Surprise, surprise. I love El Paso. I was not excited about this trip, and I felt this way weeks before the swine flu became an international sensation. I am so plesaed to report that El Paso is really cool. I still want to move to Pensacola Beach, but I have totally enjoyed my brief stay in west Texas. My mediation was very brief, so I spent the afternoon at the bar at P.F. Chang's, Ulta, several malls, and running 3 miles in the hills above downtown El Paso. Oh, and my dinner at Cafe Central tonight rocked! I plan to spend the rest of my evening watching American Idol (it is not live in the Mountain Time Zone) and catching the Mavericks/Spurs game.
So, I am seriously thinking about making my blog private. I have no idea who reads me or cares what I have to say...but I can relax and be honest if my thoughts, concerns, passions, and gripes (mostly gripes) are hidden from the people who pay my salary. I just remember when several blogs I loved and lurked on went private and I was too embarassed to request an invite...Anyway, I am going to think about it over the rest of the week and make a decision. If you would like an invite, please email me at stacy.owings31@gmail.com!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Chillin' at the Airport
I fly the friendly skies to El Paso, Texas, in about an hour. I am not excited about this trip. Not only am I venturing close to the land of swine flu, but my running schedule is going to get mucked up. I am too tired to develop any coherent thoughts, but here are a few things that are on my mind today:
-Swine flu.
-Training my brain to accept a 5-miler on a treadmill tomorrow.
-Alex's aggressive behavior and an unfortunate encounter I had last week with the mom of one of his best buddies.
-Teaching Jackson to ride a bike...without training wheels.
-How the hell do I continue to do Weight Watchers when I am running 30+ mile weeks? I am starving...all the time.
-The guy snoring and choking on the bench beside mine.
Really, my mind is on my performance review this past Friday. I was a nervous wreck, anticipating lots of criticism that I was not prepared to handle. In reality, my review was a mixed bag. I do a great job, I have a great future...but I need to be really careful with things I post on the internet. Facebook? My blog? Not sure, but I am now thinking about making my blog private. I am philosophically opposed to such a move, but I also don't want anything I post on here to keep me from getting a promotion or a raise.
So I will continue to sit and ponder...at least until the plane boards in 45 minutes. Then my nerves take over and I will ponder nothing except a safe landing.
-Swine flu.
-Training my brain to accept a 5-miler on a treadmill tomorrow.
-Alex's aggressive behavior and an unfortunate encounter I had last week with the mom of one of his best buddies.
-Teaching Jackson to ride a bike...without training wheels.
-How the hell do I continue to do Weight Watchers when I am running 30+ mile weeks? I am starving...all the time.
-The guy snoring and choking on the bench beside mine.
Really, my mind is on my performance review this past Friday. I was a nervous wreck, anticipating lots of criticism that I was not prepared to handle. In reality, my review was a mixed bag. I do a great job, I have a great future...but I need to be really careful with things I post on the internet. Facebook? My blog? Not sure, but I am now thinking about making my blog private. I am philosophically opposed to such a move, but I also don't want anything I post on here to keep me from getting a promotion or a raise.
So I will continue to sit and ponder...at least until the plane boards in 45 minutes. Then my nerves take over and I will ponder nothing except a safe landing.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Another One Bites the Dust
R.I.P. Vera Bradley Tall Zip Tote in Kensington print. I will always remember your incredible versatility and ability to carry legal pads and lap tops while still looking like a purse. Athena will always remember the granola bar and assortment of tasty lip gloss hidden in the front flap pockets. You will be missed.
Jackson is cool.
As if I should have had any doubts. Apparently it is still cool for 6 year olds to love basketball-playing golden retrievers. Apparently I am the one who is incredibly uncool.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Cool Kids
I am worried about Jackson this morning.
As a former "uncool" kid, I am acutely aware of how cruel children can behave towards each other. I spent most of my pre-college academic career with a knot in my stomach and a general feeling of dread. It is NOT cool to be an awkward bookworm with parents disinclined to allow you to leave the house on weekends. As direct, confident, and extroverted as I am as an adult, I was quiet, shy, and even timid as a kid and teenager.
Jackson is six years old. He is a fantastic athlete, a great student, and he has this amazing laid-back personality. I do not want Jackson's childhood to be as socially challenging as mine. I want him to be like his dad. My husband was a superstar athlete (college football player, high school state champion in discus)with a quiet confidence to which people have always seemed to gravitate.
So here goes: Jackson loves the Disney Air Bud movies. Buddie is a golden retriever and a multisport athlete. Jackson's favorite Air Bud movie is the original basketball movie, and the Easter Bunny surprised him with a special edition of the movie with a "Buddie" dogtag on a chain. Jackson was thrilled to have a "boy necklace" as he calls it, and he insisted on wearing it to school today.
