Sunday, July 31, 2011

I am a Warrior

I've got to set the scene for you. Are you ready to turn on your internal soundtrack? 'Cause, to read this post, you really need to be hearing Pat Benatar's "I am the Warrior" in your head. You getting there? C'mon, "shooting at the walls of heartache. Bang, bang. I am the warrior." Got it? Ok, let's do this thing.

Months and months ago, I heard about this crazy run called the Warrior Dash. For some reason, I thought it would be awesome to run a 5K with obstacles interspersed and a guarantee to get dirty. So, because I thought it was such an awesome idea, I also tried to convince almost everyone I know to do it, too. Hey, spread the misery around, right?

I wasn't fully comprehending the whole concept until about a week or two ago. Then, I became convinced that I was crazy for signing up for this thing. Really, who runs an insane race with obstacles at 1pm on the last weekend of July? The heat was really freaking me out. I am strictly a morning runner. I am always finished running by 8 or 9 in the morning, and those are late mornings. Most days, I'm home from my runs by 7:30am. So, the thought of running in the middle of the day on July 30th was really quite daunting to me. And, well, frankly, the thought of jumping into a mud pit was also weighing on my mind.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

A trip to the animal park

I've been a little reticent with the blog postings lately. I'm just going to blame the heat. It seems like a likely cause of my laziness lethargy, ok let's just go with lack of diligence on the writing front. Plus, the heat is a scapegoat that can't talk back, so I'm safe to cast my aspersions without fear of retribution.

So, to rectify the situation, we're going to do a little retroactive blogging today. Here goes:

A couple weeks ago, we made a road trip to Wichita to visit with Cory's grandfather and the whole McCrillis side of the family. (Why is it every single time I drive to Wichita, The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" plays in a loop in my head the whole time? Does this happen to anyone else?) If you can believe it, Wichita was actually even hotter than Kansas City. Although, the difference between 98 degrees and 105 degrees is really quite negligible in the grand scheme of things. But, despite the heat, we decided to go explore the Tanganyika Wildlife Park. It's smaller than a typical zoo, but you get to see the animals much closer up.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Heat Wave

Wahoo! It's only supposed to be 92 degrees today! Break out the parkas.

Ok, so under normal circumstances, 92 degrees would be pretty darn hot. But after the last couple weeks, it feels like a much-welcomed cold front has graced us with its presence. For those of you readers not in the KC-metro area, it is hotter than hell here. Well, I've never actually been to hell, but I'm pretty sure we're giving it a run for its money lately. Actually, from what I've been seeing on the news, it's like that in about 75 percent of the country, so chances are, you know what I'm talking about. Unless you are in Seattle. My aunt lives up there and is actually looking forward to coming to KC to get some summer heat. Apparently, it's been cooler than average up there lately. Clearly, that rain and cool weather has messed with my aunt's brain. No one should be looking forward to coming here this summer.

Anyway, back here in KC, it's been close to 100 degrees for so many days, I've lost count. Only about half of my hanging baskets are still alive. Weird thing, though, I'm not talking about 3 out of 5 hanging baskets. I'm talking about half the plants in each hanging basket. Don't ask me, my thumb is about as far from green as you can get. What would that be? Red thumb? Oh well.

So, what do most normal moms do with their kids when the heat gets unbearable? If you screamed out "Go to the pool!" well, you'd be right. You would also be crazy for screaming at your computer, but right nonetheless. Ok, so most normal moms take their kids to the pool. Two problems with that.

Friday, July 22, 2011

My precious little petri dishes

Petri dish #1
Petri dish #2

When you are pregnant or a new mom, everyone loves to give you advice or warnings about having children. There are few things in life more annoying than these so-called "helpful hints."

Well, actually, it was also incredibly obnoxious hearing, "Wow, your belly button has popped, you must be done!" Like I was a freakin' turkey ready to pulled out of the oven. In fact, my belly button popped out at like six months, thankyouverymuch, I still had a long time left to cook.

Yes, my belly button had popped out and I still had over 2 months to go.
Anyway, my least favorite helpful hint was "enjoy your sleep now, because you won't get any for 18 more years!" Really?!? I was huge, uncomfortable and getting up to pee every hour during the night as it was. And, there was no going back. The kid was coming, so why would you purposefully make the parents-to-be dread their baby's arrival? It's just cruel, that's what it is.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Curious monkeys for an adorable baby

I know all of you dear readers have been dying for another edition of my theme party planning a go go. Well, maybe you aren't all dying for it, but you get to hear about it anyway. Here's the thing: I'm pretty sure Cory's ready to drop me off at theme rehab. Is there a 12-step program for theme overload? I should probably start it, but I'm not ready to admit I have a problem. Themes are still my friend. I have yet to hit rock bottom. So, what is my latest theme? Curious George!

Yesterday, I threw a baby shower for my friend Sarah. Everything was super last minute because they got all of four hours notice before they became parents to baby Jack. So, the shower was also thrown together in less than three weeks. Talk about cutting it close. It did not help that I started reading The Hunger Games trilogy a week before the shower and could not put the books down. There were many times I should've been working on stuff for the shower, but instead, I was reading. It's a problem of mine. If there were a Hunger Games rehab, I probably should go there, too.

Anyway, it turns out that Curious George was Sarah's favorite childhood book. I could tell you that was why I chose the theme. Of course, then I'd be lying. But, it was an enormously happy coincidence. Or fate. Let's go with fate. I like that better. However, there was only so much I could do with Curious George, so I had to expand the theme to include other monkeys as well.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The 4th done right

I love the 4th of July. I probably should say my love stems from admiration of the founding fathers' lofty ideals and patriotic vision. Wouldn't that sound noble? Well, not that I'm not grateful to the founding fathers, but I'm not sure my love has all that much to do with the document signed 235 years ago.

I'm not certain at what point the 4th of July became one of my favorite holidays. It may have something to do with the fact that it was the first holiday we celebrated after Molly was born. Or, maybe it's the simplicity of it - it's a holiday, but it doesn't require major planning, family organizing, or huge time commitments. Or, it could be that the 4th makes for some awesome scrapbook pages. You can't beat the red, white and blue colors, or the quality of all the outdoor shots you get. It could also be the fact that you get to spend the majority of the holiday outside. See, I really like warm weather. You'd think that my pasty (right, I mean porcelain) skin heritage would draw me to cold, chilly, cloudy weather. I have ancestors from Norway, Scotland and English, after all. Those aren't exactly bikini hot spots. But, no. I love warmth and sun. Well, I enjoy sitting in the shade on a sunny day. So, as much as I love Christmas and Thanksgiving, they are indoor holidays. The 4th? It's an outdoor, warm weather, sunny holiday.