Tag Archives: sisters

May30

On the Importance of time and priorities.

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On the Importance of time and priorities.

I read Girlfriends in God every morning (thanks to Lindsay for recommending it!!) and there were two recent passages that really struck home for me. (even if you are not a ‘religious’ type, these devotionals are so good and so right-on almost every single day. Worth a read, I promise!) They both have to do with time and this is a post I have been wanting to write for a couple of weeks, but alas, needed the time to put some thought into it, ironic, isn’t it? (I started this post on my last flight home – plenty of time!)

This passage is what really resonated with me, when it comes to time, priorities, and what’s really important:

We have either forgotten or failed to realize the truth that our minutes, hours and days are precious commodities — gifts from God that can be unwrapped only once…A busy life is not necessarily a productive life.

The author goes on to say that we should choose one day to plan the week (vs. me – who tries to plan, overplan, and plan some more – almost to my detriment, being overplanned and overthinking every plan I have made, throwing me into an OATTing tizzy. A tiring combination).

She also says ‘simplify and eliminate’ – this is something I have learned and keep trying to do more of this. It’s about prioritizing and more importantly, keeping some of that time FREE, not booked to the minute. M always jokes that I plan every minute of our time together. And he’s right. I tend to do that and then it’s just not as fun when I feel like we’re rushing around and not actually enjoying WHAT we planned to do. The picnic we had recently was a perfect example of a plan that was not planned. Something we did with no ‘end time’ in sight. Just for as long as we wanted. We laid in the grass, my head on his chest and just watched the clouds drift through the blue skies.

And finally, THIS is what truly says it all:

If we don’t set priorities — others will. Time thieves will steal our time as we allow them to impose their plans and standards on us. It is so easy to lose focus and scramble priorities.

As I just finished up what feels like a whirlwind 6 weeks of traveling (3 work trips in those 6 weeks!), kick-starting barre n9ne teaching, and a really hectic couple of months of work, I am taking a minute to hit the reset button. Summer is ALWAYS notoriously busy. And, with all fun things, for the most part. Lots of parties, cookouts, Maine, (maybe) the Cape, and more (fun) travel. But with a busy summer can also come that blur of where-did-summer-go and ‘did I even enjoy it as much as I possibly could?‘ feeling. Because, having a busy life, while GOOD, can also have a way of stealing joy out of those times. Just by nature of time, and lack thereof.  (at least for me)

And the final kicker that I NEED to really think about time and priorities? When it took THREE WEEKS to plan a sister dinner, and one that almost got canceled last night at the last minute (where we then realized that if we didn’t keep to our original plan, it was at least another two weeks until we could book our dinner again…for sisters that all live within 20-30 miles of each other? That is simply wrong.). And that sister dinner we had last night? One of the best nights we’ve had together, just us, in a very long time. A dinner we now vow to do on the first Tuesday of every month (hold us to it, ok?!).

So, this is me. Stopping. Thinking. Prioritizing. And keeping time open. Because sometimes, the best things happen when they are unplanned. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure the BEST things happen when they aren’t planned.

May21

A blissful weekend…in pictures.

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A blissful weekend…in pictures.

As I trot off to California for the next four days, I will sear into memory a blissful weekend that I truly believe was even MORE blissful because of shifting my focus and not going into this trip with any sort of ‘dread’ (except for the goodbye to M, which is always, always so hard), but with perspective that it’ll be a fantastic experience, filled with growth.

Without further ado…

Another ‘happy miles’ run with M, even if a bee did chase me and I ran like the wind ;-)

got my sushi fix on Friday night, with a glass of wine on the patio

Impromptu trip to the lake on Saturday…check out that glisten.

got to dip my toes into the lake, not as chilly as I thought, either ;-)

a sister cookout at Jess and Scott’s, never complete without a photo bomb ;)

I <3 my sisters!

