End of Jan!

What a great Saturday we had yesterday.  Headed into Warrnie to buy a shovel! ha.  Well the man had some vouchers to spend and Bunnings was where he wanted to spend them.  So shovel bought and in the boot (goodness hope we didn't get pulled over, they may wonder!!) and then a very special time was about to be spent.

Stepdaughter no. 1 asked me to take maternity photos for her.  Now I am by no means a photographer, I am a complete happy snapper and like to take photos of  'moments' of family members, but when she asked how could I refuse.  I told her I have no idea how to pose people, etc. so maybe we would just let it happen  Except leading up to yesterday she would send me photo examples and really wanted somewhere like farmland hay that kind of thing, where she was in amongst a paddock.  Well all the farms around here have slashed their hay with fire season on us.  Honestly if I saw a paddock that looked like what she wanted from here to Warrnie, I would have knocked on the farmer's door and asked to use his paddock, I was getting desperate.

But .. my run Friday night along the promenade and what do I spy.  Yes there is beach on one side and seaside scrub on the other of the promenade, but there was one area that would be perfect, close enough to one of the areas where parking was just beyond so not much of a walk for the girl.  It was a done deal.

So here are some of the photos, don't cast too much of a critical eye, there are weird shadows and the sun was too high, but you know, they are happy with them and that's all that's important, it's documented this very special time in their lives.

   

   

Little Mister was more interested in the bike riders along the promenade!!

Despite Grumpy in the background behind me doing everything he could to distract him.

   

So after that was done and dusted the happy family went on their way and I was chuffed with myself as to getting that done.  Mike and I got ourselves changed, well we were half in our running gear anyway, so decided to make good use of the beautiful day and the lovely running tracks around the Warrnie foreshore.  I had 9.5km to do on my plan and Mike was up for it too.  We had a great time.  We ran, we talked, we walked, we took photos (or I should say *I* took photos much to Mike's chagrin telling me to hurry up and keep running).  But really how beautiful is this area.  So so lucky.

Stunning views along the running track, it truly stops you in your tracks (literally).

Middle Island where Oddball looks after the penguins, or at least other Maremmas, not specifically Oddball from the movie.   Mind you I've finally watched the movie thank you to a friend's DVD she loaned me.  Terrific!

Yes it's all very orderly along the foreshore, keep left!    

Although we kept going after Thunder point which I've never done before and it was more trail like.

     

We ran as far as Shelly Beach, go us!

And then the spoils of victory!  A sensational lunch at The Pavilion.  I had a coconut poached chicken with papaya salad, and nuts.  It was AH-MA-ZING !!!  Mike had a salt and pepper calamari.  We both deserved it.

So while we fed our faces, I was truly ravenous, we checked out the map as to where we'd run - yes you can see we covered a bit of coastline for sure.  

My 9.5km ended up 10.3km due to Mr. Hard Taskmaster!

But my goal of 100km per month is on track - yay!  Cut it fine, but still got there.

Goodness knows how I'll go in Feb with less days.

Run Downunder

Last year I signed up to Run Downunder, not sure if I ever talked about it on this blog.  It's a great way to really motivate you to run just that wee bit more, or strive for goals throughout the year, and well if you're a stat junkie you're in heaven.

Idea is that you log your runs (either manually upload proof like a screenprint from your fave running app, a pic of a treadmill screen, results from a race, whatever, something to justify why you are entering those kms) or you sync easily via Strava.   Everyone starts at Canberra and your runs take you round Australia.  It's taken me a year and 26 days but I'm just shy of Brisbane.

Even better is when you have a team within the site.  The fabulous 12WBT Runners Connect team now has about 80 members doing RDU and a few of us met up at the latest Oddball race wearing our shirts.  We get a shirt as part of our yearly entry and a medal at the end.

I'm really enjoying the camaraderie from our team within the site, not to mention where I'm sitting on the leaderboard.  Oh I mentioned stats - well you can see where you are sitting within your age group, on the leaderboard for the week, have you moved up or down, check the leaderboard for the year, or overall if you've been doing it for a while.  How's your team sitting against other teams.  What state is kicking butt.

