First time sledding

A few months ago we decided to go in with a few other people and get a house in Boone, NC for the long weekend. Work has been kicking my butt since the holidays ended so this was perfect timing to get away.

There are 11 adults and 2 kids staying here and we are having a blast. It just so happens this is also the coldest weekend so far this winter and being in the mountains means it dipped down to around zero degrees last night. Brrrr! My blood has definitely thinned since living in Massachusetts.

It did snow a little bit the morning before we arrived so of course we had to take the kids out for their first sledding experience. As you can see from the photos they had a great time. It's supposed to snow again tonight so hopefully we can go again tomorrow.

Warrior Dash 2011 - kicking ass and taking names

Approximately 6 months ago I was convinced to sign up for the Charlotte Warrior Dash by Laura Case. At the time it seemed like a good idea. I had almost reached my weight loss goal, I was running regularly and I was ready to take it to the next level. As the date approached I did as little as possible to educate myself about the race. Why? Mostly because I am a mind over matter kind of person but only if I don't know what that matter is until I approach it.

I sign up for the race with my friends, Amanda and Katie. As the race date approached we decided that we would stick together through the course to give each other encouragement. It wasn't about having a good time, it was about finishing the course and feeling good about ourselves. And it completely paid off! Well, except now I am sitting in a chair gingerly, attempting to not put weight on the massive number of bruises decorating my legs.

DH looked up a few details of the race earlier in the week including scrutinizing the course. He told me, "Stacey, this is totally not you." And I agree: it's not. But that was part of the whole challenge of it. It's no secret in my cadre of family and friends that I am about as far from an athletic person as you can get. The exercising I've done over the past two years is probably more than I've done in the rest of my life combined. I have practically no upper body strength and my flexibility is non-existent. But I was determined to do the Warrior Dash, completing every obstacle and finally putting to bed the fact that in elementary school I was in special gym for a few years. Hey, I was a premie born at 31 weeks, so hand eye coordination was something I developed later in life....not that I developed it that well as my ability to throw and catch can demonstrate.

We met up with Laura and some of her friends on race day. It was hot, humid and partly cloudy. No hurricane could save me from my commitment! And how was it? Completely and utterly awesome. We walked most of the course which was OK with me because I had to save massive amounts of energy for the obstacle portions of the race. That included:

• Climbing 5 foot walls and ducking under 1 foot barriers (I'm sure there was a more graceful and less bruise inducing way of getting over walls but I threw my leg up and over which is why I have a line of bruises down the inside of each leg)
• Running through tired and climbing in and out of dumpsters (yes they were empty)
• Scaling a crazy balance beam contraption (a big thank you to Amanda for helping me across as I lack balancing skills)
• Climbing a 11 foot wall with a rope and then scrambling down the back side. I will admit I'm particularly impressed with myself for doing this one with my lack of upper body strength and fear of heights. And I'm just as surprised as you at being able to complete it.
• Scrambling in the dark on hands and knees about 100 yards.
• Scaling and crossing a horizontal rope ladder. That one sucked the most I think.
• Climbing scaffolding and sliding down a fireman's pole.
• Walking through an algae infesting pond and over floating logs
• Up another rope wall and down the other side
• Jumping over fire
• Crawling in a mud pit under barbed wire
• Crossing the finish line

We finished at 1 hour 10 minutes and some seconds. And I don't think I've ever had such a feeling of accomplishment. I even include giving birth to Cameron in that list because I had a C section so I was kind of a passive participant in that event.

DH agreed that if I completed the race he would never mention special gym again in reference to my athletic abilities. And I think I have laid that ghost to rest, don't you?

Clean, pre-race

Meeting up with blog friend, Laura for the first time in real life.

Holding hands through the fire obstacle.Tired, dirty, sweaty and triumphant

So, what did you do this weekend?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Part 2

As promised, there is a part two of our girls weekend adventure. Saturday was very tiring. Mostly because I am not used to staying up until midnight and my body automatically woke me up at 6:30 AM and I could not fall back to sleep. It was also tiring because we hit two museums and I sadly realize that my 40+ hours a week of sitting on my ass while doing my job in no way prepared me for trekking through massive buildings.

We hit a crepe place just across the street from the hotel. The crepes were great and it was probably our cheapest meal of the trip. Mommy, Esq. was impressed with the "European" feel of the restaurant but Natalie wasn't feeling much of anything but hung over.

Not happy with her decision to have a shot of tequila.

On A.'s suggestion we walked to the Metro in DuPont circle to get to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. It took us about 40 minutes in very crowded trains to get to our stop. It definitely reminded me why I prefer cabs.

DH told me that this is like the third longest escalator in the US. Can anyone confirm that?

