As of Late...

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted here because things have been C-R-A-Z-Y at my house between the baby, the new pup, running, school, family in town, traveling, etc.. So here is a run down of the going-ons as of late!

~Cheerleading competition season is in full swing, and I have spent the past few weekends traveling around the region judging. It's been fun seeing old co-workers & staff as well as watching some very talented teams perform. I am currently sitting in a hotel room writing this on the eve of the Tennessee High School State Cheerleading Championship. Actually, wait... did I say I've been judging? No, no... in leu of stories I've heard of razy cheer-mama antics, I retract the statement that I may have contributed to anyone's brokenhearted daughter that didn't win regionals. And I will definitely NOT have any say in tomorrow's competition. No, definitely not... 

*wipes sweaty brow and refuses eye contact*

~I am currently reading Jodi Piccoult's "The Storyteller." Even though I am only halfway through the book, I am LOVING it. There were a couple scenes that I could barely breathe through. Like when the Nazi soldier lined up the Jewish mama and her toddler to be shot. The mama started singing to her daughter, tucking her in "to sleep" between bodies of those already shot. HEARTBREAKING, people. Heart. Breaking. My mind is blown every time I think that this stuff really happened. I'm not sure I'll make it through this novel. 

~On a less morbid, but still slightly irritating note - marathon training is officially in the downward swing. I am sooooooo ready for this to be over with. I am nervous, anxious, excited, and terrified. This whole "training" deal is NO JOKE. It's really like having a part-time job. You spend hours (and hours and hours) per week running. Except with this "job," there is no paycheck. Unless, of course, you are this guy. In which case, you may get a paycheck AND some pretty sweet Asics. 

For some there may be benefits (smaller waistline, healthier lifestyle, cute new running shoes), but for me... Well, I just can't seem to get past the lack of a paycheck thing with the amount of hours I'm putting in. If I don't die out there (which, let's be real - there's a very good chance of that happening), I will be ecstatic. I'm sick of working for free. 

But on a serious note, I finally raised all my funds in order to run this race, and am humbled that people would donate to such an amazing organization in my name! I truly hope the small part ($$) myself and my fellow donors contributed helps at least ONE child at St. Jude. :-)

~ So, as you know, we bought a Doberman puppy a few weeks ago. With that being said, I know you may think I'm heartless and cruel, but I'm not here to debate ear cropping with you. Sorry, I just want to update you on the fact of whether we did it or not. After doing tons of research, we opted to follow the breed's standard and go ahead with the surgery for our dog. (Emphasis on "our dog." You don't have to crop your Doberman's ears if you don't want. And I won't judge you for it either. Now, see? We can still all be friends!) Anyway, we picked a top vet in Memphis for her and had it done yesterday. Scarlett did amazing in the surgery and came out of it great! We have a few weeks left of keeping her ears in the rack, so we'll be keeping her calm and quiet for a while. 

~Thanksgiving week! Holy Mother of a Pilgrim... Is it REALLY Thanksgiving already??? I'm in denial, y'all. We're spending the holiday with almost all of my in-laws. Between kids and animals it promises to be a fun filled & crazy week. Hopefully, the weather will hold so I can send MK outside with her cousins to burn off some energy. And hopefully Meda decides it's a good week to catch up on naps (with her mama while big sister is outside playing, of course). Here's to good weather and tired (but happy!) kids!!

Marathon Training Update

Well, we're 6 weeks away from Dooms Day....

Er...

I mean, my very first full marathon.

I've run many races before, but never this far. And this training deal is no joke. It's almost like having a part-time job with the amount of time it takes. I'll be honest, it hasn't been fun. I whine and moan to Bryant before every medium to long run I have to do... which is every other day or so.  So he's probably excited this race is only 6 weeks away now. Only 6 more weeks of him having to listen to my complaints.

So I've finished my longest run to date (3 hours of my life spent on the Germantown Greenway and at Shelby Farms last Sunday) and have come to the conclusion that I am actually going to finish this race.

26.2 miles.

REALLY??

Who does that??

Well, lots of people... but whatever. You can pick up what I'm throwing down.