Complete with dinner on the deck and a crisp rose, and the weekend rounds out to a beautiful close…

And on a weekend that has marked the passing of my Nonna (May 20, 2009), I couldn’t help but think that this picture perfect weekend is her, smiling down, happy to see the happiness and love in my life, and in my sister’s lives too. I hugged my niece a little tighter, with her namesake (Isabel) and just smiled, my heart happy.

She climbed right up into my lap…and though it was just briefly, it’s captured.

~~~

Apr13

Friday Fun: This is how our (sisterly!) minds work: ‘The Rules’ Edition

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Friday Fun: This is how our (sisterly!) minds work: ‘The Rules’ Edition

See? awesome #rundate pic! I'm on the right, FYI (lol)

A few weeks ago, during a fabulous sisterly run, we gabbed about the ‘rules’ we tend to create for each other and about each other…and some of them are pretty funny, I must say. So, we thought we’d throw them into a blog post that we are both posting today (see hers here) for a little Friday Fun. Please note, most of these are completely ridiculous and as opposite of serious as possible. Enjoy and happy weekend!!

This is how our minds work: ‘The Rules’ Edition:

A ‘triple’ is only allowed on the first Monday of every month (just kidding…kinda)…and only if the other one is also doing a triple. Otherwise, it is completely fair to bitch the other one out for doing a triple. (caveat – if we ever DO complete a triple workout, we promise, we’re fully fueled before/after, the workouts are spaced out, and we don’t make a habit of it, we promise. We’re not here to advocate over-exercising!)

Rest days must be ‘complete’ rest days and must be taken in the same week. None of this ‘I’ll use Sunday as my rest day’ when the other knows that her last rest day was the PREVIOUS Tuesday (in other words, more than a full week between rest days? No bueno.)

There is no such thing as ‘only‘ running XX number of miles for an allotted run. A run is a run, plain and simple. Could be 3 miles, could be 12. It all ‘counts.’ It all matters. It all rocks.

It’s completely normal to discuss the week ahead’s workouts and how you can strategically plan run, barre, sister dinner dates into the mix.  <—OATT alert!! At least one of the three must happen each week. (and every other ‘date’ should include sushi. Or oatmeal. It’s a rule).

Throwback ‘rule’ – you can only trade three skittles (at minimum and none of this only yellow and green, there must be at least one ‘money color’, i.e. pink, purple, or one red. MUST.) forone starburst (again, said starburst must be a ‘money color’ or else the 3 skittle-minimum no longer applies. You can give her none in return as far as I’m concerned. In fairness, of course, to the flavor law.)

(does anyone else now suddenly have a random craving to go buy a pack of starburst now? yeah…er…me neither.)

There is absolutely no truth to the phrase: I’m not in the mood for wine tonight (if sister says this, there is something seriously wrong….or she’s pregnant. Justkidding.Justkidding.Justkidding.)

A couple of chocolate chips is totally an acceptable yogurt topping. ‘nuf said.

There is always a way to fit in ‘Jess and Scott’ pizza and two glasses of wine and still be within ‘your number’ (i.e. food log ‘number’) and not starve yourself all day. It’s been done. And it was worth every last cheesy filled calorie.  TRUTH.

If you’re gonna eat a cookie, eat the damn cookie. A real one. Homebaked. With real sugar. Real butter. Real chocolate chips. No going halfway and stopping. Commit to the cookie. And enjoy it, dammit.

You can work peanut butter into any recipe. Savory. Sweet. Doesn’t matter. It ALWAYS WORKS.

And finally, you are fully within your rights to block your sister’s Facebook and Twitter updates while traveling to avoid oatmeal envy. It’s sheer torture otherwise. Trust me (us) on this one.

(do you have any sibling ‘rules’ or random rules for yourself that when you write them down, are just funny and borderline ridiculous!? do share!!)

Mar16

Best. Friday Morning. Ever.

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Best. Friday Morning. Ever.

Alarm clock goes off at 5:08 am (because 5:05 feels *much* earlier).

*groan. yawn. give M a kiss* (and surprised he gets up with me instead of sleeping in another hour!)

