Mission Accomplished

One of Harper's New Year's resolutions was to learn how to swim without her floatie this summer. Mission accomplished with a little coaching from Dad!

Mish Mash

1. Harper took the Kindle Fire to bed last night and, unbeknownst to me, purchased 3 cartoons. Luckily, the damage was only about $25. But, jeez oh man! She's 4! How does she even know how to navigate my Kindle to the amazon webpage to buy cartoons!?! I was surprised at how willingly she went to bed last night. Now I know why!


2. Morning sickness is no joke.


3. Cereal and Law & Order are a pregnant girl's best friends at 4am.


4. I've resorted to looking at Harper's baby pictures to remind me that the end justifies the means. Here are two of my favorites.

See? Totally worth all the sickness. 

Coming Soon

Coming Soon... from Elaine Shelton on Vimeo.

Water Bug

One of Harper's New Year's resolutions was to learn to swim without her floatie. To that end, she has been taking swimming lessons every day for the past 2 weeks. Last night was her last class. 

with her certificate and t-shirt

Coach Kate

She can't quite swim on her own yet, but she's really close. I think one more set of lessons and she'll be doing laps in no time!

Running Rots Your Brain

First of all, I've been terrible about updating this thing. I have lots of good stories to tell you (including how Al Gore became my new BFF). I just can't seem to make the time to write them all down! But, starting today my goal is to write at least one post per week. We'll see how it goes.

To kick things off, let's rewind to the end of April and I'll give you some  thoughts regarding my first half marathon and running in general. It's going to be bullet list style because I just can't bring myself to write a proper paragraph bullet lists are fun!

• Nashville is an encouraging city. Tons of people lined up along the route to cheer the runners on. Some had drinks and fruit to give out (which were in addition to the official race stations). Bands set up along the route to contribute to the party atmosphere (again, some of the bands were officially part of the race, but several others just set up and played). Lots of people held up entertaining signs like this one. The funny ones were so much more motivational than the sincere ones - not sure what that says about my personality...

• If you're going to run, Nashville is a pretty place to do it. Granted, there are hills. Lot's of hills. But there are also magnolias. Lot's of magnolias and they smell fantastic right now.

• You many not think you can run, but you can. I saw several inspiring runners that day. One guy had two prosthetic legs. Another woman was wearing a shirt that said "Lung Cancer Survivor". And then there's me. The girl who had a stroke with a hole in her heart not only finished 13.1 miles but also beat her goal time by 31 seconds. If I can do it, so can you. Seriously. No more excuses. 

• Running rots your brain. I don't really like running. I like finishing a run, but I don't really enjoy the whole process of running. I'm pretty sure that the runner's high they talk about is a form of brain damage brought on by oxygen deprivation. And that's probably why I've already signed up for my next event - The Nashville Color Run! If you're in the Nashville area, come run it with me and if you're not from around here, look for a Color Run in your neck of the woods!

Dancing Queen

My daughter was born wearing a tutu.

Her love of dance is something that's hardwired in her brain. And I really don't know where she got it from because Rob and I have absolutely zero dancing ability! (We didn't even dance at our wedding!)

However, we both love to watch Harper do her thing.

Last Sunday was her dance recital and it was awesome. All of the girls did a fantastic job.

Harper is in the middle of the top row. 

While Harper's dance is always my favorite part, I also really enjoy watching the older girls dance (the studio teaches kids from ages 3 all the way up through high school and does everything from tap to ballet to modern to hip hop). Sometimes I even get a little emotional watching them, which I didn't expect would happen.

There is something very moving about the human body relating to music in this way.

I'm sure a lot of you are rolling your eyes at me right now and I admit that this is a basic principle that probably everyone else has already figured out by now.

I'm slow to pick up on things sometimes and I'm just now starting to appreciate what a beautiful art form dance is.

So once again, Harper is expanding my horizons in ways I never imagined. And for that, I'm thankful.

Here's a video of Harper's class rehearsing their recital dance. She's the second one from the right.

Flower Power

I love Nashville. It's so lush and green and embellished with colorful flowers.

We pass this garden on the way to work and school every morning. I've been waiting all spring for these irises to bloom.

It was worth the wait!