Despite all the whining I've been doing to everyone who will listen Bryant and a few close friends. I'm super excited that this is going to happen.

What I'm MOST excited about is this race works to raise MILLIONS of dollars for the precious kids at St Jude Research Hospital and their families. I don't think I would have signed up for any other marathon to be my first (and possibly my last), because of that.

Donations and fundraisers like this marathon work to fund research and treatments of childhood cancer at St. Jude. But I think one of the coolest things about this hospital is that no family ever has to pay St. Jude for anything, including lodging, food and travel.

As a mom - that tugs at my heart. That, because of donations from generous people (both small and large), families with sick children have one less thing to worry about (and let's be real... it could be a $$HUGE$$ issue) besides their child's health.

So, here's my plea.

If you are willing and able, I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would help the cause at St. Jude with me. Any and all donations are welcome! My goal is $500, and I have already raised $285. So we're 57% there! And all my funds have to be raised by Nov. 15th.

If you are on-board, click over to MY FUNDRAISING PAGE to donate. Thank you so much!

And wish me luck in not breaking myself during the actual run!! Ha!

Wud Up Wit Me (Part 2 of 2)

So this is the second part of my update from being M.I.A. from my blog over the past couple months. Just a continuation of what I've been up to... because I know you're dying to know...

~ Marathon Training!

Can you believe I'm actually still committed to this marathon? 

Yeah, me either.

I'm up to about 2 hours & 45 minutes for my long runs (which is about 14-16 miles, depending on how little water I drank or food I ate that day... I really need to get better about staying hydrated and watching my nutrition. My trainer husband would say has said the same.)

Speaking of my trainer husband, he is totally annoyed with me, because he thinks I've been sandbagging on my runs recently. #rude

Who does he think he is?? Just because I run like crap one day, doesn't mean I can't have a great run the next. I'm still trying to get out of post-partum shape, so I'm just happy I'm running. And he should be too, right?? ;-)

Because he is convinced I'm a sandbagger these days, he has me set to do a run assessment so he can really see what I can do currently. Ugh. This is what my training program says I have to do.

Greeaaattt... this is going to suck. A 5K isn't bad, but whether I do well or not, that means he'll have more accurate readings on me and what I can do.

And it's all thanks to my new Garmin 910xt that can upload my pace, heart rate, time, distance, incline, decline, blood pressure, internal temperature, social security number, and credit card information into his online training program. (Not really on the last four, but you catch my drift.) 

This watch is awesome, by the way.

It's a multi-sport watch, which will work well once I start training for my first triathlon here in the near future. (I need to get this blessed marathon over with first before I get all endurance happy in other sport areas.) Anyway, I recommend this watch, fo shizzle.

PS - this run sucked. Wrong time of day to run with the heat,
not a well planned course on my part, and I lost my car key
at one point. I won't do that again. 

So I guess this marathon is actually going to happen. Whether I like it or not. I have a snazzy new watch, have invested hours per week training, and have donors and cancer-stricken kiddos depending on it.

(They're depending on YOU too... check out my FUNDRAISING PAGE if you haven't already! Your donations are appreciated MORE than you know!! Thank you for those who have donated and thank you in advance to those who are going to by clicking HERE!)

~ New Friends & Church!
I'm in the middle of my 3rd bible study held at my church. Hope Church in Memphis has the most amazing Women's Ministry program and they hold a multitude of bible studies each semester. I'm currently reading Principle of the Path (Andy Stanley) with my small group and it's pretty good. (I recommend it to ANYONE... and the cool thing is, it's not too "church-y"of a read, either.) I've been with the same group of women over the past 3 semesters and I can't tell you how utterly uh-maz-ing they are. There are 3-4 older women in particular who have sort of "adopted" myself and two other friends (Molly and Ashlee). Molly, Ashlee and I are among the younger women attending, which is why these other women have so-called "adopted" us. ;-) And we love it. They've become amazing mentors in faith for all three of us.

Molly and I have even joined the women's leadership team with the church and are loving that as well. We get to spend our Monday evenings prior to Bible study with the incredible group of ladies who help run the ministry. We've loved gathering with them (both inside and outside of church) and getting to know them better, as well.

