenne (yum!)

So, I guess it has all come full circle. My true granola tendencies have surfaced. I wrote the other day about becoming a California cliche. I guess juicing can be added to that list. But, in my defense, I started juicing loooong before we moved here! I've always been a Californian at heart, I guess :)

Photograph

Picture a Day January 2012, a set on Flickr.

At the beginning of the year I set a challenge for myself to take a picture everyday for the month of January. This is the result!