The museum was really interesting and was completely new to me given the changes in exhibits since I was there more than a decade ago. Helen was our tour guide being a professional teacher and all. She was better than purchasing the audio tour and if you are lucky, she'll let you rent her out for your visit to DC.

Helen shows us that size is all relative.

We grabbed some ridiculously over-priced food at the museum's cafeteria and then headed towards Mommy, Esq.'s choice of enrichment activity: the Hirshhorn Museum. In general I like art. I even like some modern art, particularly paintings or sculptures. What I don't like (because I don't understand it) are installations. There was one room that had three different displays of an elephant playing dead and then standing up. Or the condensation cube. Just odd. Fortunately for me, Natalie was equally un-impressed and we were able to sooth our aching feet on the numerous couches scattered around the floors while simultaneously making fun of the things we had seen.

We were pretty beat at that point so it was back to the hotel for a nice long nap before our fancy dinner. I napped for 90 whole minutes. It was freaking amazing and makes me realize how little I appreciated napping before I had a child.

We got ourselves dolled up and arrived promptly for our amazing dinner at the Darlington House. The food was sooooooooo good that I ended up with a food baby. Since I lost so much weight I haven't really tested the limits of my stomach size. I can no longer say that! I ate so much that I was kind of in pain but the food was so good it in no way diminished the memory of the dinner.

The matching outfits was not planned but very cute.

Helen, A. and I walked to our next destination (mostly so I could walk off the pain of my food baby) which was this cool little speak easy type bar called the Gibson. It was kind of cool because there was no sign and you had to basically knock on the door and give a password (in this case a reservation) to get in. They were a little pretentious by requiring you to order of their limited drink menu (no regular vodka martini was an option) but we settled in to enjoy several drinks. At this point I was ready to head home, mostly because of my overly full belly. But Helen came up with an interesting game that kept me in my seat. My lips are sealed (and fingers tied) about the game but it kept me through two more drinks.

Drinking through the pain of a too full stomach.

We gamely tried a bar next door but the loud music, non-existent lights and crowds resulted in an immediate exit and return to the hotel bar.

Our final eating stop of the weekend was an early brunch at The Hook in Georgetown followed by some window shopping. Then it was a sad good-bye to A. and off to the airport to kill a few hours before taking off.

As I said in my first blog post about our ladies only weekend it was a lot of food, a lot of booze and a lot of laughs. We're already planning our trip for next year!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

This past weekend was the first of what will hopefully be a annual occurence: a girls only weekend. Not only is it girls only, it's child free!!

5 of us met up in the nation's capital to reconnect, eat lots of food, explore some museums, shop, drink and relax. And we did all of those things and more. Joining me on my trip are fellow bloggers (albeit some who have fallen off the map) who are also sisters and friends. The trip was actually proposed by Mommy, Esq. We settled on Washington, D.C. because it had been years since most of us had been there (except for Helen) It was also a central location for me to fly from Charlotte and Mommy, Esq., Helen and Natalie to fly from Boston. A. lives in the area so she had to easiest journey.

We scheduled our flights to arrive around 11 AM on Friday and met up in the airport. Even before we got in the taxi we were already laughing and chatting like it had just been last week since we saw each other. To put it in perspective we have been friends since we met in first grade. Despite the vagaries of life, different job and geographies, we have been able to maintain a deep friendship that I value greatly.

So much went on during girls weekend that I will dedicate at least 2 blog posts to the events surrounding our trip. And lot of pictures, of course!

We stayed at the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle. Close to Metro access and restaurants it was also dog friendly (based on the number we ran into) and had a hopping lat night bar scene. It also boasted a wedding and a fraternity reunion. Good thing I brought those ear plugs. The hotel was very nice and had a pool. I highly recommend it if you are planning a trip to DC. We got two rooms and the sisters (me, A. and Mommy, Esq.) shared one room with Helen and Natalie taking the other.

The hotel had a very modern yet funky feel to it. They had these super heavy animal print bathrobes just perfect for pictures!

After we lounged by the pool for a few hours, devoured some gossip magazines and split a bucket of beer we dolled ourselves up to head out to Lauriol Plaza Restaurant to enjoy some Mexican food. Ironically we were meeting up with some of Mommy, Esq.'s friends and she ended up having to take a conference call and met us there later. I made sure to note to her friends (who I've met before) that I was Stacey, not my sister. Let's just say that given our similarity in looks there have been some mix ups in the past.

Helen and Natalie were adventurous enough to do a tequila shot. I have sworn off hard alcohol from too many bad experiences and stuck to white wine and sangria. Plus lots of water which enabled me to avoid the hangover situation. Good call on my part!

My sisters and me.

Notice the similarities?