This fall, I also started meeting weekly with a group of moms. I have a feeling these women may become my saving grace when it comes to parenting. We all have children around the same age and can lean on each other when we're about to rip our hair out after the tenth fight to get our kids to eat their veggies or go to bed on time. We are reading the book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe (Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson) together.

Alright, let me stop right there. Full disclosure: this book couldn't have come at a better time in my life. It's for those of us moms who sometimes wake up and pray to the Good Lord how we don't have the energy to be a mom again that day. If you're a mom - especially of young ones - I recommend you pick this book up and give it a looksie. You don't have to necessarily be at a "desperate" stage in your mom-life, but it's good for any mama at any stage of their kids' lives.

~ Writing!

I've been doing a lot of writing recently and it's been awesome. This is what I feel like I'm called to do, for sure. It's only taken me 30 years to figure it out. ;-)

For starters, I'm almost done with the book!! EEK!! It's been sent to a developmental editor, been through one round of edits, and I've consulted with publishers already. It's all very surreal.

Now, there's still a lot to be done with it... (more editing, legal jazz, writing conferences to attend, and agent/publishing queries and pitches to be made)... but I'm on the right track. And I'm jazzed. Keep the prayers coming for me on this project. It's a pretty big deal... at least for me. :-)

I've also started doing some writer's training with Proverbs 31 Ministries and author/writers, Lysa Terkeurst and Glynnis Whitwer. I started that this past week and am loving it thus far. :-) I think it's truly going to help me grow in my writing. Not that you'll be able to tell on this here blog... I sort of skip over the "editing" phase before hitting publish and don't stress about being creative in my post topics. #oops #lazy

Last week, I got a sneak peek at my article spread that will be published in the next issue of American Cheerleader Magazine!! I'm so excited to have my first article in a national magazine! I remember subscribing to and reading this magazine when I was in middle school, and now I have an article being published in it! WHOOP! Don't worry - I'll be updating you once it goes to print!! I'm also excited because they have asked me to submit more stories/articles for upcoming issues too. Speaking of... I should probably wrap this post up so I can go finish the next one...

But who would have thought I'd ever really call myself "a writer?" Definitely not me. The term "writer" has always been a little scary and reserved for those who were "real" writers... whatever that means. But what is boils down to is this: writers write. And I've been writing. And I plan to not stop. And I am excited about it.

Alright, I think that's it for now... I'm sure I probably missed some life-altering situation that happened to me, but oh well... I've probably bored you enough already!

Where Did April Go? Definitely Not Anywhere On My Blog.

Wow - I've been slow on the blog posting this past month....Okay, "slow" is the wrong description. I'm always slow about it.

Completely "AWOL" is a tad more accurate.

So let me try and update you on what's been going on....

Work: Well, I've been busy with BFR shows and sales. If you're in Memphis, you probably saw me at Spring Market, Crawfish Festival and will see me again this coming weekend at Collierville's Fair on the Square,'' which I'll be at in this torrential downpour. Super awesome. Come out and get wet with us if you're in the mood to shop!!! :-)

*Speaking of BFR... if any of you are interested in ANYTHING to do with Be Free - purchasing merchandise, mission trips, hosting a trunk show, etc. - please don't hesitate to contact me! I can hook you up! #ShamelessPlug

Small group stuff: This is pobably crap that would bore you since you're not a part of my kick-butt Jesus-loving small group at church....(which you probably should be if you're not. It's awesome.). I've been able to get together with this amazing group of women a few times this month to study The Word and it's been great. #TotalJesusNerds Every time we're together, I learn something new or get a new perspective on God's will for my life and for others. 

PS - if you've never studied through Beth Moore's work, GO DO IT NOW. She is hysterical, down-to-earth and real.  I recommend her video series' since she's so animated and southern. She also has a blog, which I follow. I relate well to her personality type. #SassyAndSouthern

DAMN YOU Writer's Block!

Writing:  It's been slow.... to say the least. Currently, I'm sort of stuck in a rut on the book, and trying to break out of it. Some might call it "writer's block." Just trying to sludge through it and not loose ALL motivation to do it.

