Guilty Pleasures

I have a few simple guilty "me" pleasures, one of which is getting pedicures on a regular basis during the summer months.  Nothing better than having your feet scrubbed and your legs rubbed, all the while getting a chair massage and letting your thoughts drift away.I tend to go with darker colors and once in a while may opt for a french pedicure.  Somewhat boring, but always predictable for me.  So how could I resist at my last pedicure when the lady asked if I wanted a little design on my big toes?  I was reminded that it's fun to step away from "predictable" now and again.  Oh, and I can't help but always want to call them "pedicares" as that's what The Older Kid always calls it.

A Post Where I Complain About

A few months back, I signed up for the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon.  My thought process was that if I signed up for it and paid for it, that would surely be all the motiviation I needed to train for the run.  Nevermind the last time I signed up for this half, I didn't train at all and it was money thrown out the door.  This time around is going to be different, right? 
Right.

I decided to take a look at the calendar today as I had this nagging feeling that I should have started training by now.  And, um....yeah.....I'm a few weeks behind schedule already.

The last time I actually ran a half marathon was two and a half years ago.  I wasn't working and had all the time in the world to train.  I only had one kid.  When I started training, I had a full 14 weeks to train and I was about 20lbs over my goal weight (which I happily lost during the weeks of training).

This time around, I'm working full time.  I have two kids.  I'm a single parent.  I have 8 weeks to train (10 weeks is ideal), and I'm now 30lbs over my goal weight.  I have a lot of things counting against me this time around.  And I feel like my heart is only half in it because of this.

So I went for a very quick run at lunch.  My knee immediately started hurting (due to the extra weight I'm carrying).  I couldn't get my darn running app to work on my iPhone.  And then my headphones got a short in them.  Let's not talk about my heart rate monitor sitting in my closet that needs to be sent in for maintenance.

But I'm determined to do the race. Even if I have to walk more than half the course.  Even if I get frustrated that I'm not as fast as I once was or as thin as I once was.  Even if I will be constantly reminded of my personal best time that is not within reach this time.  There will always be another race to train for next season.  And at the end of the day, at least I'm getting my big ol' booty moving again.

And I can't wait for the day that I get that runner's high again!

Half Marathon April 2009

Look Up

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow.

It's what sunflowers do.

~ Helen Keller

Ah, To Be a Kid Again

Chasing butterflies through a garden without a care in the world......

this is how summer days are meant to be lived.

Picture Perfect Blog Header

My sister Lisa commissioned the Genevieve from le petit elefant to do a painting of my girls a few months back.  I immediately fell in love with Genevieve's work.  She is amazingly talented.  So I emailed her and asked her to create a header for my new blog, to help me with my new beginning here. She painted the piece, which I will frame and hang in my room, then scanned it and added the name for the blog. She was able to incorporate all the little details I emailed her about into this perfect little vision I had in my head.  I just love when people find their true calling, their real talent, and get to use it and make others happy by doing so.  This is by far my favorite blog header.  It represents so much to me, and I know one day when I look back on it, I'll remember this time in my life perfectly.  (I so love all the little details).  Thank you, Genevieve! 

Google Your Name

Over the cube wall the other day, I heard someone say "Google your name plus the word 'needs' after it."  Curious, I gave it a try.  Made me chuckle!  I especially like the last suggestion.

What's in a Name?

At a new juncture in my life, I wanted to start with a fresh new blog. And starting with a new blog requires coming up with a clever new name. I was all out of cleverness, and it seems that every other Brooke out there already nabbed my idea for a clever name. So I came up with a kind of hybrid - Babbling Brooke Trout. 

The first part of the name - Babbling Brooke - pays homage to my childhood years. When I was little, I loved playing with Cabbage Patch Kids and collecting Garbage Pail Kids trading cards. Yes, I was a product of the mid-70s and enjoyed the fads of the 80s. Even if I did talk a lot, I was always a little offended by the Babbling Brooke trading card, simply because I was never that messy. (For those of you who may have known me in my previous blog-life, you know full well that I can babble with the best of them.)

The second part of the blog name - Brooke Trout - is a little family joke. When my parents named me over thirty years ago, no one had heard of the name. My father's mother had asked "Brooke? Brooke? What kind of name is that? Brooke?" And my father said "Yeah, and her middle name is Trout." And on occasion that's what he'd call me. (Plus, I think it's funny the brook trout is native to the lake I grew up swimming in each summer on our family vacation).

So there you have it, my new blog is Babbling Brooke Trout. I know, it's nothing crazily creative in the name department, but it sure feels good to shed the old blog and start fresh! Here's hoping for a fun ride on this journey.