Mom on the Run tagged me for a running meme. I am hosting my Dad and Grandma here in beautiful Nova Scotia, so without further ado, a little about me and running.

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?

Non-existent. Up until six weeks ago, I felt that unless my life was in peril, running was a crazy notion. I never understood why people liked to run. I would ask runners and they would shrug and say it feels great. WHAT!?! I didn’t get it.

2. What is your best and worst run/race experience?

er well I am really just getting started. I did however sprint once. For a brief moment in time I was flying. It felt great. Sadly I have yet to be able to do it again. The stars were aligned perfectly in that moment.

3. Why do you run?

It started off, I was walking. I was determined to walk every night for an hour. I needed to get into shape. I was unhappy with my body and wanted to change it. I wanted to be in control, rather than feeling helpless. After a few weeks of walking, it just felt natural to start running. My husband is still in shock that I go for a run.

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?

hmm I have yet to talk to a lot of runners, now that I am a runner. I am a little shy about it since I just started and feel like I am not quite a runner. I am trying to change that mentality and just believe it. I am a RUNNER. I am. Really. Almost. Kinda?

I changed my routine last night. It was raining. My company was waiting at home. It was shorter and less challenging, and I rocked! It was great! I think I will spice things up a little

5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.

geez I have been blogging for so long I think everyone knows me Instead enjoy some photos from yesterday

Janice at Mom on the Run tagged me for the Four Things Meme. You all saw last week what happens when I do not take care of these things right away so here we go.

Four Jobs I’ve Held

• Job Coach for people with brain injuries
• Insurance Broker
• Tradesmen Helper (Federal Summer Work Program)
• Pizza Delivery Girl

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over

• Star Wars (from my time not the news one per say)
• Harry Potter
• Lord of the Rings
• Best in Show

Four Places I Have Lived

• Kamloops, BC
• Lethbridge, AB
• Riverside, CA
• Los Alamos, NM

Four TV Shows I Like

Four Favorite Foods

• Popcorn
• Sunflower Seeds
• Anything Chocolate
• Seafood

Four Places I would Rather Be

• Close to my friends
• Surrounded by family
• Taking a nap
• At the Beach

I am not really a tagger, just feel free to expose yourself on the internet for all to see, k? k.

Hope you all had a fab weekend. I was busy with soccer, shopping (groceries not the fun the kind of shopping) and a whole lot of nothing. It was a good nothing. Good. Good. Good.

I have been tagged and tagged and tagged … here is my crazy attempt to catch up …

JJ tagged me with a husband meme …

How long did you date? 3 years.

How old is he? 31! I am older by 8 months (wiser too hehe)

Who eats more? Him! He is almost a foot taller, I figure he needs it!

Who said “I love you” first? I did.

Who is taller? Look above.

Who sings better? Neither one of us should hurt people by singing.

Who is smarter? He has a PhD and is really good at chemistry … I kick is butt on everything else Ew except mecanics and mathematics …

Whose temper is worse? I do not even think he has a temper.

Who does the laundry? He helps, but folding and putting it all away is EXTREMELY challenging for him.

Who does the dishes? Moi.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I am always right … always

Who pays the bills? I do I do.

Who cooks dinner? I do but he used to, now that I stay at home I have less excuses not to.

Who drives when you are together? Depends. I know the city better but he likes to feel manly.

Who is more stubborn? lol. We are both very determined.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me and made my knees go all weak.

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I am always right. Really.

Whose parents do you see the most? My Dad is on his own so he travels a lot to us which is nice.

Who proposed? He did. While he was wearing a laundry basket (hehe Halloween party!)

Who is more sensitive? Totally me.

Who has more friends? I totally rock the friend circuit. Are molecules friends? Never used to be that way but I like use the kids to make friends for me.

Who has more siblings? I am an only child but have some half siblings that I meant once. He has a sister that is the coolest chic ever.

Who wears the pants in the family? If I catch him in a dress again…. HAHAH Just joking. I am the ruler of the universe. But I let him think he is .. Love you babe!