And something I've discovered from checking this year is how I'm doing against the same time last year.  Grey is how my weeks panned out last year.  I can see my back injury where my kms dipped right down at about week 3 of 2015 and again at week 28 when I had the flu last year.  I'm definitely not consistent with my weeks though.  The orange is this year, and it's updated every time you log a run.  I'll look forward to seeing how my year pans out on this map.

Oh and here's where I'm currently at.  Love seeing myself inch around the country.  Although slightly disconcerting that if I keep going the way I'm going it will be 2028 before I finish! hahahaha

But since starting this on 1/1/2015 I've run 1218.88 kms.  Not bad hey.

So anyway, if you're looking for more motivation in your running, Run Downunder is definitely a great tool.  Oh and there's also Ride Downunder for those bike fans, check it out too.

Lucky's relay intervals

So how quickly has a week gone.  I still expect to see Molly's face at the back glass door peering in ready for her meal, I've caught myself a few times heading out the front to check where she's sleeping.

Lucky has strangely taken on some of her characteristics. I've seen him laying in the front yard in the hollows that Molly had created on the lawn.  Plus he won't eat inside anymore.  He just looks at his bowl and walks to the back door and only when you take his bowl out and place it where Molly's bowl used to be will he eat.  He likes to lay on her bed.  Do we keep it? Does it confuse him or comfort him with her smell on it?  Dog psychology.

There's been many tears over the week.  I'm filled with such an emptiness.  Different routines we had we don't need to do any more.  Lucky is now top dog so he gets fed and treats before the cat.  We don't have to sneak him out for a walk without Molly seeing, as her legs wouldn't make it to the corner.  Things are different.

So in that vein I'm trying to make some new routines and new fun for Lucky as I'm not sure what goes on in his mind.   Tonight I devised what I am going to call Lucky's relay intervals, a training run (bearing in mind he won't go more than 2km tops).  We have a lake here in town that 1.5 times around = 1km.  So we drove there and the plan was that I would set off and run round as fast as I could while Mike strolled in the same direction with Lucky, until I caught them then he would take off for a lap while I recovered walking sniffing and pee'ing at every tree with Lucky (Lucky doing all that not me!) then Mike caught us and I'd be off again while he recovered by strolling with Lucky and so on.  Win-win.  Lucky stayed under 2km and we got to get our run of a lot more kms in and it was lots of fun for the three of us.  

Will be known as Lucky's relay intervals from here on.

Rest in Peace my beautiful girl - this was Your Run

Last Friday we had to say a heartbreaking goodbye to my beautiful girl Molly, my first dog, our 16 year old grand old lady.  It was a tough day, one of the very toughest.  We wished she could have lived forever, but the cancer got too much for her.  Sleep peacefully our beautiful Molly.  She was surrounded by love at the end here at our home, Mike was hugging her, I was singing to her, looking into her eyes, gently holding her head, amidst tears from both of us and Steven our vet, she softly went to sleep.

This photo was taken last year, after the lump on her lip had started, but not to the point it was in her final days.  Despite Lucky having distanced himself somewhat from her the last few weeks, he's been lost the last two days, keeping very close to us, I think wondering where his old mate has gone.

Today we had the Surf T Surf race, which I had almost gotten to the point of thinking I couldn't give a toss about it.  But we had decided that this would be Molly's run.   Mike was doing his first ever real deal fun run in the 6km and I had entered the 10km.  We decided to both carry a photo of our girl and I also had her little flower collar tag in my pocket.

Mike was running with my friend Kelli, and he said it really took his mind off things keeping up with her.  He did a brilliant job coming in around 45 mins according to his Runkeeper, which is a guestimate as he forgot to turn it off!

I surprised myself by my pace, I was going to give Molly's run my all today.  I went out strong (for me), it was sunny but not stifling and I completely surprised myself averaging 7 minute kilometres.  That never happens.  All the while I imagined Molly running free beside me, no leash, tongue hanging, big smile on her face.  I let out a few "come on girl we can do it" on the course, out loud.  I must have appeared quite mad to people nearby me, but I didn't care.  It truly felt like she was with me.  I teared up a few times but brushed it away, as there was no way I was going to be able to run with a tearful snotty blocked nose.

We joined up with the 6km walkers on the way back and I had that last hill, Nicholson Street, and I ran it for all I was worth.  Once at the top I looked at my Garmin and knew that unless I fell flat on my face that this was going to be a PB run, which spurred me on.

