Hotlanta Half Marathon

Yeah, don't get me started on the name. We know, we know. Don't call it Hotlanta...

Back to the point.

This one's all about Dave today!

He just ran his second half marathon, and is already planning more in the weeks and months to come. Back in November he got what he considered a "wake-up call" from his doctor. He needed to lose weight, eat better, and start being more active. He got to hear about all the things that could happen if he didn't change his ways. He started running after work, lost a good 20-30 lbs, and feels better than when he was a college athlete.

Yay! Go Dave!

For some crazy reason, however, he picked this nuts race in the middle of August. It was hot, humid, and full of hills.

To quote him "it sucked."

Suckage aside, we had a good day. After watching Dave start, the gals and I headed over to Centennial Olympic Park and played till the runners started to flow by.

They were at their 11th mile and the hill that passed the park was insane.  I sat with the gals next to some other people cheering on runners and patiently waited for Dave. I packed the gals lots of snacks, juice, and things to do (thank you My Little Pony stickers). They didn't complain a single bit! Finally we saw Dave and the gals clapped and screamed "Go Daddy Go!"

I ran back over to Underground Atlanta and was able to make it before Dave crossed the line.

Hooray!

Dave and the gals after the race.

The gals thought that Dad's medal was pretty awesome.

The gals also had their first train ride. Madeline was scared at first, but they both ended up loving it and screaming for the train.

Big Kid Status: Room Edition

We did it! We finished the gals' room and we've lived to tell about it.

This was our first attempt at painting as well, so I was a bit nervous. However, now that it's all done, I'm patting ourselves on the back! We rocked it!!

Because our house is a new build, boring beige is EVERYWHERE, and we had to rectify it right away. Painting the ceiling was a challenge, but I finally got the hang of it and we knocked out the whole room in one afternoon.

I'm so excited to have their room done. It's been a long time coming, and they definitely deserve it!

Here's a quick tour:

My mom made the Gals a teepee. She is awesome.

We found their dresser at the Lakewood Antique Market today! We had been hunting for something for a long time and it was quite fitting that we found it today. We are hoping to find some more art for the walls in the next few months.

This wall is still rather empty, but we are hoping to find a big tree decal on Etsy to fill the space.

 This nightstand was also found at the antique market today and my mom brought down this lamp for us on her last visit. It used to be my grandmothers and I didn't realize how perfect it was for this space until today!

I made the plaques this week as I ventured back into the crafting world.

The gals were a little unsure of what was going on, but after a bit they warmed up to their new room!

Goodnight Gals!

Getting Crafty

I used to LOVE crafting!

Then I became budget conscious. 

That happens when you marry an accountant. 

I would waste so much money on crafts that should cost $10 to make, but because I never remember where I kept my supplies, I ended up buying all new things. I was then creating something that was not worth the $65 I just spent at Michaels.

And let's be honest, it's easier to just pay someone on Etsy to do it. I can guarantee they will do a much better job than me.

However, now that we've moved, all these glorious craft supplies from the past have resurfaced! Gasp! Our loft was tiny and a lot of my crafts were relegated to our storage unit. In our new place I finally have my own office where said things can live and turn into magical crafty creations!

Hooray! 

I'm on it now. Like Martha Stewart all up in here.

The Gals' new room has me reinspired and I'm ready to create.

First on the list: Initial Plaques.

It was pretty easy and a good place to start. Just a little tape and paint!

I loved how they turned out and I didn't actually break the bank this time.

As I dusted off all of my old supplies, I found this cross stitch buried deep down where I'd hidden it after my long stay in the hospital while I was pregnant with the gals.

I've had enough time and seeing things that remind me of this stay don't bother me anymore. So here's my next project! 

This will certainly be framed and also placed in the Gals' new room!

The Gals' Room

Most of y'all already know that the Gal's entrance into this world was a bit hectic. I was admitted to the hospital at 27 weeks pregnant, and there I stayed till the Gal's birthday, 4 weeks later. Both of the girls had a NICU stay, Madeline for 6 weeks, and Amelia for 7.

So needless to say our nursery was never decorated.  

And because of previous losses, this was a milestone I had held off on. 

Don't want to jinx it, right? 

And all of a sudden I wasn't home to do it. There also was certainly no desire on my part to decorate after making trips to the NICU everyday. Then, just like that, you finally have these two tiny people home that need you all the time. 

Life right? It keeps you busy. 

We lived in a tiny factory loft condo, no real room to move around, let alone decorate, so we just shrugged it off, assembled our Ikea furniture and went on our merry way. 

Last Summer, spur of the moment, we decided to put our condo up for sale and build in the burbs. Moving twice (we lived in an apartment for a few months while out house was being built), and trying to fill a house 3 times the size of our condo was a daunting task and rough on our wallets. We agreed that the real decorating would happen after we purchased all of our furniture. 

Fast forward to 8 months later and finally we are making an effort to give the Gals a room that I've always pictured in my head. The one that I wanted to give them before they were born, but never had a chance.

We are going with a nature/camping theme and have already picked out some essentials. Yesterday Dave and I bought two twin mattresses, so we can move out the Gal's toddler beds as well. This weekend we will be attempting to paint. If you guys know me, you are already aware that I come from a family who LOVES to renovate things. I, on the other hand, do not. At all. So painting will surely be a labor of love.  If you follow me on twitter, I'm sure I will be cursing up a storm and asking for all the advice in the world. 

Hopefully it will all come together in the next few weeks and I will post the pictures here. 

Until then here's a sneak peek!

The Trail Bites Back

Oh man did I start out this run like a cocky bitch.

Gorgeous day. Cloudy. Breezy.

Perfect for running. My new found love for running the trail eases my achy bones and keeps my mind calm. I started out confident and strong. Leaping over roots, avoiding turtles, and even circumventing a few scary bugs.

Y'all. This nature kid hates bugs. Did I ever tell you about my camping trip to Florida? No? Well long story short, finding palmetto bugs on the inside of your carefully placed bug net after you've already crawled inside to go to sleep is NOT fun.

Anyways.

After avoiding a particularly frightening bug, I descended down the trail, picked up speed, and caught my foot on a root. I tried to over correct, ran faster, but I knew my big ass was going down. Right now I'm blaming the bug for my misstep. It surely could not have been my fault.

I felt like I was going in slow motion. All I could think was: "Ouch. This is going to hurt." There may have been some choice expletives running through my head as well, but we won't worry about that.

Then I went all GI-Joe and Superman mixed into one. Instinct kicked in, I tucked, put my shoulder down first, and completed a masterful roll/flip and popped back up so quick, you would have thought I did it on purpose.

Now when I fall on a regular run (I have to admit that it's happened more than once) boy does it hurt. I usually go straight down, bust my hands and knees, and my ego hurts the most of all. This time? Instead of looking around ashamed, hoping that no one saw me, I looked around and wished that someone saw my masterful feat.

I only had a small cut on my knee, and since I was already standing again, all I had to do was brush off the dirt, and finish my run.

So thanks trail running. I'm now able to add on another reason why I like you so much. When I fall, my body and my pride doesn't hurt so much.