Mother Runner!

Let's face it. I'm a chicken. Not about all things, but definitely about running on snow. I'm always scared I'm going to slip and fall in some glorious arms-flailing, feet-splaying, old-time-cartoony fashion. And, I will be left flat on my back, staring up at the falling snow, seeing tweeting birds circling my head. Plus, I'd have a monster sprained ankle. At least, that is what my imagination does to me at the thought of running outside in the snow. (Don't get me started on where my morbid imagination takes me when I run under a highway overpass!)

This winter has been amazing for me as a runner. Last winter, we had weeks and months when the snow didn't melt from the sidewalks. But, this winter, we've had maybe 2 inches of snow total. It has been heavenly! I don't like cold. I really don't like snow. And, I hate being trapped on a treadmill with feet of snow blocking my normal running route.

So, with less than 2 inches of snow, I had no worries about fancy falls from stepping on ice. I just had to bundle up and go. I've only run on the treadmill two times this whole winter. In fact, the only downside to this winter was that my neighbor/running partner was pregnant. (I know, right, how dare she!?!) So, instead of miles of uninterrupted girl talk every morning, it was just me and my imagination. Scary thought. I was forced to find ways to pass the hour every morning on my own. Now, I know a lot of runners say that you should be able to run with just you and nature to truly enjoy and be at one with your run.

That is not me.

Ransacking in the name of the library

I have a love/hate relationship with the library. I know, you're probably thinking, how in the world does someone hate the library? Well, let me explain.

First, I do love the library. I mean, you get to read books. For free! Awesome. And, not just the read-it-while-I-sit-in-Borders-and-pretend-that-I-might-buy-it type of reading. You actually get to take books out of the library and read in the comfort of your own home. Or backyard. Or even car. (I may or may not have, at one time, driven up to Sonic, ordered a drink, and read a book in the parking lot while my mother-in-law watched the girls for an hour in the afternoon. Wait? Should I be admitting that? Oh well. It was a heavenly hour.)

And, I love that Molly loves the library. She gets so excited when I tell her we're going. She goes through the shelves, all willy-nilly, picking up whatever gets closest to her hands. I won't pretend that she picks based on title, author or even the front cover. Nope, whatever her hand lands on, that's the book she has to have. Charlotte doesn't know enough to get excited about it yet, but she does enjoy the toys they have in the kids' section. Whoever thought to put out a disconnected old computer keyboard was a genius. That girl can pound on those keys for hours.