The fantastic downhill finish to Lake Pertobe, then along to the end finishing chute, despite now being on flat ground I started running faster than I've ever run.  I've been practicing fast finishes, but it was like I had wings.  I could see my friend Mel who had finished just before me turn around at the finish line and start waving me on and I crossed and we hugged and I started blubbering.

Garmin has me at a 3 min 18 second PB.  No idea of the official time yet, it's still not up.  I was so so happy and emotional, this one was for Molly.

Got some watermelon, orange and a banana and water at the end, found Mike who was quite jubilant at his run, enjoyed sitting in the sun with Team Parko (Mike's running partner today and husband) listening to the results, found Mona! ha.  And then home.

It's been a good day amongst all the recent sadness.

Team Carol and Mike.  Before and after!  Plus my map.  

Strangely I took no single selfies. But here I am in the starting Shute with some beautiful running friends.

And what's a run at the Surf T Surf without a photo of the magnificent Mona who was once again race ambassador.  

But seriously so soooo proud of Mike.  He was completely amazing today thanks to his wingman (wing woman) running partner Kelli.  But I don't mind saying we not long got home and he was out like s light on the couch.

Back to random scrapbooking

Well this blog (or the one it morphed from) was primarily about digital scrapbooking which is a big part of my life and gives me the creative outlet and allows me to memory keep for my family.

2015 saw me doing Project Life and I got so far behind and recently did a mammoth catch up.  Whew!   So now I'm back to scrapping random photos that take my fancy that all add up to beautiful memories to cherish.  I'll still do a kind of Project Life but (surprise surprise) I'm going to document my running journey each week.  So I might actually post more scrapbook pages on my blog.

Anyway, one of the photographs I took on our New Years Eve sunrise run was so pretty I couldn't resist making a page from it.

Credits for supplies used : Designer Digitals


How lucky I am to live in a part of the world where I can run the outskirts of town and see views like this.  And how lucky are we in this day and age of iPhones so you can take a quick snap to create a memory.

New Year Round up

So New Years Eve, not my favourite day of the year.  I don't know, I think for too long as a young adult there was so much pressure in having a great fantastic awe-inspiring New Years Eve, and if you didn't, or weren't invited to a party, or whatever, you felt like a failure.  And that feeling has followed through.  I will admit I would like to go to a dress up dance up ritzy party one year, a la like at the end of When Harry Met Sally, that appeals to me.  Maybe one day we'll do that.

So for us New Years Eve --- of course --- started with a run!  It was going to be hot, and we had decided to get up super early and do a New Years Eve sunrise run around town.  And it was beautiful.  We were up and out the door not long after 5.30am (Lordy Lord, there'd be no way I'd make it to midnight!!) and off we went for 6km.  Just wonderful.

We ran a bit, and walked a bit and talked about how very lucky we are.  All in all we've had a wonderful year and very much looking forward to what is in store for us in 2016.  And the sunrise, oh the sunrise was just gorgeous.   This run took me over the 100km for December which I was aiming for, and my grand total for the year, wanting to hit 1000km and surpassing that .... ta daaaaah!!

Gobsmacked.  The closest I'd come the year before is a few clicks over 900km.  Wow, whoever would have thought.

So we spent NYE quietly, enjoyed a cheese platter, watched the U2 concert on TV, made some overseas phone calls to Mike's family in Scotland as usual and at midnight Mike did his usual Auld Lang Syne on the bagpipes down the driveway at midnight, the neighbours expect it now and enjoy it.  And then that was it, I'd barely made it to midnight.

So a friend of mine sent me a Flipagram of her running year and it was just wonderful, so I have set about doing one too.  What a trip down memory lane and this hardly even scratches the surface of how much fun I've had during 2015 with my running.  And had so much fun with my friends along the way.   Cross fingers this upload works!

Happy New Year everyone.

Christmas Round Up

Heck I've been slack in blogging, but rest assured I've not been slack in life.  I've been busy running and busy finishing my 2015 Project Life pages.  Whew, what a slog, I got behind in that scrapbooking project but I've just made a marathon effort and finished every page.  Only the cover and title page to do then I can send it on to the printers for another year of memories on our shelf to look over time and again.