Kids are cruel. Even first graders. Is Air Bud cool to other 6 year olds, or is Jackson going to be mercilessly teased today? I know this is probably silly, but I am not ready to lose my sweet little boy, and I fear that this type of rejection could push Jackson to grow up a bit faster then I would like. Michael and I considered warning him about wearing the chain to school today, but the best we could do was warn him that it could be broken in PE class. We did not have the heart to insinuate that Air Bud might not be cool. I remember how it felt to be so proud of a gift and then be informed by the cool kids that my treasure was for babies, stupid, dorky...you get the idea.
I know, this is all too silly. But still, who wants their child to be picked on by the cool kids? Or maybe my son is one of the cool kids, and everyone will have Air Bud boy necklaces next week.
As a former "uncool" kid, I am acutely aware of how cruel children can behave towards each other. I spent most of my pre-college academic career with a knot in my stomach and a general feeling of dread. It is NOT cool to be an awkward bookworm with parents disinclined to allow you to leave the house on weekends. As direct, confident, and extroverted as I am as an adult, I was quiet, shy, and even timid as a kid and teenager.
Jackson is six years old. He is a fantastic athlete, a great student, and he has this amazing laid-back personality. I do not want Jackson's childhood to be as socially challenging as mine. I want him to be like his dad. My husband was a superstar athlete (college football player, high school state champion in discus)with a quiet confidence to which people have always seemed to gravitate.
So here goes: Jackson loves the Disney Air Bud movies. Buddie is a golden retriever and a multisport athlete. Jackson's favorite Air Bud movie is the original basketball movie, and the Easter Bunny surprised him with a special edition of the movie with a "Buddie" dogtag on a chain. Jackson was thrilled to have a "boy necklace" as he calls it, and he insisted on wearing it to school today.
Kids are cruel. Even first graders. Is Air Bud cool to other 6 year olds, or is Jackson going to be mercilessly teased today? I know this is probably silly, but I am not ready to lose my sweet little boy, and I fear that this type of rejection could push Jackson to grow up a bit faster then I would like. Michael and I considered warning him about wearing the chain to school today, but the best we could do was warn him that it could be broken in PE class. We did not have the heart to insinuate that Air Bud might not be cool. I remember how it felt to be so proud of a gift and then be informed by the cool kids that my treasure was for babies, stupid, dorky...you get the idea.
I know, this is all too silly. But still, who wants their child to be picked on by the cool kids? Or maybe my son is one of the cool kids, and everyone will have Air Bud boy necklaces next week.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Potty Mouth (WARNING!! COULD BE OFFENSIVE TO DELICATE READERS!)
I have a potty mouth. I know and have probably used in a sentence just about every curse word in the English language. I am not necessarily proud of this, I am just very honest about this. Working at the Public Defender's Office didn't help: "How the f*&# are ya?" was a typical morning greeting across the office hallway.
When Jackson and Alex start talking about who said the "S" word or the "F" word at school, I get really nervous and start playing back my recent rants in my head. Did I say that? Sure I said it, but did I say it around JBO and Short Round?
Lucky for me, the boys' "S" word is "stupid", and the boys' "F" word is "fart". Could be a lot worse.
Unfortunately, a few new bad words have made their way into the boys' vocabulary. I encourage Jackson and Alex to talk to me about anything and everything, so we talked about bad words at Moe's last night.
Some kid at school says "a.s.s." (Jackson spells it out) all the time, and according to Jackson, that is a bad word that means a boy's private parts. I had to explain (because I want them to use all vocabulary words correctly!) that it is a bad word for your butt. Alex then informed me that he learned a new bad word while watching Spiderman. What is that word? Damn. As in: "I will pay you when you fix the damn door". BTW--that is Alex's example. I asked him to use it in a sentence. You should have seen the looks from the middle school-aged boys who were sitting behind our booth. Either they thought I was the coolest mom ever, or they thought we were all going to Hell. By the way, my boys love that word too. They hear it in my parents' church, and because it is said in church, my boys claim it is not a bad word.
Oh, and guess what the punishment is for adults who say bad words? According to Jackson and Alex, the police take you to jail. Mommy should be serving a life sentence.
Ok, I promise I am NOT a horrible mom! I explained to Jackson and Alex that nobody goes to jail for saying bad words. Of course, they are too young for me to go into explanations of Public Disorderly Conduct, etc...but no, I never represented a person who was charged with the criminal offense of Cursing. I explained that some words are just ugly and hurt peep's feelings. When you say bad words, you look dumb (can't use stupid b/c JBO and ARO think that's a bad word) because you can't think of a polite way to express your feelings. Also, you can get in big trouble at school when you say bad words, and you can miss your recess. Big deal in our house!
Mom of the Year I may not be, but I love it that Jackson and Alex feel like they can talk about anything with me. And, my boys feel no temptation to curse or say bad words because I have killed the thrill.
***For those of you who are NOT laughing and in fact think I am a parenting disaster...I am the first of all my friends to have kids. In fact, I had two kids before most of my buds were even considering getting pregnant. I am a pioneer of sorts, and I screw up a lot. While I may not be your ideal mommy role model, learn from my (many) mistakes!
When Jackson and Alex start talking about who said the "S" word or the "F" word at school, I get really nervous and start playing back my recent rants in my head. Did I say that? Sure I said it, but did I say it around JBO and Short Round?
