Spring break

We just got back from Seattle, and I have much to write, but let me just make this post about the recycling that goes on out there. EVERYTHING! I was very impressed. My sister who lives in the city, by law has to recycle all paper and plastic and aluminum and put food waste in compost. If failure to do such she gets fined. I was thinking about how far Alabama is from that. We would go to restaurants and they also had separate trash cans for recyclables and trash. I remember when I moved out here from SLC, UT there were recycling bins next to most trash cans in 1993! Now, in 2009 in Alabama and not all garbage pick-up even has recycling pick-up. Crazy!

on owning a home

My parents told us, after we bought this house, that we will now never be rich. I thought they were crazy, I mean home-ownership put us in middle-class, right? Well, the problem is, we have to fix stuff all the time! I sometimes wish that I had a millionaire uncle that was very generous so that I could just go to him when I needed something for the house.

mean girls

I am sure most of us have seen that movie, "Mean Girls" based on that nonfiction book "Queen Bees and Wannabes". I found the movie very entertaining and funny, and so true to how it is in high school and wanting to belong so badly. The "B" in my name, btw, is for "Becca" not "Bee". Anyway, I was reminded of this today while watching a show that I TiVoed. It was the reunion show for The Housewives of Orange County. They are all very beautiful women, and I guess "hot moms", but they are so ugly to each other. I was totally blown away at how mean they are to each other behind their backs and then had to own up to it on TV for the reunion show. I wonder how beautiful people in beautiful homes can be so ugly, appearances can be very deceiving.

I guess I'm still affected by it, and had to write about it, and I don't know where else to go with it. I'm sure I'll have something more upbeat to write next time. :)

The Mecedes Marathon (or Half - Marathon if you're me).

Let me start by saying this was my first time. I thought that this one would go so well that I would be ready to do the full marathon next year. Well...the half was much tougher than I planned on, so I think I will master this before moving on to the full. Not to be a "Negative-Nancy", but as the full marathoners kept passing me, I was pretty sure that I needed A LOT more training, and I'm only human. :)

The day started very early and COLD. My friend M.S. picked me up and we carpooled to the race together. We got free parking on the street in front of the bus station, and went to the Boutwell Auditorium to use the bathroom and check our bags in the "sweat check", and stretch and drink more water, and eat a few more calories, and drink more water... you know, regular pre-race stuff. Well, M.S. decided that she didn't want to wear her sweat shirt through the race and she didn't want to leave it in the street, so we walked back to her car to leave it there. It was a good thing we parked so close to the bus station, we were able to go in there to use the restroom one more time, and it was so warm in there, very nice. :) We then jogged to the starting area, inside that crowd which is normally very uncomfortable to me, but it felt nice and warm inside that crowd. We just listened to our iPods and waited for the gun to go off. BLAST! I was off! walking...walking...walking...seeing others jump up to hit the starting banner...walking...pass the starting banner and I was off to a nice slow jog. Bye, M.S., she was off and I was going at my slower more comfortable pace, lip-syncing the songs I was listening to and seeing the crowd in front and behind and to all sides of me. By the time I got to about the 20-30 minute mark I had to pee really bad, so I started walking until I got to the next pit stop where I was able to relieve myself and then started running again. I couldn't believe that I was only at about 3 miles, it felt like much longer, but I pressed on. I eventually heard, "Mommy!", and there was husband with kids offering me a hug.

This really made me smile and feel good. Husband asked, "How's it going?" I said (iPod was on, so I was probably talking pretty loudly), "I really have to pee!" He said that there were some port-a-potties just beyond the next water stop, that was great, I was going to go and then start running again... I got out of the potty, said good-bye to the husband who wanted to get my picture leaving the "bathroom", and went off running again.

My head said, "run" but my body said, "oh no you didn't!" So, I was able to go to a power-walk kind of pace. My knee was starting to hurt, but I was okay, I was half-way there. Just as I was passing Ruby Tuesday on Highland Avenue, I was being lapped by that famous Kenyan guy that wins all marathons, David Cheruiyot. He finished in 2 hours and 23 minutes! That was about mile 9 when he passed me, and I eventually passed a police officer who was calling a medic for a woman that was hurt, and I felt safe in case I couldn't go on with my knee hurting. I got to almost mile 11 when I thought that I couldn't go anymore and sat on the curb. A woman passed me and said, "if you sit, you won't finish!" I knew she was right, and told her that I was just stretching because my knee hurt. I got back up and continued walking, and a woman walked up to me (one of the many spectators) and handed me some gel packs, which is jelly-type stuff to rub on injured muscles. I thanked her, sure she was an angel and pulled my pants up and rubbed it on my knees and shins and continued, and it worked! I was able to push on to the finish line and I finished the half marathon in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

I'll be back next year. :)

My favorite signs:

Run like you stole something
The pain you feel is just weakness leaving the body
If you think running a marathon is bad, try Chemo
Cancer Sucks

Debt Diet - the rules

1. I must make a list before going to the grocery store, if it's not on the list it is not legal. Also, just so I won't be "working the system" I will only include things I need on the list. To be clear; Wine - need, gossip magazines - want. To help with this list, I will also make my menus for the week(s) to help with planning. Sometimes I do have to go to the store in the middle of the week, for milk or bread or something, on these occasions I must have a list, and still can NOT stray from that list, if all I need is milk, then that is all I can get.

2. NO DRIVE-THRUS. I can not just decide that tonight I don't want to cook and get the kids something at a fast-food restaurant. I have the menu prepared, therefore I can prepare that meal, as I should have the ingredients since I most likely got them at the store. The only time there is an exception to this is if I am very ill and can not get up from the bed to cook dinner, my plan is to stay healthy throughout the month. :)

3. We will still give to our church, this includes dinner on Wednesday nights.

4. Super Bowl Sunday, we can still order pizza. This is a tradition in our household which we will keep and Super Bowl Sunday just happens to fall on the first day of February.

5. Playgroups. On playgroup days I will have to bring a snack that can be made from what I have in the kitchen. I can NOT just go pick something up at the store on my way to playgroup.

6. Moms Night Out. I will have to go to these events with cash, and I can't spend past the cash that I have. If I have to use my check card, or credit card, then I will have to own up to it.

The main theme to my rules is plan making, and sticking to the plans. I am hoping to stop any bad habits on spending money and I am hoping that I will have a better grasp on how much money I spend unintentionally. If any of this seems unfair to any of the other debt dieters, then please speak now so that I can change my rules and post them here.

the new me

I have been working on myself, making myself a beautiful person starting with the inside. I feel empowered doing this. I love how I feel after I run, I feel good not getting involved if it doesn't involve me, and I'm very excited to start knitting on Saturday! :) I am glad I made that list of New Years resolutions, I never would have thought how much of an impact it has on me. I have also decided that my blog has become a pretty negative place, which is no fun for me or the reader. I want to use my blog for good, make this a fun thing to read in the afternoon, or early morning, or whenever. I don't know when others do their computer time, for me it's spread out through the day - Mama needs a break!

a poem, by Queen "B"

timeless act of girl drama
regret for what is said
all girls all the time
just SHUT UP!

I thought this up while realizing that the girl drama starts early on. We can all do better by not getting involved, it will work itself out. Meanwhile, be nice to everybody!