Ok Next Up Midori tagged me with 8 random facts meme about the kids:

1. Ethan is walking! He still likes to crawl since he is so fast, but he is definitely walking now! w00t!

2. Becca spelled her name on the chalk board today!!! ALL BY HERSELF. It is perfectly backwards and missing a few letters but PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.

3. Ethan loves to eat kidney beans. My kids are weird.

4. Becca wore a hole in her knee for the first time ever. She grew so fast and was not active kid before. Now she is super active and not growing quite so crazy.

5. Ethan adores our cat. Our cat adores Ethan. They love to snuggle while I nurse him (Ethan not the cat obviously)

6. Becca can look at books for upwards to an hour without moving or speaking.

7. Ethan still does not sleep through the night but is now down to getting up once or twice. A huge improvement from the four to five times a few months ago.

8. Becca sleeps like a rock. Even Ethan crying in their room does not cause her to stir. We wake her sort of to use the potty before we go to bed, she is barely conscious and returns to bed without musing.

Devilish Southern Belle tagged me for 10 weirdo random facts or habits meme.

1.I chew gum constantly. If I am not eating or sleeping, I am chewing gum.

2.I have not painted my toes since getting pregnant with Ethan. I miss pretty toes but I want to find a less toxic nail polish first.

3.I have grey hair. Like a lot of it. I am trying to decide what to do about it.

4.My husband thinks my grey hair is sexy. I think he is weird.

5.Half way there hmmm … At one point in my life I had two brothers named Jason. Now I have no contact with either.

6.In fact my “real” mom hasn’t spoken to me since I was 18. Before that she has spoken to me a total of a dozen times or so. She left me with my Dad when I was 6 months old (thank the heavens). She has two other children that she took with her.

7.The above sent me to hours upon hours of therapy trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

8.It wasn’t until I met my husband that I came to understand that there is nothing wrong with me, that I am lovable. Thanks husband!

9.I want my husband to get the motorcycle of his dreams. I know most wives are not really thrilled about the idea, but I think it is sexy and he totally deserves to have something outside his job & family that he enjoys (someday, I get my our house first!)

10.I want to get my motorcycle license then build a sidecar for J … ’cause that would be HILARIOUS.

Lastly, forever ago Crystal tagged me for the Page 123 meme:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

But most today seem to believe that if sucking of an intense nature stops before the second teeth come in, probably little harm will be done if Nature has lined the teeth up straight to begin with. Our own preference is not to make too much of the whole thing, certainly in the years before Six or so. Most children realize that their parents do not especially favor this behavior. — Your Four Year Old: Wild and Wonderful

Exciting material eh? It is from a series of books that are totally an AWESOME window into the behaviour of children at certain ages. Holly recommended Your Three-Year-Old: Friend or Enemy … and WOW it changed my view on everything! The “solutions” in the books are not really my parenting thing (like in the Three year old book they pretty much say the only solution is to send your kid to preschool because there is no hope till they grow out of that stage). I am also reading Your One Year Old!

Ok I am feeling much much better … Have you played along with all of these yet? I you want to play consider yourself tagged … I need a nap now Have a fabulous weekend!

As I mentioned yesterday, Deb at G’s Cottage tagged me for a challenging meme, focusing on my top five reasons I love to write. I have given this topic a lot of thought and the following is where my mind wandered on the topic.

