I was more excited about this craft than Holly despite the glitter paint I bought. But she did it anyways! And.... she drew her first face! I'm so super proud! And so excited! Holly started at the bottom right hand corner of her page and worked her way to the left and up. The last two pumpkins have no faces, just scribbles because I think she lost her patience. That's my girl.

The original idea with full tutorial can be found here.

Yesterday, I made the chocolate cake I visualized. And it was everything I dreamed of and maybe played a small role in why I couldn't sleep last night. Too much sugar! Ina Garten is a food genius and I'm so grateful Jordan posted about it. It's completely possible that I will never bake any other chocolate cake recipe but this one. I've made it three times. One time I forgot the oil. One time I put in whipped cream instead of buttermillk. And every time it turned out! It's a miracle, no-fail chocolate cake. The frosting is divine. It's pudding-ish and not too sweet. The texture is lovely. When I finished icing it, Holly asked me if we were going to eat it. She was really excited. I played good Mom and let her and Greta blow out some candles a few times because they looooove birthdays.

And before we ate cake, we ate our traditional Canadian Thanksgiving Lasagna (a week late). Butternut squash and sage, homemade noodles, cheesey goodness... My tummy was happy!

I did it! I ran my first half marathon! And it was amazing! My goal time was 2:20:00 and my official time was 2:18:57. I'm super proud of myself. My running buddy and I only walked through the aid stations and for a few minutes while we tried to choke down our goo between 9.5 and 10 miles.

Running a half marathon has been so much more than a half marathon. It has been exactly what I've needed at this time of my life. I've gained confidence, some serious muscle and so much more. It's been a really incredible spiritual journey for me, which I know might not make sense, but my physical and spiritual are deeply connected. Doing this half marathon has given me a glimpse of the person I can be. A happy person, filled with faith and not fear.

I suffer from anxiety. Before my first race ever, I got about 5 hours of restless sleep and was experiencing serious panic. This time, I felt no panic and Friday night's sleep was perfect. I worked hard to keep absolutely all negative feelings out of my mind. I continually expressed how excited I was and how awesome doing this is. I knew that if I gave any power at all to negativity, I could lose myself entirely to it. And the best part about doing that, is that I enjoyed it all. It was so fun and exciting. I loved given myself wholly to positive thinking. It was so happy!

Yes, running was hard. My legs are so sore right now! Usually I settle between miles 4 and 6, but I didn't really ever settle as well as I would've liked in this race, I think because of race jitters. I can't even tell you how many times I've visualized running over that finish line, while running my half and at many other times leading up to it (I totally cried at the finish! This has been such a big goal for me). I also visualized the chocolate cake I'm making on Sunday! I burned 1200 calories!

Running across the finish line was exactly what I dreamed it would be. There was my sweet family! All three of them cheering and supporting me. I love my family! It means so much to me that my goals mean so much to them, especially Conor. It takes a family... and I'm so glad I have mine.

Doing this half marathon has been so much more than I thought it would be. And at the end of it all, it's my God that I thank and praise. I am so blessed. 

Holly and I mixed up some mason jars of water and dye and we put a stalk of celery in each one. Holly loved mixing the water and that's about where her interest fizzled out. Conor and I were interested to see how the celery changed (spoiler: red was the most dramatic). Still Holly liked checking on it every now and then. It was fun. We're now getting into lots of fall/halloween crafts and I'm excited! If any of you have any great craft ideas, please share!

I've wanted to run a half marathon for a long time. It always seemed like this big goal, practically unattainable. I began running as a young teen. Back then, I would run without a watch for the most part and just run with a friend until it got dark, or we got tired. We would run for long periods of time and it felt good. My thinking at that age was that I was laying a foundation for running so that when I was an adult and life became busier and potentially fatter with children, running would always be there. Throughout my young adult life, I'd come back to running now and then, but I've been easily thrown off the habit. I didn't really have any goals or much motivation. For one, I was really slim and had lost about 20 lbs since I was first married without exercise and definitely not on purpose. I didn't have any motivation to look better. After Holly was born, I ran right at the 6 week mark. I was totally fooling myself! By the time she was 9 months old I was kind of sort of getting into some semblance of a routine and I registered and paid for a half marathon, but then I became pregnant with Greta. I was tired, we had just bought a house, running gave my contractions, etc. So I didn't do it.

After Greta was born, I tried to start running again. We bought a double chariot and I would go for a 25-30 minute run and then stop at a park with the girls on the way home. Holly would play and I'd give Greta a bottle. Then we moved to California. Once we were settled, I did my best to get into a routine. Running with children is really hard. I found that there were too many excuses. Someone slept in, someone was grumpy, it was taking a half hour to get out the door... Going for a 30 minute run could literally take the entire morning! So I began getting up early and going for a run before Conor went to work. I worked hard and ran my first race - the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot in November 2011. I was so nervous for those ten kilometers that I only slept about 5 hours the night before and nearly cancelled all together. After that I knew I needed to run a few smaller races before I could commit to anything bigger.

After the Turkey Trot, I slipped a little with my running routine, and I didn't do too much until I signed up for a 5km race in Fremont. That was just to boost to get me going again. About a month later, I found a running buddy and we began going regularly, 3 miles, 3 times a week. And then we picked up another running buddy. And then we did a Mud Run with some other girls. And then I wanted something more. I was craving a challenge. Running had kind of become just what I did early in the morning 3 times a week. Too routine. I wanted something that would push me and ideally change my body. Naturally, that led to a half marathon. Something I've always wanted to do. The opportunity presented itself so perfectly. One of my running buddies, Nancy, was game to train and race with me. And so we did.

We put together a 17 week training schedule. Longer than a lot of people thought it should be. But I wanted to be ready! I knew that if I trained hard and long, that would build my confidence and that I would feel less nervous at the start line. So we began training in June. And then I injured my back. My back had been bothering me for years, but the increased mileage broke me. I was visiting a chiropractor at least twice a week, sometimes 3 times a week, just to have less pain. I took breaks from running. There were a couple mornings that I couldn't even stand up straight. On those days I cried and felt bitter and angry, and hopeless. But my back has seen some healing. In the springtime, I had bought a book called, Foundation, for my husband in hopes that the exercises in it would help Conor with his back problems. I began doing the exercises after a couple months of chiropractor visits because my back was always hurting again. The exercises have been awesome for back pain! So I finally got that mostly under control. And then in September, I spent 2 and a half weeks really sick. Terrible head cold and then a sinus infection. When I finally went to see a doctor and I told him about my running (21 miles over the course of 4 straight days, 2 days rest, and then 13 miles spread across 3 days straight), he told me that I should absolutely not be running and gave my a prescription for antibiotics. So I took a full week off a month before my half marathon. 

But here I am. Having just finished my last long run before my half marathon and the longest run of my life - 11.08 miles, one week before my big milestone. 

My weight hasn't changed at all. I didn't really have any to lose. But my legs and bum are noticeably much more muscular. My pants agree. They're a a little bit tighter in the rear! I'm hungry and thirsty. I'm thirsty all the time. My cravings are chicken breast and salt. 

I used to think that you had kids and then that was it. Your body was shot. It didn't matter how well you dressed, it would never be the same. But, I am in the best shape of my adult life. And I feel good. Sure, there are parts of my body that could use a little work (I'm looking at you abs!), but I feel good. I had two kids and I'm running my first half marathon. It's not my last. I have two little kids who still get up in the night sometimes, and I'm getting up at 5:30 or 6am to run. I am so proud of myself. I have worked hard to be where I am. And this is just the start. I really hope and believe that, God willing, a runner will be who I am for the rest of my life.