Lucky for me, the boys' "S" word is "stupid", and the boys' "F" word is "fart". Could be a lot worse.
Unfortunately, a few new bad words have made their way into the boys' vocabulary. I encourage Jackson and Alex to talk to me about anything and everything, so we talked about bad words at Moe's last night.
Some kid at school says "a.s.s." (Jackson spells it out) all the time, and according to Jackson, that is a bad word that means a boy's private parts. I had to explain (because I want them to use all vocabulary words correctly!) that it is a bad word for your butt. Alex then informed me that he learned a new bad word while watching Spiderman. What is that word? Damn. As in: "I will pay you when you fix the damn door". BTW--that is Alex's example. I asked him to use it in a sentence. You should have seen the looks from the middle school-aged boys who were sitting behind our booth. Either they thought I was the coolest mom ever, or they thought we were all going to Hell. By the way, my boys love that word too. They hear it in my parents' church, and because it is said in church, my boys claim it is not a bad word.
Oh, and guess what the punishment is for adults who say bad words? According to Jackson and Alex, the police take you to jail. Mommy should be serving a life sentence.
Ok, I promise I am NOT a horrible mom! I explained to Jackson and Alex that nobody goes to jail for saying bad words. Of course, they are too young for me to go into explanations of Public Disorderly Conduct, etc...but no, I never represented a person who was charged with the criminal offense of Cursing. I explained that some words are just ugly and hurt peep's feelings. When you say bad words, you look dumb (can't use stupid b/c JBO and ARO think that's a bad word) because you can't think of a polite way to express your feelings. Also, you can get in big trouble at school when you say bad words, and you can miss your recess. Big deal in our house!
Mom of the Year I may not be, but I love it that Jackson and Alex feel like they can talk about anything with me. And, my boys feel no temptation to curse or say bad words because I have killed the thrill.
***For those of you who are NOT laughing and in fact think I am a parenting disaster...I am the first of all my friends to have kids. In fact, I had two kids before most of my buds were even considering getting pregnant. I am a pioneer of sorts, and I screw up a lot. While I may not be your ideal mommy role model, learn from my (many) mistakes!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Fat Stacy
I joined Weight Watchers October 17, 2007, weighing in at 166.2 pounds. After the first two weeks, I gained almost 4 pounds and weighed in at 170 pounds. Later that evening (Halloween, obviously), my friend Gwen snapped this picture of our family before trick-or-treating. I HATE THIS PICTURE, yet it has been in a digital picture frame beside my front door for over a year and a half. Many people ask me how I can be motivated to get up at 4:45am or earlier to run. Take a look at this picture. This picture woke me up, and changed my life.
Bridge Run
Michael and I had an awesome time in Charleston this weekend. We have participated in the Bridge Run a number of times since we got married, but this was our best weekend by far. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on Marion Square a block from the finish line. In fact, the post-race party is in Marion Square! Our friends Tien and Stephanie Truong also stayed at the Embassy Suites, and we had a blast catching the early morning bus and hanging out for what seemed like hours in the starting line together. It was so much fun to have friends among the 35,000 runners!
Speaking of the race...I ran my best 10K ever! 53:59. I had lots of gas (NOT the intestinal kind) during the last mile, and I finished really strong. After pigging out all weekend (yummy dinner at Rue de Jean) and being a tad bit over served at the bar, I am ready for some hardcore marathon training!
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Big Plans!
I officially cancelled my Stacication Weekend in Black Mountain...because I am going to Washington, D.C. in October to run the Marine Corps Marathon!!
I am so excited. I am a marathon virgin, so I am pretty freaked about it too. I am inspired by my blogging friend Kalani and hopefully I will get to meet her at the marathon...finally!
Funny story: Kalani and I both attended Furman University (not a big college), we both graduated in 1999, and we didn't meet for almost 10 years until we discovered each other on the mommy blog circuit. Small world.
In other running news, we are shipping the boys off to Greenville this weekend and Michael and I are heading to Charleston for the Bridge Run 10K. It will be so nice to have a weekend away from Columbia, without the kids, with planned exercise! Michael and I have done the Bridge Run several times since we got married. Such a blast! The weather is going to be beautiful, and we are staying at a hotel at the finish line. It is going to be an awesome weekend!
I am so excited. I am a marathon virgin, so I am pretty freaked about it too. I am inspired by my blogging friend Kalani and hopefully I will get to meet her at the marathon...finally!
Funny story: Kalani and I both attended Furman University (not a big college), we both graduated in 1999, and we didn't meet for almost 10 years until we discovered each other on the mommy blog circuit. Small world.
In other running news, we are shipping the boys off to Greenville this weekend and Michael and I are heading to Charleston for the Bridge Run 10K. It will be so nice to have a weekend away from Columbia, without the kids, with planned exercise! Michael and I have done the Bridge Run several times since we got married. Such a blast! The weather is going to be beautiful, and we are staying at a hotel at the finish line. It is going to be an awesome weekend!
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