Memorable moments of 2011

Yeah, I'm just a little late to the "2011 wrap up posts" thing. :-) Somehow with the holidays, and the kids on vacation, life got in the way. But, I'm running again, and I've officially signed up for a 10K (in March) & a 1/2 Marathon (in May). Of course, immediately after I registered & paid for the 1/2 marathon (Rock & Roll in Portland), I discovered one closer to my house, for much cheaper. So I may change my plans. We'll see. . .  Anyone else planning to run the Portland Rock & Roll?

2011 was a completely fabulous year. I started running, fell in love with it, had a ball with the family, and apparently became addicted to trips to Las Vegas. Evidence below.

Now (in no particular order), my Eleven Most Memorable Moments of the Year, because I'm cheesy like that:

1. Running my first race! It was a 5K, and I looked pretty intense. :-)

2. My oldest son started Kindergarten. *tears*

3. I ran double digits (10 miles!) for the first time ever. I can't get it to rotate properly. Please forgive me. :-)



4. I broke a bone in my foot, and didn't run for just over six months. I gained 8 pounds, I was depressed, in a serious funk, and if you ask Michael, not too much fun to be around. ;-) I'm sure you don't need any photographic evidence of this.

5. The husband & I took my parents to Las Vegas for their 40th anniversary, and good times were had by all. As my dad says, he'll never forget the magic of the European pool at the Encore.  :-)

6. I went to Las Vegas with the girls, and even more fun was had. Las Vegas is a dangerous(ly fun) place!

On the plane, with my sis & BFF:

On our way to see Garth Brooks. Third row. I'm not even a country music fan, & I was *blown* away. It was the best concert I've ever been to in my life, no question. The guy is amazing live.

7. Just to wrap up all things Las Vegas related, the husband & I took one last getaway there in December. I was supposed to be doing a 1/2 marathon, but since that got scrapped & I was feeling sad, my parents watched the little peeps, and we had a spontaneous getaway. Spending time alone always reminds me why I married him. :-) Please excuse the awesome quality of this bathroom photo.

The drinks were so amazing at Okada, that I don't even remember this picture being taken. . . when I discovered it later, I laughed. Check out the *buzzed* face. :-) And why yes, I am so white that I'm actually glowing.

8. There was also this amazing summer day on the Oregon coast with the family. Seriously, best summer vacation day ever. (sandy boys = my two on the left + my nephews)

Followed by an amazing sunset, wine on the deck, and laughs all around.

9. My grandfather passed away, just shy of his 92nd birthday. It made me really appreciate all of the special time with my grandmother, who is 93 this year. She's a remarkable lady. On Thanksgiving with her four granddaughters. . .



10. We took our kids skiing in December, and our little guy actually went on a lift. Of course, he rocketed down the thing at full speed, and nearly wiped out an Escalade in the parking lot, but it's progress. He's totally fearless on the slopes. Not sure how I feel about that. He's the opposite of our older, much more conservative skier. ;-)

This is how Nick felt when we dropped him off at our lesson. (He didn't want to stay behind while everyone else skied the runs.)

Sam, rocking the greens & blues this ski season.

Me + Michael :-)

11. And, of course, getting cleared to run again that last week in December. I had my first post-injury run at the beach on my favorite trail & it was fabulous. I've missed it so much! Can't wait to be back with regular run reports. :-)

What about you? Most memorable moments of 2011? Let's hear them!

Running in the rain

Michael & I both took the day off today to have an entire day to spend together, sans children. It was fabulous on many levels. We went for a run this morning, & the weather was extremely cold & rainy, but it was a great run. We did 3.16 miles in 31 minutes, which is actually fast for me. We had to walk the last stretch, after Michael hurt his knee. Poor guy - hope he's okay!

I am extremely glamorous here, and every pore of my body is wet. Rain was dripping down my face, which is always a good time.

Don't be jealous of my hot look. :-)



And, in huge news (for me!), I finally cut off my scary hair! If you recall from this post, I've been trying to grow out the color with horrible results. Today I took the plunge and went a lot shorter, to get rid of a bunch of the grow out. I think I'll be all clear by the next cut. I'm not a huge fan of my hair this short, because I have a wicked round face, but I figured the less flattering shorter cut was better than the scary grow out.

Quite a bit better than this, I think:



Anyway, after the run & mandatory hair cut, we went to our favorite date spot (Costco, of course) & picked up the produce for the week, had a fabulous lunch & went toThe Lincoln Lawyer. Matthew is looking pretty old, and Ryan Phillipe is yum (despite his questionable personal life) & we both loved the movie.

How about you guys? Any big plans for the weekend? My mom is coming up tomorrow & we're spending the entire day together - lunch out, shopping, & dinner. Food & shopping - love it! I will probably be breaking my self-imposed shopping ban this weekend, but I'm okay with that. :-) My two favorite pair of pants are too big on me, and I think I deserve proper sizing after losing some weight. I'm shooting to lose 15 pounds by July, but I've lost 27 since Christmas 2009. It's been a long, slow process, but I'm working on it.

Run with the husband

I dragged Michael out for a quick lunch time run, & managed to avoid hurling. It was all good. We ran/walked just over/under 3 miles (part of it's an unmapped trail & we guesstimated the distance) & finished in 36 minutes. Now that we have a time for the run, we're aiming to cut three minutes off it for our next run. Who am I kidding? Michael could run it all without stopping. .. I AM aiming to cut three minutes off of our time.

Today we ran 70% of the 3 miles.

And, here's a stunning photo of me, pre-run. Michael was extremely confused as to why I would want a photo of myself in all my running glory. . . I have no shame. Hello there double/chin/face. ..

And, because I probably blinded a few of you with that striking picture, I'll give you this to finish it off. My cutie pies at the beach this December, using a metal detector to find "treasures". . . If you've ever been to the Oregon coast in the winter, you understand why they're so bundled up. :-)