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Fun in the sun... Sunday, March 29, 2009 We've had a packed day with running, running errands, and some backyard discovery! While out on our errands, the sun came out, and the temps creeped up into the 70s! As I was unloading the groceries, I noticed this in the backyard (they were NOT there a couple of days ago, so I guess all that rain wasn't so bad...):  So Benjamin went to scope them out:  And then found some more that will likely bloom while we're away:  So, we decided to stay out, and rake up the leaves that fell past my refuse-to-rake-date (approximately December 1st, in case you care), and here is the result of our work:  There is a lot left to do to get the yard in good shape, but figured it's only fair to leave some of the yard-work fun for Andrew when he gets back! Oh, and Benjamin loves worms. And I didn't squeal when he put 3 of them on my leg and ran away laughing...oh boy! ~Courtney posted at 4:33:35 PM I can't believe I didn't think to look there... Sunday, March 29, 2009 I was a tad frazzled trying to get us out of the door to go to the store this morning, and said, not even realizing I said it out loud, "I have totally lost my mind." Benjamin responded with "No. Not lost. It's in your purse. But not that one. The green one. It's upstairs." So, I have not, in fact, lost my mind! Phew. ~Courtney posted at 2:21:36 PM 542 Saturday, March 28, 2009 I just have a handful of random things on my mind, so, here you are. First, a question: WHY ON EARTH have I spent the bulk of the last couple of years wishing I could get the organizational skills for a garage sale together, yet when the opportunity presents itself, I can't find anything to sell? Our sub-division/HOA is holding a well-publicized garage sale next Saturday, and I haven't gotten a single thing together to be able to participate. To say I am annoyed with myself, might be the understatement of the week. Maybe, while he's out of town, I should go through those boxes of &*%^&( in the garage, and sell some of the things I've been begging Andrew to deal with for the last four years? A second random thing is the conversation I just had with Benjamin. He just re-created the entire course of events from marathon Saturday last week, but, the best part, he said that I won the race and ran through the ribbon. Neither of which are true, but I love that he thinks so highly of me! He also thinks highly of his Nana, who "needs to come back to Benjamin's house to give me my money." Speaking of his disillusions...he just said "you're a man, mommy. Not a real man; you're the mail man who can be a woman too. Go pick up the mail." Okay. Thirdly. As a child, one of my chores (and really, we didn't have many) was to fold the towels when they came out of the dryer. My mom was SO specific about how they were folded. It's the tri-fold method of towel-folding (I don't think she made that up!), which has always been stupid to me, because there are actually four folds, but allegedly, the first one doesn't count or something. I digress. I just ripped apart the entire linen closet and re-folded all of the towels (and we have WAY more than a family of three with the occasional visitors need...hmmm, maybe garage sale some?) because Andrew, bless his heart and willingness to help out, doesn't fold them the right way. So, mom. Yeah, I am sorry for being such a pain in the butt about folding the towels. You were totally right. Saturdays, and Sundays too, I'd assume, are WAY more depressing when Andrew is out of town, than the weekdays are. Benjamin and I both took long snoozes this afternoon, and are totally vegging out on this rainy afternoon. I am DYING for some sun and HOT weather. Summer can't come soon enough for me. Bring on bathing suit season! Oh, and I downloaded Debbie Gibson's greatest hits from iTunes last night. What the hell is wrong with me? Anyhow, we're listening to that as I fold (and refold, since Benjamin is into UNfolding) towels. Wishing I hadn't ripped that totally apart now... This morning, when we left the house to go to lunch and the mall, I saw something really sad. A robin's egg had fallen from somewhere (can't figure out where...) and was cracked open on my step. It's still there, and Benjamin and I just jumped over it. I guess I need to hook up the hose and deal with it tomorrow. Yuck. I often wonder if I was meant to rent a townhouse or apartment forever. Lastly, I just told Andrew, on the phone, that I was thinking about getting a tattoo. It was a lie. Not on purpose, because at the time, it felt like something I really wanted, but when I realized I wasn't able to come up with a body part I was willing to tattoo (I am intrigued by tattoos, but have commited to only getting one if I participate in the Olympics, and to get the Olympic rings...which seems highly unlikely at this point in my life. Particularly with my ADD) forever. I've since decided I need to find a temporary tattoo that will ease my desires. I'd not be going out on a limb to say that blog post #542 is the most random one, to date. But alas, that's how my brain is working lately. Can you