There was some sitting...

and some smelling (although I'm not sure irises actually have a detectable smell)...

and some roses...

and some dancing in the sunshine...

and then there was this...   Flower Power perhaps?

I don't know what that was all about.

Always Thinking

Questions or statements Harper has made in the last 48 hours:

• Fossils are dinosaur bones, right? Then how do we know what their skin looked like?
• Why does God make tornadoes? 
• If everybody keeps throwing stuff away, the whole earth will be full of garbage and die. 

I often feel ill-equipped to answer her questions. 

But, I'm glad she's asking them. 

Bubba

This is great!

His approach to golf is a lot like my approach to life.

Shoot for awesome, but try to keep everything in perspective.

Family Dynamics

Conversation I had while tucking Harper into bed last night:

H: Mom, I love you.
Me: I love you too.
H: I love you more.
Me: Probably not. I love you more than anything in the whole wide world.

She smiles and snuggles into her covers.

As I'm just about to close the door to her room...

H: Mom?
Me: Yes...
H: I love Dad more than I love you.


And there you have it.

Double Digits

So...I started running.

More specifically, back in January, I signed up for the Music City half marathon. I'm not sure why. It must have been in a moment of temporary insanity. I was probably caught up in all of the post New Year's resolution hype. You know, when you feel compelled to jump on the band wagon of self improvement?

I immediately regretted my decision.

Had I been smarter, I would have picked a less hilly place to do my first half. Like Florida. Or my couch.

Nonetheless, I was registered and what's more, I posted it on facebook.

I was locked in.

So, I started training.

While I do go to the gym regularly, I've never been a runner. As I came to find out, there's a big difference between going to spinning classes and being a runner. I had some serious toughening up to do. (Although I will say that my spinning and body combat classes gave my cardiovascular conditioning a good head start).

Those first few runs were pretty painful. My feet hurt. My ego hurt. I was terribly inadequate. How was I ever going to run 13.1 miles if I couldn't comfortably run 3?

And hello? No one told me there would be blood blisters!

Begrudgingly, I kept at it. More out of fear than anything. The fear of failing miserably on race day has kept me somewhat on track with my training. I've definitely had to refocus my efforts a couple times, but it seems to be working out ok.

Yesterday, I hit ten miles. Comfortably.

I still don't love running, but I'm finding things that I like about it.

For one, I like the tangible progress. I'm getting better and I like the feeling of accomplishment.

I also like the treasure hunt. I enjoy looking for little bits of treasure on my runs. Without fail, I always see some kind of cool flower or bird. Now don't get me wrong, flowers and birds aren't huge running motivators. But they are nice little bonuses.

And so is something like this. I didn't notice it the first time I ran past it. Admittedly, it's hard to miss. But I did. I blame complete and utter exhaustion.

It's nestled in between some very exclusive subdivision. It makes those subdivisions look very out of place. You can read more about it here.

Running is still hard for me. I'm starting to think that's the point. You know it's going to be hard, but you do it anyway. I can tell that my legs/feet/lungs are getting stronger. I can also tell that my brain is getting stronger. I'm finally making progress in the battle to turn off the internal dialogue that questions why I would ever run for sport. It's hard to come to terms with the fact that your brain is the weakest part of your body. But, it's toughening up too.

The race is a little over three weeks away and I'm actually looking forward to it. Kind of. I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, if you have any tips or encouragement, I would love to hear from you. I'm also always looking for good songs to add to my playlist. What do you listen to that keeps you going?

Pro

Spring is in full swing around here. The sun has been shining and the spring showers have been rolling through -- all of which makes for lots of blooming trees (and lots of pollen!). 

Luckily, yesterday's showers subsided long enough for us to do some Easter egg hunting. After three years of practice, this kid is an egg hunting pro.

Her Easter basket runneth over.

She even got the seal of approval from this guy!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday.

It's a big one and Harper has a special message for her favorite Pap!



Happy birthday, dad! We love you!

Seedlings

About two weeks ago, Rob and Harper started seeds for this year's vegetable garden.

Green thumbs must be genetic because these things are growing like wildfire!

I love that Rob and Harper are working on this project together. There's a lot more growing here than just plants. 

The Price of Admission

I love this.

Some of the language is colorful, but look past that.

