Happy Holidays

I was so excited when I saw this placed on the table!!! Schyler is 9 and I've been wondering if she still believes. She's been on the fence. She say's she doesn't but this tells me she does! She wrote Santa a note:

Dear Santa: I worked very hard on these pictures and Japanese braiding so I hope you like it.

Sincerely,
Schyler

p.s. you can keep the pen too. Please write back.

One picture was for Santa and the other for Mrs. Clause. Schyler was still working on finishing the Japanese braiding when I took these photos so it's not included. We also had to make sure we left cookies and milk for him too!

It's on! Schyler wants to start running with me this Spring so she can be ready for the Boilermaker 5K and a 5K race that I run in Ilion. She explained to me she needs running clothes though like I have. Well here they are some underarmour and nikey shirts to wick the sweat when she's running her tail off in those races!

Yah, when I saw this hat at Limited Too it had Schyler's name all over it! She's wore it for 2 days straight now.

Ipod Nano was a great gift, plus she got an arm band for running with her musical buddy.

It's not very often we see Brandon (her step-brother) but I needed to get a shot of them together. Last one was on her 5th birthday party. Of course he was holding her then. Now she barely would stand near him. Must be she's getting too old to care LOL!
Kayla getting excited about a gift.
Um, yah, she's not going to like this one but it shows what she was excited about LOL!

Our ornaments

I love ornaments that have meaning to them. I try to get an ornament from every place Mike & I visit. Sometimes that's not possible but here are a few that I love. When we were in Paris I found this metal knick knack of the Eiffel Tower. I knew I could run a piece of gold thread through it and it would be a perfect ornament!We got this one in London at the Windsor Palace gift shop. I paid a lot of money for this more than I would for any other ornament but I LOVED it and it was the only ornament I found in London that I really, really liked.

Schyler's godmother always gets her an ornament every year. Usually they have meaning too. This was last years. It's an MP3 Player and it plays Christmas songs. She got her this one because she knew Santa was bringing her an ipod.
Here's another she got for her. When Schyler was little, she would get her angel ornaments that said "godchild" on them.

Of course we would have a skater ornament for my favorite ice skater!

My sister went Christmas shopping in PA and went to the ornament store. So on Christmas Eve everyone got their ornaments. It was fun opening them to see what everyone got. I screamed "I was always Alvin"! She say's, "I know"! When we were kids, we watched the cartoon Alvin and the Chipmunks. I was always Alvin the leader of the pack LOL! My brother was Simon because he was smart and my sister was Theodore, because he was the baby and so was she.

Schyler got this gorgeous ice skate!

Of course Mike got beer! LOL!

Decorating the tree

Schyler was decorating the tree and I decided to practice some indoor shooting. I didn't mind the yellow from all the lights in these.

The day the cast came off. . .

I can't believe it's been a month since I've posted on here. Time flies by.

Today was the day the cast came off. These aren't the greatest pictures but sometimes the best photos are not technically correct. Schyler wanted a few pictures so I brought my point and shoot along. This is one of her favorite signings on her cast. I like it too seeing I wrote it! LOL! After about a week or 2 her foot started to stink, so I felt the need to write that on her cast without her knowing it. But she liked it!

Here is the cutting procedure. She thought it was pretty cool. She said it tickled a lot!

Obviously it does!

Trick or Treat!

I'm a little late getting these on here. That's why it's called "On the Run" blog. I haven't updated very well because we are constantly on the go. Tomorrow is the Pop Warner Sports Banquet and that will end the season of cheerleading. Things will definitely be a little calmer now.

Schyler decided she wanted to be a devil this year. . .what does she need a costume for right? I mean this is her normal state LOL! Not really. Costume and make up came out cute I thought (I have no idea what happened but now that these are loaded her face looks like it's got a black hue to it? Odd.)

I can't believe the catchlights I can catch in her eyes! Wish I could do that with everyone else.