tell I've been slightly shorted of grown-up conversation the past couple of days? ~Courtney posted at 5:37:04 PM Saturday Fun Saturday, March 28, 2009 In attempts to not be total thugs like we were yesterday, Benjamin and I were up early, and finally ready to head out on an adventure. While I was getting ready, he came into my bathroom with a piece from the breast pump I used when he was a baby, and asked if he could use it at his rice table, because "I pretend it's one good construction truck." At least he has an imagination, right? ~Courtney posted at 11:29:38 AM Thanks for playing! Friday, March 27, 2009 While I truly believe you all are winners, the winners of the contest from yesterday are numbers 1, 3, 9 and because it sounded better to say 4 numbers, number 11. So Maggie, Kate & Allison, please email me your addresses, and I will get a little treat out in the mail quickly. Mom, you ARE lucky; I'll probably bring your gift to Gigi's house this week; which means you get to see us, too. You are still going, right? Anyhow, thanks for playing everyone, and THANK YOU for the awesome de-lurking and generous comments about the site! I love that people enjoy it! ~Courtney posted at 3:01:55 PM Pain in the rear end... Friday, March 27, 2009  So, all joking aside, my credit card number, billing information, etc. was stolen last week, and used to buy $160.65 in clothes, plus a few other things. I got a phone call from the clothes company; it popped up to do a follow-up because the billing address was not the same as the shipping address. Well, I was, of course, clueless about what was ordered, and quickly realized that someone else was using Andrew's money to buy their spring wardrobe. Luckily, it was dealt with immediately, and new cards are on their way. If nothing else, it was a lucky thing, because I've not been NEARLY as involved in our finances as I should be, and chances are good that Andrew probably wouldn't have questioned a charge from my card, assuming it wasn't insanely over my budget. That's why this somee card cracks me up so much. Now we just need to figure out all of our monthly auto-pay things, so we can re-set those up. Argh. ~Courtney posted at 1:13:01 PM It's time to win! Thursday, March 26, 2009 In the spirit of trying to get in a better mood, I am going to do a repeat of the Pay it Forward game. In this game, currently unspecified prizes will be sent to three people who leave comments. I have already picked the numbers assigned to the winning comments, and only your first comment will count for the prize. Here are the rules:
I will announce the winners once we reach the number of comments needed to hit my numbers. Oh, and for those of you who think you know my numbers...you totally don't. ~Courtney posted at 8:36:56 AM Toddler for Sale Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Ohmygoodness. I have no clue what happened to Benjamin this week. Well, I do. An over-abundance of attention all weekend, and now, just me. I can not wait for bedtime tonight. I hate to wish minutes away with him, but mama needs a break. ~Courtney posted at 5:10:04 PM Lululemon Monday, March 23, 2009 So, my new favorite store is Lululemon. I LOVE their workout clothes, and find myself wanting to wear yoga pants out on the town (for errands, not going out!) instead of normal clothes...they're that comfortable. Anyhow, the whole shopping process there is an experience I recommend trying out; I particularly love their artwork/design on the walls, bags, e-newsletters, etc. Here is an image from the newsletter I just got. I think it really caught my eye because I've been thinking about working on a writing project I've had in my head for awhile...and it mentions running a marathon.  Oh, and they know Benjamin by name there, now, and are letting him come to the once-monthly toddler yoga class, even though you're supposed to be 3. He knows how to work a room of good looking women! ~Courtney posted at 8:08:31 PM Rental Cars Monday, March 23, 2009 This is, for some reason, absolutely hilarious to me, but Andrew went to pick up his rental car at the Colorado Springs Avis this morning, and, instead of the full-sized car that he booked, they gave him a Hummer H3. He's a little high maintenance when it comes to luxuries, and not having the Sirius radio when he's on road trips always annoys him...so, now he has it. I am a little worried that he'll get hooked to the car after nearly two weeks, and be disappointed with the trusty Passat, though. ~Courtney posted at 7:03:22 PM Marathon Update Monday, March 23, 2009 So, you'd think, based on the fact that I haven't exactly been walking much the past couple of days, that I would have done a marathon update sooner...but, well, I just didn't. So, here it is. I did SO much better than I'd hoped to, and actually had a pretty good time for the bulk of the race. I started off pretty slow, my first mile at a 9:36 pace, which was basically my plan to maintain, but then something happened, and after that, my average time kept dropping. Anyhow, while I can't say that I ran every single step (things were rough from about 23-26.2, and then a couple of