On the road by 5:20 to get to 6 am barre n9ne method class (the best way to start a Friday, I am convinced…not to mention the longest.week.ever. Felt like 49 days long or something).

*trying to psych myself up for a 3 miler post-barre with Steph, even though it’s chilly and I’m tireeddddd*

*fabulous* class 6-7 am.

Debate outdoor 3 mile loop with Steph. Know I’m tight on time, and she is too. And feeling slightly wussy in 35 degree temps when we’ve had temps in 50-70 degree range the last week. Quick change of plans: quick run at my sister Jess’s house (5 mins away, you’ll see why I’m going there anyway in a sec…).

7:21 am. Bang out 2.5 miles…wanted 3, but didn’t have time. And a shame, too, because it was actually one of those ‘can run all day’ feelings, surprisingly (even though I thought to myself, how much I didn’t *really* feel like running and if it started to feel like ‘junk miles’ I’d stop. Go figure! No junk! Whee!).

7:45 am. *Fly* through a quick shower at my sister’s with 5 minutes to spare, because I had a very important coffee date and I didn’t want to be late! So what did my lovely sister do? She packed up our obsessed favorite oatmeal into a tupperware so I could eat it as I drove (seriously, that was genius, and it was SO GOOD, even as I carefully drove and ate!).

8:09 am. I went on my merry way, grabbed two coffees on the way and made it to my other sister Jen’s by 8:32 (so I was late by 2 mins…).

Why all the rush-rush this morning? Why, to spend a cherished hour with my sister Jen and my beautiful niece Isabel, of course! (this worked out perfectly as I had a dentist appointment at 9:30 down the street, because yes, I still go to the same dentist since I was 4 years old. I do not care that it is now more than 30 miles away!).

And it was worth every minute of coordination and rush-rush to get there because Isabel was in an absolutely fabulous mood and we had the MOST fun at our auntie/sister coffee/playdate!!

A photo recap says it all:

She plopped in my lap and grabs my phone (at the ready to capture moments!), so we sit and I flip the camera around so she can see herself...hilarity ensues.

I reach in for a kiss, because she loves to kiss you back, and caught a weird-blurry-but-funny angle (for the record, I got her cheek!)

I think she can see herself at this point, in the camera and starts waving to herself. *cuteness*

And finally, we're both in the picture, and semi-smiling. Success!

Besides that highlight of the morning, Isabel is learning to say my name!!! She says ‘hi jo!’ if Jen says it first, and oh my Gosh, that is the cutest thing EVER to hear out of your niece’s mouth. Best. Ever!

After hugs, kisses (‘blowing kisses’ and kisses on the lips too!), and far too much fun crammed into about 50 minutes, I left my sister Jen’s house with a huge grin on my face, and waved as they waved goodbye at me from the window. My heart felt explosive with joy and love…this was by far one of my favorite memories with my niece and sister in awhile, and sometimes, it’s those unexpected moments that mean so much. It truly has been the best. Friday morning. Ever. (even with the dentist, I love getting my teeth cleaned!)

**This weekend has felt like a long time coming…lots on tap, including a sushi lunch date with some fabulous women (Jess, Meaghan and Samantha!!), a visit to my grandparents (corned beef and cabbage? YES PLEASE! No, seriously, I LOVE corned beef and cabbage and I’m not even Irish!) and much-needed catch-up time with M. Cheers friends, make it a goodie!**

NOTE: if you cannot comment on my post, I understand from WordPress that you must create a WordPress login in order to comment. It’s ass-backward if you ask me, commenting should be OPEN, but I digress. If it’s not working for you and you want to comment, that’s the only thing I’ve heard that works. Sorry, friends! :/

Dec21

Anatomy of a good (outdoor!) run.

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Anatomy of a good (outdoor!) run.

Last night, I went to bed and felt a little bit anxious about this morning’s planned #rundate with my sis, but as I wrote earlier this week, my goal is to do at least one (if not two!) outdoor runs this week and next. Then I tossed and turned and dreamed about this run, and in it, it was snowing, it was cold, it was windy, and I was scared. Obviously, this did not make me feel any better about getting up, bundling up, and running outside this morning. But after a brief text back-and-forth with Jess, we decided to go for it (Jess, to her credit, wanted ME to decide, and while I was thisclose to shelving the idea, M also encouraged me to go, and then I realized I really did *not* want to dreadmill it today after yesterday’s kick-ass intervals!).