Here's one of Kaylee's friends "D". They went as a bumble bee and a ladybug. K's mom made the costumes. . . so cute!
Oh yah, I forgot to mention Schyler broke her ankle playing soccer at Kaylee's slumber party. So here's the signing of the cast by Kaylee

Kaylee's boyfriend got the job of pulling Schyler around in a wagon while they trick or treated.

It's Official. . .

"S" will not be ice skating this year. It's actually pretty depressing. I'm going to miss watching "S" work on her moves and taking her private lessons; the other moms and our 1 hour chats; and the other girls that "S" has gotten to be friends with. "S" loves to skate and does it so well, but now that she tested out of Freestyle 2 in the Spring and is no longer in basic skills, we can't make the schedule. I can't get out of work a couple hours early a few days a week to get her there in time. I went and cleaned out her locker and it was depressing. We'll definitely miss the backstage events during the ice show but we'll be there this spring to watch all "S" friends.

First Hip Hop Dance Class. . .

last night was "S" first ever dance class. She chose hip hop and was very excited. Unfortunately, I couldn't get even one shot because it's a pretty small place. Parents aren't allowed in the dance studio. We have to stand in the waiting room and watch through class. All the moms were hovered around the glass so I didn't even bother to try and get a shot.

She came out of the class with a big smile on her face and said it was a lot of fun. I can't wait to see what kind of moves she comes up with!

State Fair Fun

For "S" birthday her step-sister a/k/a Sissy took her to the State Fair. "S" had never been and was so excited about going. They spent time looking at all the animals, which she loves! She said they took forever in the cow barn. I told her not to forget to see the butter sculpture. She was pretty impressed with that too. She road rides and then paid to have her face painted. It was pretty cool. She said it was not a dragon but I'd say it certainly looks like one.

I can't believe my baby is 9 already!

Unfortunately, I was extremely ill on her birthday which was the 28th. I'm just starting to feel better and able to post some of these. The poor thing took care of me on her birthday. She really didn't have to but that is just her nature to be the mother hen. I ended up sleeping all day and was able to get up and take her to cheerleading practice. Thank god for my girlfriend Sandy who watches "S" during the summer . . . she made her a megaphone cake and brought it to practice. I also had Grandpa pick up an ice cream cake for the family as well. Luckily we had celebrated her birthday weeks beforehand with her friends at Enchanted Forest.

I grabbed a few shots of her eating cake at cheer practice!

This is one of her gifts she got from Aunt Carrie! She loves science so she thought this would be a great gift especially because the Lunar Eclipse occurred on her birthday. . .what a perfect idea!
Here she is setting it up and getting it ready to check out the moon come nightfall.

Did 38 really do this to me?

Well it's now been 2 days after my birthday and I believe my melt down is over! As the date was approaching, I felt fine. I got up on the 22nd and just seemed like a normal day. Then BAM! The day just seemed to turn into one of those feel sorry for me days. I don't feel old, I'm told I don't look it either but man I was not a happy camper on my birthday. All my friends and family called me all day long to wish me a happy birthday. Even my favorite cousin (well I have 2) called me who I haven't seen or spoke to in a year probably. . . he put a smile on my face though :) Hopefully this isn't a sign of what is to come when I hit 40 because I might just need to be committed by then LOL!

I finally did it after 5 years

of running on and off. The farthest I ever ran was 4 miles. My goal for the last 2 years has been to run 5 miles in one run and to run 3 races. I have yet to accomplish this. Saturday I finally ran 5 miles. I decided if I never went over the hill toward the 5 miler marker I'll never do it. I was pretty sore when I got home but man I felt good about it! Now all I need to do is run 2 more races and will finally complete a GOAL!

Got the results

in an email today. I got 3rd out of 8 in my age group. I'm pretty happy with that. I figured there were probably only 3 LOL! I guess I don't give myself enough credit.