1. To get it out. There are times that writing the happiness, frustration, anger and glee helps me to sort it all out. It is my way of organizing my being, centering myself. This processing my thoughts through writing helps me appreciate life, love and happiness. It is easy for me to get lost in the moment. I am an emotionally drive person, so logic and reason are not always my focus. Writing helps to organize it all,so it is not so jumbled up in my being.
2. To express my creativity. I have a constant desire to create new things. Be it through art, writing, knitting, photography, parenting, the surge of energy is ever present. In fact, when I do not create I get miserable and cranky. The urge to create is that strong. Creating words, art, beauty, a lego building, a song … all these things calm me.
3. Feedback. It is true I am a comment junkie. Once my thoughts are out there, I am eager to read the response. Honestly, is there anything better than opening your in box to reveal comments left, conversations sparked by YOUR words?
4. To share my experiences. Sometimes I have little gems that may just make someone’s world a better place. Maybe it is a parenting thing, like how I survived moving or our experience with Becca’s glasses. I have been blessed to read many blog posts that have altered my thinking slightly, making me a better woman, mother … I can dream that my words could do the same for another.
5. Writing is a childhood dream of mine. I will never forget the moment I became afraid to express my creativty through writing. I was an avid book reader (still am when I find the time) and loved to write short stories as well as illustrate them as a child. My step mother at the time, living up to all stereotypes of the wicked step-mother shattered my inner confidence. I had written a ghost story. I was quite proud of it. My Dad (always my biggest fan) was out of town working as he often did, so I decided to share my story with her. I had written in a notebook (the kind that had the blank area on top to draw then lines underneath … oh how vivid this memory is to me), so I handed the notebook to her. I was glowing and jittery with excitement. We had not lived with her long and I was eager to impress her. She read through it, glancing up at me as she did. Then after completing the story she tossed the notebook onto the coffee table, and exclaimed “THAT was much too good for you to have written, YOU must have copied it from one of those books you read!” I, all of eight years old was devastated. Much later in life I had read somewhere, that there were few “original” stories, however the best stories are the ones that the author draws from all that they have read and experienced and makes the story their own to tell. I did not write much after that event in my life. I never retold that moment to anyone until right before J & I got married. J is my muse. He allows me to be ME, without any hesitation and loves all that I do and all that I create. He never questions it, only accepts me.

Wow. Have I gotten off topic? One last thought on writing, specifically on my blog. It is MY blog. I can get off topic, I can ramble, I can share, I can not be grammatically correct and misspell words (although I do attempt to avoid that). I am not being graded, I am not being judged, I am just being me.

I would love to read what your top reasons you love to write and I am tagging JJ, Holly, Beck, Maddy and Allison …

psst I am going to have a contest later this week … You have been warned

Why is time standing still, yet still disappearing before me? It is the weirdest sensation. Seriously. I can hardly wait to hear if J got the job in Halifax. It could be weeks before we know anything. ugh. Yet I am trying to get some things done and time is GONE. GONE. ugh.

I feel like the more I attempt to get organized the more unorganized I become. How is that possible?

We miss Grandpa already.

I mentioned I was knitting. Well there are a few projects that are still in the works, but tonight I finished a cute Market Bag. The bag turned out awesome and I totally want to knit up a few more once I de-stash some of my yarn first. I have a little collection growing that I need to tame. I posted some knit ramblings on my knitting blog for those who care to wander over there.

Becca, Ethan and I had a wonderful day. We walked to the department store to peek at their swim suits (way over priced) the headed over to Starbucks for a milk and tea. Then it was off to the library to return some books and take out new ones. I spotted a great book for Becca. The main character loses his beloved cat, something that Becca can relate to.

I miss Charisma so much. Yet there is this eerie calm in our house. I had no idea how stressed out we all were while he was ill. Even Skippyjon has calmed down and has settled into being an only cat quite well. We talk openly about Charisma and how much we miss him, the things we loved about him and the things that annoyed us. I hope we are doing good by Becca.

On Monday I stated Becca was settling into swim lessons … well no. She was lulling me into a false sense of security. Total rebel in the class once again. It is a good thing Miss Rebel has a sweet, VERY patient swim instructor. The kid is giving me some more gray hairs I tell ya!

I have been making people smile and have won awards for it! I rock. hehe. Seriously. Thanks. It gives me great joy that so many read my blog. Who would have thought three and half years ago when I started here at soodz that anyone beside my Dad and Mother in Law would come by (they do it for the cute pics of their grandchildren more than my ramblings of yarn, mean moms, naps, or rather the lack there of). Many Thanks for the award Nadine and Shannon!

As for tags … Seriously. You all make me smile. So if I come by and comment, your tagged. Thanks for having me be a part of your world and making me smile.