After leaving the restaurant we hit an Irish bar for a few more drinks and then it was back to the hotel. The rest of the group indulged in a bottle of champagne. Personally I hate the taste of champagne so I stuck with my usual wine.
A wonderful Friday in Washington, DC! Coming soon will be part two as I walk you through our equally fun, tiring, food and booze infested Saturday.

The hostess with the most-ess

I have always been impressed with my mom's ability to pull off an informal or formal gathering at her house. She always seems to have the right food on the right kind of serving-ware at the right time in the right amount. The secrets to her success? She loves to shop and make lists. When my mom recently traveled out to Kentucky to help one of her best friends prepare for a wedding I even asked her if she brought her trust notepad along (she did not, for the record).

About a month ago I decided we had mooched off our friends enough and it was our time to host an event. We settled on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and it went off without a hitch due in no small part to the shopping and list making that occurred over a two week period. Yes, I know it was just a BBQ but the pressure (!) of bringing together close friends and ensuring a good time makes me crazy. Fortunately DH is excellent at making and executing lists so everything was prepared when the first guests came by.

This is the first time we had a bunch of kids (6 total) so I did a lot of brainstorming about what stuff to have to entertain them. That way the adults could have fun too. The biggest hit on the 90 degree day was of course the kiddie pool. But the sidewalk chalk, hula hoop and random assortment of balls went over well too. The more children, the more activities means the less attention parents have to pay to the kids. And that gave me enough time to enjoy some wine. I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend too!

Cameron and her daddy blowing bubbles. Fun, but messy!

Holden mugs for the camera at a friend's BBQ we went to on Saturday.

Cameron and Holden are definitely best friends. They ask for each other all the time. I'm so glad that Amanda and I signed them up for swim lessons together!

Cameron really loves her kiddie pool. Ironic considering we couldn't get her to go in it at all last year...what a difference a year makes!

I didn't have any swim diapers so we now know how much a regular diaper can absorb. The thing must have weighed 20 pounds when we took it off.

Easter Sunday Picture Post

As promised, here is a photo post from our Easter Sunday BBQ with friends.

I decided to go the toy route vs. candy for Cameron's Easter Basket. The Wal-Mart cheap toy section make that an easy decision. As you can see from the two pictures below, the bubble blowers were a big hit. Messy, but a hit.

DH attempts to explain to Cameron that you have to shut the fan off before you load it up with more soap. It was not a lesson that she or Holden appeared to internalize.

Cameron loved the concept of an Easter egg hunt. I ended up hiding her basket and eggs today because I just couldn't take another hunt. Twenty was my limit!

Tooling around in Holden's car. Chicks dig the cop cars.

Holden offers to take the empty to the recycling bin.

A wonderful drama free weekend

DH and I were afraid that speaking it out loud would jinx it. But Sunday afternoon while Cameron was napping he turned to me and said, "Hey, we haven't had to put Cameron in timeout once this weekend!" I quickly knocked on wood, rubbed a rabbit's foot and threw salt over my shoulder. The man who obsesses about baseball should know that you never, never talk about a perfect game. But despite his misstep Cameron triumphed and we avoided all tantrums and timeouts.

There are a few reasons I attribute to our tantrum and timeout free weekend. The first is that Cameron was finally over the ear/sinus infection that had probably plagued her for weeks. The kid doesn't complain so identification of an illness is usually pure luck. She was also well rested. Daycare was closed on Friday (which means our drama free weekend was for 3! whole! days!) so we let her sleep in a little and she had a great nap. Cameron has also had another language explosion. It is rare that we don't understand what she is saying and her sentences are approaching 5-6 words. She can also clearly understand what we are saying and we've made more of an effort to explain things to her, instead of just telling her to do something.

On Sunday the Taylor family hosted us for a BBQ. Good food, sangria and deep frying experiments were all on the menu. Amanda had an Easter egg hunt set up around the yard (hunt is a bit of a misnomer since the eggs were in plain sight). DH and I had been "practicing" with Cameron all weekend when she brough 4 eggs home from daycare so Cameron totally kicked ass. She even ended up transferring Holden's eggs into her basket but he didn't seem to mind.

A picture post to come tonight!

A kick ass year

Today is my birthday. Happy 34th birthday to me! And A. and Mommy, Esq., of course. It has been a pleasure sharing a birthday with my sisters over the past 3 plus decades. Not that I felt that way when I was younger!

I am struggling to see how this upcoming year will top the previous one. Over the past year I lost more than 50 pounds, started exercising regularly, got a new job and celebrated many milestones with my loving husband and darling daughter.

What are my goals this year?

• I plan on running several 5Ks and continuing to make exercise a regular part of my routine.
• Along with several other real life and Internet friends, I will participate in the Charlotte Warrior Dash.
• I will use all of my vacation time.
• I will have a girls' weekend with my longtime friends.
• I will commit to carving out more "me" time and "we" time with DH.
• And if I'm really lucky and work hard I will top it all off with a job promotion.