This is golden information.



Socks on the floor next to the laundry hamper, mustard left out on the counter, crumbs everywhere, dishes that can't find their way into the dishwasher --- all small potatoes.

I love my husband and I'm willing to pay the price of admission to keep doing what we're doing.

2.20.2012

Dear Harper,
Happy Birthday!

One thousand four hundred and sixty two days ago, you were born. And every day since then, you have been a source of absolute joy for your dad and me.

You have had a pretty exciting year. You went to disney world twice, started playing golf, and performed in two dance recitals!

While I'm pretty sure that I can still beat you at a round of putt-putt, your dancing skills have far surpassed my own. I am amazed at how naturally rhythmic and graceful you are. Sitting in the audience watching you dance at your Christmas recital, I was taken aback with the amount of  pride I felt for you. I have accomplished some big things in my life, but I think I was more proud of you on that day than I was for any of my past accomplishments. And it was just a blip on your little radar. Not really a big deal for you - certainly nothing earth shattering. You weren't even nervous about it.

I can't wait to see what you accomplish that will be earth shattering. I know it's coming. No pressure or anything.

I just can't believe that four years could go by so quickly. I feel like my little girl is slipping through my fingers. While I thoroughly enjoy watching you turn into a beautiful, smart, and kind young lady, I do admit that sometimes I miss my sweet little baby Harper.

Mostly it's when you are crying in order to convince me to let you wear a puffy princess dress to school instead of the jeans and t-shirt I picked out for you. Those are the times when I miss my easy going adaptable, fashion unconscious, little baby girl.

But honestly, I wouldn't trade you or any of the glitter and accessories that come with you for anything. I love you more than I ever thought possible.

Happy birthday.
Love,
Mom

Cattle Prod

I electrocuted myself several times at work last week.

One of the prongs on my computer wall charger broke off in the socket.

I tried to remove it and got shocked. So I left it in there and called maintenance to come and get it out.

It took them over a week.

In the meantime, I continued to shock myself. The outlet is under my desk right at knee level. Periodically, I would shift positions in my chair and my knee would brush up against the plug and I would get a jolt.

One day, I completely forgot about my improvised cattle prod. Without looking (or thinking) I reached under my desk to unplug my charger and accidentally grabbed onto the broken prong instead. It shocked me so bad that I couldn't let go for a couple seconds. It hurt.

I called the maintenance guy again after regaining feeling in that hand.

It was removed and I feel safe at my desk once again. However, I am noticing that I was a little more productive last week than this week... A little shock therapy now and again might be a good thing.




`

Taste Impairment

So, I'm back.

Did you miss me?


I hope you're not expecting a long profound post for my foray back into the blogosphere, because you are going to be disappointed if you are.


Instead, I am going to update you on the state of my taste buds. (The next post will include something profound-ish and/or a picture of my kid. Promise.)


So without further ado... 


On Saturday, I bought some new mouthwash.

This particular mouthwash promises to:
                    1. rebuild my enamel
                    2. prevent cavities
                    3. clean my teeth and gums 
                    4. freshen my breath 


All without the burn of alcohol!


Could there be anything better?


So I tried said mouthwash on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I woke up, brushed my teeth and used the mouthwash for a second time. 


And while I am confident that my enamel is being rebuilt, my cavities are being prevented, my teeth and gums are being cleaned, and my breath is being freshened...


I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO TASTE ANYTHING FOR THREE DAYS!


I used this mouthwash TWO times and THREE days later, I still cannot taste a darn thing. 


So...I did a little digging on the interwebs and it turns out that this mouthwash contains a chemical called cetylpyridinium chloride. It's an antiseptic that is also used (alarmingly!) in some pesticides. 


Not only does it kill microorganisms, but it can also cause taste impairment in some people -- LIKE ME! Furthermore, it can cause some people's teeth to turn brown! 


Not super helpful, if you are shooting for pearly whites!


NONE of this is contained on the label. Seems like it should be. 


Needless to say, I will not be using this product again. 


For now, I will wait patiently for my taste buds to recover so I can taste things again. 


Anything.


I would just like to taste SOMETHING. 


PLEASE. 


And for the record, P&G Dental Hygiene Department, you need to put this kind of thing on the label.