rogue hills...you get the picture), but I can say that I finished in under 4 hours! According to my GPS watch, which also said I had run 26.55 (how demoralizing is THAT, to think you're done, just to run another third of a mile?) read 3:58:48, and I didn't stop it immediately following the race. I had a few goals, going into the race. First goal was to not die. Second was to run faster than Oprah (4:29), and third, was to keep it around 4:20. So, as you can imagine, I was elated with how well it went! I had the best cheering squad there! Andrew, Benjamin, my mom, Emily and Kathryn were all there for support, and Emily even jumped in and ran the last 5.7 miles with me. Her motivational blurbs were overly under-appreciated at the time ("stop with the positive &*(^&*, I am in my head," came out of my mouth), but I am definitely thankful for them in hindsight. Emily made everyone AWESOME orange t-shirts to wear, which was awesome, because I could spot them on my approach. My inlaws sent a HUGE Edible Arrangement to the house for us to snack on post-race, and Kathryn brought me a basket with foot soak, foot lotion, bubble bath, and diet coke. Everything was so nice! I wish there were more pictures, but I was just running too fast for them to get me. Kidding. I just look horrible in most of them! As in, more horrible than I look in these. 
So yeah, that's about it. I loved it. I am still a tad sore, and my feet are a tad beat up, but I definitely am a) psyched about my half marathon on 4/19, and b) even more psyched to find another marathon to run in the not-too-distant future. Although, that might be the fading endorphins talking... Oh, and the official results are now posted. Click here to see how I did! ~Courtney posted at 8:05:30 AM Countdown is on! Thursday, March 19, 2009 Mom and Em are only a couple of hours away, and in less than 48 hours, I will have finished the marathon. I am SO ready to have this behind me...so I can train for a fast time in the 1/2 marathon I am running in April! ~Courtney posted at 2:03:30 PM Construction sites, 70-degree days, and napless afternoons Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Well, the title sums it up. We had a fun playdate this morning with some new & old friends, and then ran some errands to get ready for Andrew's birthday party tomorrow night. When we got home, it was just TOO NICE to not spend it outside, so we opted out of naptime, and instead got two HUGE bags of rice for the water table that we got last spring. Here he was nearly a year ago:  And here he is, today, playing construction site. Please don't mind my annoying voice. ~Courtney posted at 8:25:48 PM My favorite lunch EVER. Tuesday, March 17, 2009 We were at this outdoor shopping area today, running some errands, and popped into Chipotle for lunch. I got a salad the size of my head, and Benjamin got a quesadilla. Once we sat down in our little booth, he stood up and yelled "Everybody! I am having my favorite lunch ever! Sprite and Chips!" I was so embarrassed, but it was absolutely hilarious. I mean, it's not like he gets Sprite regularly; but he made it sound like it was a dietary staple. Eek! ~Courtney posted at 5:35:11 PM Happy St. Patrick's Day! Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Andrew left early for a busy day, but Benjamin and I are enjoying some green milk with our breakfast. It's kind of gross looking, but, well, CHEERS!  ~Courtney posted at 8:12:51 AM Monday, March 16, 2009 And here is another great one!  ~Courtney posted at 2:11:15 PM Photography fun! Sunday, March 15, 2009 My photo shoot for the magazine I am being featured in was yesterday afternoon. It was SO MUCH FUN. Michael Vonal, the photographer, did an amazing job, and was so much fun to work with. In addition to the magazine pics, he spent some time at the end to take some family shots. I've already purchased a couple of them, but for now, this is all you get!  Oh, and he not only refrained from passing judgment on my diverse and quite random music selections, he said he liked it! Thanks for such a fun, and totally out of the norm, afternoon! ~Courtney posted at 1:49:29 PM Serious boy... Friday, March 13, 2009 He looks sad in this picture, but I can assure you, he was not. I just thought it was kind of a sweet picture. He DOES, however, look like he needs some Vitamin D (hint, hint, Andrew).  In other news, we had some potty success today. Woohoo! ~Courtney posted at 8:02:36 PM Best friends! Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Benjamin and I visited with out friends JD and Allison today. JD and Benjamin are quite similar. They hate normal meals. They love carbs. And the zoo. And, most importantly, they LOVE TRUCKS. And, when I say love trucks, I mean, it's basically their favorite thing ever. It's been far too long since we've gotten to visit with them, so it was a great playdate. Benjamin ate his first PB&J sandwich, and the boys played so well together. I was able to keep Benjamin awake on the drive home, and he managed to take a decent nap. AND, I didn't get a parking ticket, even though the cars on either side of me did...thank you, DC police!  