BIRTHDAY'S!!! So on the 27th, I celebrated the big 3-0 birthday. Weird, right? But I'm pumped for thirty. I'm convinced that your thirties are probably the coolest decade. You're an adult, but still not "old".... (okay, maybe a little old).... and people are forced to take you seriously, right? I mean, because you're thirty years old. So, I'm pumped. People might take me seriously now. 

Thirty is definitely the new twenty. 

Also, the husbandal unit turned thirty-one two days after my birthday. So Happy "People Have To Take Us Seriously Now" Birthday to him, as well! With both of us in our thirties, that means we're a serious couple, right? :-) #YeahIDidntThinkSo

Fetus Cooking: Well, I'm 38 weeks along in this pregnancy now. Weird. I'm about to have my second kid. NEXT week. That is if she doesn't show up before. With these contractions I've been having, I won't be surprised if she does. In fact, I'm surprised she hasn't already. But whatever... she's giving me a little more time. 

I go into the hospital for an induction on Wednesday, the 8th of May. Now, that is strange. Two kids... in just a few days. We'll be like a real little family... with parents in their thirties. #weird

I'm excited.

Britney & Lacey, with BFR, hosted a baby shower for me earlier in April as well. It was so fun and I am blessed to have such great friends who showed up and showered Meda & I with gifts. :-) I've included a couple pics. (Clearly.)

This last month has been rather uncomfortable for me physically. This kiddo is MUCH more active and brutal to my insides than McKenna Rayne was. Don't get me wrong - MK was very active, but sheesh.... this little one has it out for me or something. There are times where it feels like she's literally going to pop through the skin. I find this strange because apparently Meda Grayson is much smaller than MK was, according to the doctors. 

Speaking of doctors, I've been on the weekly doctor appointment plan for a little while now, and receiving ultrasounds EVERYTIME I go to the doc, due to the high risk factor I've got going on, because neither Meda or I are fat enough for anybody's liking. I won't lie - I enjoy the ultrasounds, especially considering I only had 2 with McKenna (at 9 weeks and at 20 weeks), but my house is FULL of ultrasound photos now. In drawers, on counters, under beds... And let's be real, those black and white fuzzy TV-like photos of uterine aliens aren't quite the type you'd hang on your wall. Though I feel like a bad parent if I throw them away! Ugh.... #dilemmas.  

But anyway, Meda Grayson will be here next week!!! Craziness!

Running:  OMG. Y'ALL.

I registered a few days ago for my first FULL marathon. EEEK! I'm so pumped. The last bit of this pregnancy has been a little rough for me since it's race season and everyone around me is gearing up, training and racing now! Friends, my husband, everyone... I hate just sitting on the sidelines without my own training in full force. #JealousyIsAHorribleThing

Yes, yes... I know, I know... I have an amazing reason NOT to be running, etc... and I'm so, so, so grateful for that... but that doesn't mean I don't want to be out there as well. So sue me. :-) I plan on, as soon as the doc gives the okay, starting back up again and training for some triathlons as well, and not just running. Whoop! 

But anyway - back to the marathon. I had originally planned on running my first full marathon ON my 30th birthday, but... well, that didn't work out after I got myself knocked up. So the new plan is the St Jude Memphis Marathon on Dec. 7th. I will have plenty of time to train after Numero Dos arrives. I'm going to be training with BPC Performance Systems in their St. Jude training groups, headed up by BPC Running Coach & probably the best/fastest runner in the greater Memphis area (as well as a good friend of ours), Ben Knoernschild. Whoop! It's going to be fun training with this group!

In order to race, I'm required to raise $500 for St Jude, which I'm totally pumped about, as well. St Jude is an amazing hospital and I want to do what I can to help those kiddos! I even dragged my friend Molly into registering with me! Haha! #Sucker #YouAreWelcomeMols 

Something else I'm excited about when it comes to this?? I've already been contacted to write "my story" regarding coming back from pregnancy and training for my first full marathon. Plans are in the works with the editor for me to submit a short series of articles and then a final "recap" article after the race about the overall "journey." He even wants photos of me with Meda Grayson at the finish line. HA! This makes the whole marathon-deal sound so epic, doesn't it? HA! Little does this guy know I am the world's biggest "I-hate-running-runner," so he might not realize what he's asked me to do! HA! #IReallyDoHateRunning #ButNotReally #ButReally #OkILoveIt #Sometimes...

