Feb
28
By: Angel | Discussion (0)


Doll dressforms in the computer/sewing room.
28 February 2008

I really like Project Runway.  It’s the only reality show I watch; it’s a show about people who have real skill and real passion.  And Tim Gunn is great.  And what other TV show creates such memorable quotes as, “Where the hell is my chiffon?!”

In season three, the mother of four who participated, Laura Bennett, said something really funny.  She was always dressed nicely, and she said, “I never dress down.  As a mother of four, that is a slippery-slope into sweat pants.”  As a mother of two who has slid down that slope already, I laughed and laughed when she said that.

Perhaps it’s time to dress for the job I want and not the job I have.  Though I like being the mother of my two beautiful preschool children, I don’t want to always be a mom to preschool children.  I hope to eventually join the world of competent, professional adults again.  And I don’t think they wear spit-up covered sweat pants. 😉



Feb
27
By: Angel | Discussion (0)


Damian and Lani playing in the back garden.
27 February 2008

When Matt was a teenager, he participated in a 22-mile race-walk a couple of times, so he has more experience in long-distance endurance sports than I do.  He didn’t train for the race-walks; he was a teenager and naturally had that boundless energy.  But he did say that the hardest part was the middle.  He said the beginning and end are easy, but the middle is tedious.  He said in regards to this up-coming marathon, “We are training for the middle.”

This morning, while eating cheese and bread with my gorgeous son, I was thinking about how we were so excited for the first two weeks of gym and training for this marathon, and then — very easily, mind you — we dropped gym completely for three weeks.  The excitement and newness had quickly worn off.

We had entered “the middle.”  The middle of most things are tedious: training towards a physical goal, sewing, wood-working projects, curling Ariel’s hair (which we did last night by the way; we being “Matt and I,” so Matt has another experience tucked under his belt that he never even conceived of before having a daughter and a wife).

So let’s salute the character-building tedious middle, the wall that’s a pain in the ass to climb.  You are the true test.



Feb
26
By: Angel | Discussion (0)


Lily playing on the couch in the computer room.
26 February 2008

We met Shelrie’s new honey this past Saturday (we both really like him by the way, Shelrie) when we all met for lunch.  And Shelrie said she may run the Walt Disney World Marathon with us, which I would love because that would make the race really enjoyable.   And Carla and Steve have already ordered a packet from Walt Disney World on taking a vacation there.  And my mom has said she will go with us …

… and we just skipped gym for three weeks.  We’re back to square one with our training plans.

I still have hope, and more than hope: excitement and motivation.  It would be so much fun to actually run a marathon through Epcot and the Magic Kingdom and then spend a week vacation afterwards with our kids and my family.

I just need a little dedication. 😉



Feb
25
By: Angel | Discussion (0)

These are the two rooms that were cleaned during this past month. I wish I had “before” pictures to show the heroic effort that was needed to clean and organize these two rooms. But, to give you an idea, it did take a week to do each room.


The playroom
25 February 2008


The computer room
25 February 2008

I forgot to share a secret I learned while we were in England over Christmas.  To set the stage of this universal truth, you must first understand that jetlag gives you an achey body and spirit.  You just feel… achey.  And, for some reason, I got a really bad case of jetlag during this past visit.  Maybe having two preschool children compounded the problem.

But, out of adversity comes knowledge and experience.  And this is what I learned:

There is nothing that paracetamol (Tylenol) and a cup of tea can’t fix.

I feel privileged that I could add to our cultural body of knowledge. 🙂



Feb
24
By: Angel | Discussion (0)


Lily feeding her horses lunch.
03 February 2008

Matt cleaned my car today.  Actually, let me be more precise: Matt detailed my car today.   When we bought his Mazda 3 two years ago, he received three free details from the dealership as part of the deal.  So his car gets detailed once a year.  And it’s beautiful afterwards; it looks like a new car.

And I was always jealous.  My poor car, though we cleaned it, never received the tender loving care that his car does.  So Matt spent hours today giving my car a thorough cleaning, including shampooing the upholstery.

I will never leave him.  He is a good good man. 🙂

And speaking of the suburban dad as the modern day hero, check out this editorial on NPR.  Quite funny.



Feb
22
By: Angel | Discussion (0)


The kids watching Disney’s sing-along-songs.
14 February 2008

Well, gosh, that was quite a bloggie holiday.  I was gone for almost a month with the exception of one small angsty post.

Where have I been, you ask.  We completely organized the house.  The computer room and playroom have been cleaned and rearranged.  Both are beautiful, useable rooms now.  We had a great Valentine’s Day party with Carla’s family.  And I’ve been drawing.  And designing webpages.  And uploading.  Go see for yourself.

Our 5k training was interrupted as well as blogging.  So we are back to square one for training.  But that is the best thing about every sunrise: you get another chance. 🙂



Feb
13
By: Angel | Discussion (0)

The heart swells and the tears fall alongside a lonely lake in the mind.  There is no map; only trust and the inaudible voice of an angel.

Faith is a bitch.