~Courtney posted at 9:07:27 PM Benjamin, and his beloved train... Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Benjamin, and his "Scottish" accent from having borrowed a bunch of Thomas the Tank Engine videos from the library: And, this one is only cute, because of the ending... I feel so lucky to be his mom. ~Courtney posted at 11:08:06 PM Miami Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Since, I am guessing, nobody really cares about my opinion on Chris Brown, I am just going to give a short update about my trip. It was awesome. I love my friends so incredibly much, and it was just great to have them together in one, tropical place. Full disclosure here; we really missed Megan. Unlike our past get-togethers, we all arrived with little to no airline/travel related disasters. We drove a rockin' convertible. Well, it wasn't really rockin', but it was definitely a convertible. We didn't really party South Beach style, but that's not to say that we were old hags, either. We ate some great food, had some delish drinks (I could have stayed at that place with the white sangria all afternoon long!), and enjoyed some scenic people watching. I came home with a lopsided sunburn, which is finally starting to not totally hurt, and some wonky tan lines. I remembered how much I LOVE the beach, and think that I have successfully convinced Andrew that he and I need to head down there in a couple of months for a long-weekend getaway. It was just the right amount of time away to enjoy the weather and the company, and to come home refreshed and ready to jump back into the daily grind. Oh, and I learned that roller blading is still all the rage. That, I had no clue about! Thanks, girlies, for the fun get-away! ~Courtney posted at 4:25:05 PM Bunk. Tuesday, March 10, 2009 I think this is a bunch of bunk. And that's all I have to say about that. ~Courtney posted at 1:49:50 PM And people wonder why I have mom-guilt Monday, March 09, 2009 I just got home from an Andrew/Benjamin-less vacation in Miami (since Thursday). This conversation just happened: B: (to me, since I am the only one here) I miss you so much Daddy. Me: Do you mean that you missed mommy? B: No, I miss daddy so much NOW. He's at work. That stings more than my sunburn! ~Courtney posted at 11:52:21 AM Adventures Wednesday, March 04, 2009 Me: Are you getting sleepy? B: No, mommy. Me: Good, because we're going on an adventure. B: Mommy, the mall is NOT an adventure. We're going to the mall. It's too soon for him to know this!! ~Courtney posted at 10:19:45 AM Update to pre-school... Tuesday, March 03, 2009 Benjamin told me tonight that "I am going to ride the city bus to school." Um, sure. Oh wait, no. We'll either walk/run in the jog stroller, or we'll drive. Hilarious. He seriously cracks me up all day long! ~Courtney posted at 9:39:50 PM We won the lottery! Tuesday, March 03, 2009 No, not that one. A much more important one in the land of competitive education...the preschool lottery! I am almost embarrassed to admit that I've been on edge about this since last Thursday. I even made Andrew call to check today, and, yahoo, he's in! It's only 2/days per week this year, because I think our plan will be to do 3 years of pre-school, and start him in kindergarten the week after he turns six. The trend around here seems to be to start them later, because it gets really competitive when they get into middle school (I can't believe I am talking about middle school right now...), so I think it's probably the best choice. He LOVED it there, and is already talking about starting. Trying to explain when September 2nd is has proven to be a tad challenging... ~Courtney posted at 12:25:14 PM Benjamin's idea of heaven Monday, March 02, 2009 Nearly a foot of snow. Nearly 2 hours of outside, fresh-air, shoveling (and mowing with his toy lawn mower). And, of course, living in a town where they use huge, John Deere tractors to plow the side-streets:   Miami is looking better and better! ~Courtney posted at 1:11:19 PM That's right, kids... Sunday, March 01, 2009 Whenever something exciting is coming up, I always measure it, for Benjamin's comprehension, in "sleeps." So, only four more sleeps (not counting my regular naps, of late) until the girls' trip to Miami! And the weather is looking good...  ~Courtney posted at 5:32:13 PM |