This is the ABSOLUTE truth!! HA!

~~~~

So that's been my last month in a nutshell. Exciting, right?  #NotReallyForAnybodyButMyself

Just trudging through each day now, playing the waiting game until Meda Grayson arrives. Not to worry - I'll be posting those annoying mom-new-baby pics once she does arrive. :-)

Happy MAY everyone!

#OMGItsMay #WhenDidThatHappen

Georgia On My Mind

Let the drums roll.  Let the bells ring.  I'm doing it.  Taking my hobby to the next level (to read about said hobby click HERE!!).  I've signed up for my very first half marathon.  AHHHHH!!!!  What the HELL am I thinking??  I'm not really sure, but here's my thoughts on the reasoning behind my impetuous actions.

Despite how uber-motivated I am in my daily running activities (pause not), my running may have reached a rather steady platue of about 3-4 miles per occurrence.  Ugh.  And for the self-proclaimed stellar runner that I am, 3 miles isn't much (okay, okay...you caught me.  Not really stellar.  More like inferior. Ugh! I'll never admit that again.  Be glad it's recorded.).  So I needed something to kick my snail-like ass into gear.  I mean, for real.  Nobody wants to look at this post-partumness much longer!  Trust me.  I don't either.  So why not sign up for a race that's longer than my typical run?  Ok, cool.  Good plan Kristin.

Here's a basic script of something similar to what was going on in my head during this decision making process:
"What local 5K's are going on in town?  Oh wait....5K = 3.1 miles?  Hmmm....hopefully my math is wrong.  It's not?  Damn.  That's not going to work.  Alright....go big or go home, right?  ATLANTA FULL MARATHON HERE I COME!!!  Oh wait.  $100+ for registration?  Hell-to-the-no-thank-you.  I guess I can go for half of that with the half marathon.  That means only HALF the pain of a full marathon, right?  That sounds more way appealing.  And Storm is doing it also?  I could have company during the race.  Done.  Sign me up."  (Storm would be Bryant's crazy ass sister....as equally crazy as me it appears).

It was only AFTER I placed my registration order online (NO refunds!  Who DOES that??) that I really thought through what I had done.  I WILLINGLY signed up for one of the most tortuous-self-inflicting human activities known to man.  Granted it's not the full 26.2 miles, but still.  Really?  What was I thinking?  Running long distances should probably be a form of capital punishment.  (For real.  People lose toenails at this kind of stuff!)  But no worries, I somehow persuaded (quite easily, I must say) another friend of mine, Kelly, to join my sister-in-law and I in the possibly suicidal activities come March 21st, 2010.  (Sucker!)

Alright, but seriously....this means I have to start running.  Like REALLY running.  Not just prancing around the office with my co-workers in our cute Nike's during what we like to call our "lunch run."  No.  I have to focus.  Harness my chi so to speak.  And it's going to suck.  I do have one goal though, and that's not to walk at all.  To run the whole thing.  I think I might be able to handle that.  Though, it may take me all day to finish, I think I can do it.  Well....let's HOPE I can handle it and not have to stop to use the "lavatory."  That's another main worry of mine.  I've heard horror stories about people crapping down themselves during marathons.  Let's just say, I'm not so down for that.  I'll sacrifice my months of training to stop and plop my constipated self down on a possibly not-so-clean porter potty if that's what it takes to keep my drawers clean.  But we shall see.  I promise to update you on this situation after the race!  ;-)

On another good note, this week I officially started my training.  Yep, that's right.  The week before Christmas...smooth.  Great planning Funston.  'Cause that Christmas Eve & Christmas dinner isn't going to slow me down at all.  The streets of Lincoln, Nebraska may have Christmas dinner chunks down them next weekend.  I apologize in advance to the locals there.  But ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?

And if....IF I am to make it to the end of this race without walking...you know my exhausted former-cheerleader-ass will find another gear and be doing back handsprings over the finish line!

To be continued March 21, 2009....