The lead up to Christmas for us was hectic, we had quite a few parties and BBQ's to go to, even the week leading up to the weigh in before Christmas I kept my weight in check even with all the aforesaid functions, so that was a win in itself.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely, and in our quest to get our photos with santa, we didn't disappoint, although only managed two santa's this year, as opposed to our three santa's last year.

These photos were from the Lodge BBQ, poor Santa didn't know what hit him when Mike lined up behind the last child for a sit on Santa's knee.  Not to be outdone, he wasn't going to get one up on me, I lined up too.

Okay jury is out, some say it was a bad camera angle, but is Santa looking down my top????  ((insert blushed face here)) !!

We had the early family Christmas on Mike's side of the family.  Mike's dad does this each year a few weeks before Christmas and it's just lovely.  We can all get together, partners included, although sadly my two stepsons had to work this day.  But it's a lovely relaxed day and it actually feels like Christmas, we do the lunch with the trimmings, the presents under the tree and it's a nice way that we can all be together and not feel pulled in different directions now that there partners families and in-laws and all in the mix.  Bravo to Mike's dad for pulling this off every year, and like every year I set up the tripod for a few photos.

That was a huge day, we had visited my mum earlier on in the day, she still doesn't do the whole Christmas thing since my dad died on Christmas Day in 2007.  She prefers to be left alone on that day, and whilst I fought that for so long, I've come to realise I can't change that, I can only change my reaction to it.    I also went down again the Sunday before Christmas and my brother and I took mum out for lunch, which was really nice, we went down the waterfront and had a delicious lunch closer to Christmas than the first gathering.

So the both of us partook in our town's Christmas parade.  Mike was with the Lodge and of course he played his Bah Humbug up to the hilt.  I was with CWA and was an Elf with my little Elfie sidekick.  Oh bless Lucky, he marched along that road as if he owned it, didn't even try to get his hat off once.  All the little kiddies wanted to pat him, he was in his element.  Although it was so hot and thankfully the parade was in the service lane under the shade of the trees and only went about half a km, so once that was finished off came his elf suit, I took him home and then went back for the Carols by Candlelight which was a great night and resulted in yet another Santa spotting!

  

So for our Christmas Day here at home, it started with a 5km Christmas morning run, what better way to start the day.  Although it was waaaaaay too hot for a santa hat, so I tinselled up instead.

The menagerie got their presents, although Molly wasn't really interested.  I'm afraid we don't have long left with our girl, she was more interested in the big plate of icecream she got later.  Look of devotion right there looking at Mike, bless her heart.

First time we've had one of the kids for Christmas lunch and it was just lovely, Mike was in his element with Saxon here.  Table was set, meal was delicious - turkey, ham, a fantastic cherry stuffing loaf I found in a magazine, vegetables, and then a delicious raspberry white chocolate blondie with icecream and raspberries on the side for dessert.  I always go all oddball with my Christmas dessert, usually find a dessert in a magazine and say right that's it, no plum pudding for us, urrgh.

Mike got a blow up crown entitled "King for the Day" from the menagerie.  Mind you it was only for a day, don't think they allow him to be king longer than that!

Courtesy of my new selfie stick, I think I need to get the hang of it!

How different is it to have Christmas with a little one around.  Just wonderful.   Just in case Grumpy forgets his name, we got him a fun pretend number plate, he's going to put it up in the studio.

It got hot, so off came the clothes.  And this is the look you get when you find out that everyone is having a delicious Christmas lunch and all you get is a jam sandwich!!!  He is allergic to dairy, egg and nuts, so his mum will bring his own food.

Nanna got cuddles too, although he was more interested in Thomas the Tank on TV.

So proud of this little family, with soon to be another baby in February - shhhh I know what the sex is, but I'm not telling!

As usual we set up the camera to take a photograph on Christmas day but honestly forgot and didn't have time early on in the piece.  After everyone had gone, we had changed into our shorts as it was so hot (we won't go there about the socks and sandals Mike was wearing!!!!) and I said hang it, this is us and this is real, lets just take the pic in front of the veggie garden, so here it is, here we are on Christmas day.

Boxing Day saw us have Britt, T and family come for afternoon tea, so lots of the ugly goggle eyed gingerbread men I had made got eaten thankfully, and presents exchanged once more.  And then it was over, Christmas was done and dusted for another year.