Ilion Days 5K Race

I ran this race for the first time in 2004 and I got third place in my age group. I ran it in 28:43, best time I had and that was my first year running. Today I ran this race again for the first time since 2004 and got third place in my age group and ran it in 28:53. I was pretty happy with my time because I haven't ran in 2 months until just this past week and I thought I beat my time in 2004. I looked back through the paper from that year and realized I didn't. Oh well, I guess I'm still happy with my time for not running in 2 months. Maybe I'll run a few more races before the summers over and possibly finally reach one of my running goals - to run 3 races in a season!

Now I went and did it!

Because I ran on Saturday, Sara took me up on running the race this coming Saturday. We had to send our entry fee in today and fax our application. She's changed her work schedule so now I'm pretty much screwed!

I ran tonight and decided to start out faster than usual and try to stay running strong the whole 3 miles. I felt like I was doing really well. The whole time I kept my breathing under control. I did this by breathing deeply right from the beginning and it kept me pretty steady. I thought I did great until I looked at my watch. . .31 flat! I was so pissed! I ran this 5K I'm doing on Saturday 3 years ago and got a third place trophy for my age group, plus I ran it in 28 something. I guess it just goes to show you age really does affect you LOL! Well at least I have 3 more miles logged in.

I went and did it. . . finally!

I went out and ran 3 miles yesterday. I haven't ran since May! I told Sara that if I ran this weekend, then I would probably run a race with her this weekend in Ilion. She's like "oh I will be texting you this weekend, don't think I won't"! So of course like she said she texted me on Saturday at like 11:30-12:00, not to forget to run. I texted that I already did! I ran pretty fast because I wanted to get a good time and now I'm sore as hell! I definitely need to run a couple times this week to keep stretched and to be a little prepared for this coming weekend.

Forgot to mention that the Boilermaker came and went. I had a wedding night before and figured I wouldn't be in any shape to get there by 7:00 a.m., guess what. . . I didn't! I never even made it there to shoot photos of Sara and my bosses like I wanted too. I am such a pile.

It's Been That Long? . . .

. . . I can't believe I haven't posted on this blog since May 7, 2007! You know what that means don't you? Yup, I haven't ran since then. Totally have bagged running for the time being. I got discouraged, I have a wedding the night before the Boilermaker and I just up and quit! Hopefully I can get back into it soon, I at least want to get up to 5 or 6 miles and run a few 5K's before the summer is over. Next year the plan is to train with "S" and her and I are going to run the Boilermaker 5K together. She'll be 9 almost 10 and she's pretty active. I think she'll be able to do it.

She's pretty excited about it and so am I. This is something we can enjoy together and hopefully at some point in time we'll run the 15K together!

Wishful thinking. . .

that I could run with one days rest and still feel as good as I did during Saturday's run. Man I felt like I had cement blocks on my feet! Schyler rode her bike while I ran. That really is nerve racking to make sure she stays off the road when we're approaching hills. I don't plan on doing it very often but she loves to go. I wish I felt more confident in her paying attention to the road because riding her bike 3 & 4 miles a couple times a week would be great exercise for her! So I have another 3 miles to log in today.

Logging in . . .

I ran 3 more miles on Saturday. Let me tell ya, if I could feel like I did on Saturday the whole time I was running, I'd run 7 days a week! Wow, I felt great! No aches, pains, I never really got tired, man what I'd give to have a lot of days like that!

Studying Japanese Culture in 3rd Grade

Schyler's class and Mrs. Urtz's class has been studying all about Japanese culture. One of the kid's mom's donated all these large t-shirts so the 2 classes could make kimonos for their class trip. Both classes went to Wegmans and watched how they make sushi and they all tried it. Of course none of the kids really liked it. Schyler said only the teachers did. Then they went on to a Japanese Restaurant and tried soup and some other food. She said it was a lot of fun. Here's a few photos of her handmade kimono. I took these outside at almost dark so these photos aren't the greatest.

More miles . . .

I forgot to post my miles from Sunday. I got 3 miles in. I was pretty sore from Saturday's 4 miler. Tonight I did 2 miles at the arena. My plan was to run as much and as long as I could LOL! As usual I only get 2 miles out of these legs on that hard uneven concrete.