Wish me luck!

Charlotte Nature Museum

This was a very busy weekend for our family. On Saturday morning Cameron and I went to My Gym. I was extremely impressed with the facility and the activities that the kids could engage in. Cameron learned a ton about mobility from the other kids (unlike our Gymboree experience, Cameron was one of the youngest kids there) and she is already putting it to good use in her daily life (climbing on couches, tackling stairs better, etc.).

There are two major drawbacks to this program. First of all, it is $75 a month for an hour class. Ouch! Secondly, it is a hike to get there for me. Easily a 25 minute drive. It's doable but I don't know if I can handle it for more than a month or two, tops. We have another demo class at Little Gym in two weeks so I'll make my decision after that.

After Cameron's nap, DH and I packed Cameron in the car and headed to the Charlotte Nature Museum. Neither of us had been there before but I purchased a Groupon for buy one, get one admission free. And since Cameron is under 2, all three of us had a nice afternoon for $10. We were joined there by my friend Amanda, her husband (who has the same name as my husband which can be confusing) and their son Holden. Cameron and Holden had an absolute blast together. They giggled and held hands and were so much fun. I'm glad Cameron has a BFF outside of school!

The Nature Museum wasn't bad but smaller than I expected. There were some animals, a small butterfly enclave and a couple of interactive exhibits. The best part for us was the nature trail that ran around the property and abuts Freedom Park, the largest park in Charlotte. Cameron and Holden practically ran the entire path. There were a couple of falls (why is that toddlers refuse to watch where they are going?) but one kid would start laughing so the other responded in kind and we avoided tears. We spent about 2 hours at the Nature Museum and I think that's on the high end of what toddlers will tolerate. I'm not sure it's worth the $10 per adult ticket price but the Groupon coupon was perfect.

Holden is a ham and loves to say, "cheeeeeeesssseeeee" when you are taking his picture. Freaking adorable.

Taking a break on the nature trail and having a snack.

A lovely Labor Day weekend

It was especially lovely because I got to sleep in twice this weekend. Thanks, DH! We had a great time with Cameron and our visiting friends. We taught them how to play Pitch, which is the best card game ever according to DH. If you grew up in Springfield, MA then there is a good chance you know how to play it.

DH and I love to play cards. Or really pretty much any game. Pitch is the perfect game to play with two couples. It is designed for 4 people. If you are interested in learning how to play, we have a spare guestroom and plenty of alcohol on hand. So feel free to come visit us in Charlotte! Another incentive is the cuteness of Cameron. Below are some photos from a visit to a playground.

The many faces of Cameron: photos by Natalie

Natalie came to visit this weekend and besides bringing her fabulous self she also brought her kick ass camera. Of course it is really the subject and the photographer that make the photos so great, not just the camera. Or so Natalie would like me to tell you.

Bright spots

I realize it's been a while since I updated you on my weight loss progress. Last night I achieved a milestone. I have now lost more than 25 pounds. It took a lot longer to lose the latest 10 pounds but I blame vacation for part of that.

While I'm proud of the progress so far I also know that I still have more to go. And I know that I have to be better about exercising. I've let that slip by the wayside for the past few weeks, mostly because I'm lazy and also because there always seems to be something that needs to get done.

My friend Natalie arrives in Charlotte today. The last time she came to visit we ended up buying our Honda Pilot. I'm hoping this visit is a little less expensive! We're going to grill out tonight and then we actually got a babysitter to go out for dinner tomorrow. I think that's a grand total of 3 times we've had a babysitter for Cameron. And I'm even having her come at 6 PM so she can do bedtime. Yes, I'm trying to let go of my need to control! Natalie has promised to take lots of pictures so expect to see a photo post sometime this weekend.

DH got a phone call yesterday from daycare. Cameron was bitten by her "friend" but she was fine. Is it wrong that I was relieved Cameron was the bitee rather than the biter?

BBQ snapshots

This past weekend my friend Amanda hosted us for a BBQ. Also invited were another couple and their son who are a part of our regular play group/mommy's night out. We had a wonderful time and so did Miss Cameron as illustrated by the pictures below.

Now that Cameron is walking more regularly I decided it was time to start putting her into dresses. She had a little trouble figuring out how to stand up without tripping over the skirt but by the end of the day she was a pro.

Cameron loved Holden's police car. All 3 of them did and occasional fights broke out. Nothing serious but it heralds the future of this play group, I'm sure!

Graham wants to get into the car but Cameron slams the door shut so she can ride.

Holden shows off his water table.
Cameron cools off from a 85+ degree day.
With only one nap under her belt Cameron decides to crash Graham's party on the hammock.
Although they look tuckered out a little food and milk and they were back playing again.