And this, my friends, is the anatomy of a good (outdoor!) run. :-) (hopefully this isn’t utterly boring or too dorky, and even if it is, that’s okay, I just want to cherish this run!)

We set out around 7:15 and it was about 38 degrees or so. Not too bad, and no wind *phew*

I was excited to show Jess one of the routes  M and I ran late-summer/early-fall when we moved, as it is one of the prettiest, nice flat (keyword: flat! for the most part) roads, huge houses, sprawling yards, and chose a 5 mile route for us. I piled on my new winter running gear, complete with my new I <3 Sweat long-sleeved t-shirt, courtesy of Ali on the Run (YAY!), turtleneck top and warm running pants (seriously felt like I looked like a marshmallow however, all padded and puffy hehe) and Under Armour headband.

The first mile or so was pretty chilly, but we of course started warming up. I was actually warmer than Jess, I think, as she noticed the chill more than me (yay me! lol) at first. We approached one of the ‘rolling hills’ (really not that big but these types of hills are almost harder for me than big hills for some reason) and usually, I am tempted to stop and walk, but I didn’t, I didn’t even want to or feel the need to, and  I was hopeful that this would continue the rest of our run.

And that it did. We ran, we paced each other, we talked, I told her stories about what M and I would talk about on our runs, showing each other the houses we loved most on these streets and would love to buy (but yeah, probably need a million bucks, and that, my friends, we do not have. Shocker, I know. LOL). And the run just went. I kind of forgot I was running. And that NEVER happens. EVER.

EVER.

We rounded the corner and hit the second of the ‘rolling hills’ that I usually do actually walk part of, because it’s at that point that my lungs start to burn. But I didn’t want to stop, because a) I knew Jess would be mad at me (LOL) and b) I knew I could do it, because by the time I was at the spot I usually stop, I was still running. (yay me! LOL)

The last 1.5 miles or so goes down a side road that I joke is one of the longest side roads ever (seriously, I always think of side roads as short, but the two we ran on in this route are 2.5 and 1.5 miles, respectively. Those aren’t side roads to me. Is that weird that I think that?!). It also has a small ‘rolling hill’ and that too we kept pace at and I never walked. Or wanted to. AGAIN. It was honestly the weirdest feeling. Because this truly never happens. 

But I was trusting myself. I felt calm. I felt good running next to my sis, since we don’t get to run together as often as we’d like. It felt like a much-needed run together for us, I felt like it was a bonding moment. Because she was experiencing one of the best outdoor runs I have probably ever had. 

And she kept totally mum about it until we finished the route. And then she remarked at how good that run was for me. And until she said that, I honestly didn’t think too much of it. Until she started ticking things off that ‘worked.’ My breathing. Probably the best I’ve had. Ever. AND in cold weather? Seriously?? My pace. Faster. I kept up with her better (even if she may have run a little slower than her normal). We talked! I TALKED. I never talk. I may laugh or nod or say ‘yeah’ here and there, but she usually talks and I listen. Because I am always too out of breathe or too focused on making sure I don’t get out of breathe, that I don’t talk.

And then she made me do a farklet. Bully.

;-)

Honestly. I have never felt better about a run than this one…in these conditions, I thought I would struggle. It was challenging but it was not a struggle. This run-challenge may be the best idea ever, and the best thing I could do for myself to gain the confidence I’ve lacked, the endurance I crave, and the ability I have felt I have struggled with. Today, was a success. And I couldn’t be happier. (thank you sis!!!)

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee <—severe run high!!