Woohoo!

This morning the sun was shining and it was warm out! So I got dressed, grabbed my shuffle and went running. I had only ran a mile last night at the arena with the hopes of being able to run outside today. I ended up running 4 miles. I can't believe how much harder it is this year than the last few. Obviously it's my extra weight! My goodness I feel like I've never ran before in my life. I can also feel the shin splits coming on strong now that I've ran a few days this week. Hopefully by icing a lot I can keep the pain down to a minimum. You know how you're suppose to feel so energetic after a workout and ready to go, well today that 4 miles kicked my butt! I felt lethargic all day. Going to try and go out and at least run 3 miles tomorrow morning.

Another 2.5 miles

completed. I ran at the skating arena again. My goal was to do 3 but I just could not get myself to do it. It is so boring running around in a circle not to mention hard concrete and cold. Hopefully the weather will break here and I can run my usual 4 miles on my usual course. Can't stop there or I'll never make it back home! If I can at least get running outside and get back up to my usual 4 mile workout then I can actually consider upping my distance and signing up for the Bmaker!

To the moon!

Schyler and I were bored most of our spring break vacation. The weather was horrible all week except for one day, it got up to about 45 degs. We decided to tough out the cold anyway and got out her moon shoes she got for Christmas. This is her first try with them. I was laughing so hard I could barely take pictures. We had a lot of fun!!

2 more under my belt. . .

miles that is. I ran 2 more miles why Schyler was taking a ice skating lesson. I felt ok, hate running in the arena because it's so boring and I pretty much stop after 2 but the weather is horrible and it's miles!

A new member. . .

of the family. His name is Pepper. Schyler was really wanting a pet of her own that she can take care of and be "responsible" (her terms). Here's a recap:
Schyler: Can I have a monkey?
Mom: LOL no
Schyler: Can I have a chicken?
Mom: no
Schyler: Can I have a camillon(sp?)
Mom: eew you no I don't like reptiles!
Schyler: How about a hamster
Mom: nope I don't like rodents either
Schyler: Ok how about a fish
Mom: There ya go!

So the Easter Bunny got her a little aquarium and she bought Pepper along with some food with her Easter money as well.



The next conversation - Schyler: Mom, I think I got a really good fish.
Mom: Why do you think that?
Schyler: Well, he really likes people. When I put my finger near his tank he comes right over to see me. He's very friendly.
Mom: Well good I'm glad you got a nice friendly fish.


Better than having a mean perona like fish right?!

Drama Queen!

Work it girl! This is what I got when I broke the news to her . . . time to practice your multiplication LOL! She got a 100 on her effort and acting skills but we still need to practice her math ;o)

Yes, mom's still watching!

still not working!

I finally got a chance to run again! Boilermaker is looking like another goal again that isn't going to happen. I was able to run at the skating arena while Schyler was taking her lesson. So I have 2 more miles under my belt.

Fantasy on Ice 2007 - Ice Heist

Life is finally getting a little back to normal. The ice show has ended - 4 shows in 3 days. Jeremy Abbott was great as usual. He was our guest skater again. He is such a nice kid and great skater. Good luck in 2010 Olympics Jeremy!

My egyptian princess! Her group was Egypt in the show and they loved their costumes. The girls weren't happy about the song but all the moms loved it - "Walk Like an Egyptian" - the girls wouldn't understand it's from the 80's ;0)

I know these aren't the greatest pictures, but they were the best I had gotten. Shooting in the arena with it well lit is hard enough so turn off the lights and use spot lights and try and get a decent shot LOL

After 4 shows of doing this Schyler's shoulders were really soar.

We were pretty happy with their routine this year. The choreography was really good, the costumes were great and the song was awesome. Congratulations girls! Now that the show is over and we have been there all week, back to the real life. We have Monday off and we're back to the arena on Tuedsay for Spring Skate.