Rainy Days

I spent most of today trying to recover from the 5am wake up call that thunder and lightning so wildly bestowed to our window-rattled home.  Between that and the new sensation of feeling little Mr. Hamilton's feet tapping away, my sleep has been a little disturbed.  Today I wanted to make sure I was good and tired for bed.  While running would be the natural first choice, it actually doesn't help me sleep hard.  Plus with the nasty weather, it's just easier to stay indoors.  What really wears me out?  House chores!

First I make a list~strip the bed, gather linens from the bathroom and laundry closet, unpack our bags from the weekend trip to my parents' house, drag all these things to the laundry room~ sort through the mail, put all our new baby gifts in the little man's closet (thanks Mom!), clip some coupons~ empty dishwasher & hand wash dishes that don't get the machine treatment~ bake a breakfast treat for Bible study tomorrow (for this I augmented a banana bread recipe to create a pecan raisin bread)~ complete today's Bible study~ etc....

As you can tell, this is the end of the day version.  I didn't make it to cross-stitching or successfully finding Miss Foo a birthday gift...  also, I have goofy handwriting.

Well, completing my tasks took the better part of the day (can you say 3 loads of laundry?).  On the boring days like today where my activities are monotonous, I try to find something special to do to make it less glum.  Today I decided to have a tea party for me.  Maybe it's silly or maybe I'm enjoying the last few days of household female domination (while Kyle's at work).  Once the little man comes, I'll retire my teapot for a bit and celebrate the return of afternoon coffee.  A coffee party with the baby isn't nearly as emasculating as tea for two.

English breakfast with a dash of sugar

The girly indulgence is over the top with my pretty teaspoon.

Anyhow, I've been pretty lousy at taking pictures when Kyle and I are busy or visiting with folks.  A month ago we made a trip to Memphis, and I have no photographic or written evidence that the event ever occurred.  This is a regret because we visited my big sister & brother-in-law for the first time (just the two three of us).  We had a grand time talking, going out for BBQ, and movie watching.  Same for last weekend~ Kyle and I went over to my folks' place to catch up and try to knock out some projects for the nursery with their guidance.  Between the weather and (on my part) laziness, we only touched up the crib and un-upholstered a rocking chair.  The highlight was shopping with Miss Foo, seamstress extraordinaire and saavy Joann shopper.  Man alive~I have never witnessed chaos and ill-will like I did in that craft store on Saturday.  Perhaps it was because it was a sale weekend on the ugliest day in March.  You'd think these crafty shoppers were doing their taxes while walking over hot coals at the same time of suffering from terrible indigestion.  Alas, I had my trusty little sister to keep our moods afloat and our desired goods in sight.  We came home with lots of fabric, some DMC floss (for the cross-stitch), materials for nursery wall art, foam & stuffing for our ancient rocking chair, and buttons.  On top of helping me navigate the store, get all my materials measured and cut to size, and using her whole stash of coupons on things that mostly benefit the Ham fam; my little sister even picked out patterns & such to create a Finn, the human, outfit for the baby.  This is from Adventure Time~my cartoon weakness.

I'm pretty excited to see the baby slumber soundly in this getup.  Miss Foo chose a non-pill forming fleece for extra coziness.

All that last paragraph is to say that I'll try to be better at capturing more of our life on film and reporting written accounts accordingly.  This weekend our friend JT is coming through Atlanta.  We are stoked about that & it's looking like a good opportunity to make good on my new commitment.  Until then, a bientot!

Thirteen Point One

Wow~the city was alive yesterday at the early hour of 6am.  From music blasting over speakers to thousands of people gathered in Centennial Olympic park and the streets, one couldn't help but feel the buzz of energy in the air.  Kyle and I made our way to our corral very early in order to not be rushed before the big run.  Kyle made a friend~a nice fella from Mississippi~ while I was too distracted by all that was going on around me to talk much.  It was nice and cool~ in the 50s.  The sky was cloudy creating perfect running conditions for the next few hours.

In just a short wait, volunteers were removing the gates that separated each corral, and we were moving forward.  It took more 11 minutes of walking up the street in a huge mass of people before the starting line was even visible to me.  Then we were off!  First through Georgia State's downtown campus than quickly to the King Center.  As people were congregated in the yard of a church, we breezed by feeling kind of bad that we were skipping church to run.  We passed through several old Atlanta neighborhoods while visiting fun spots like Little 5 Points and the Highlands.  Somewhere in there we had to pause to take some Tylenol to prevent painful joints down the road.  I was motivated to get to mile 9 where we'd enter Piedmont Park and see our friends at a beverage post.  We took a short break to greet Seth & Anna while hydrating, and then headed back to the track while Anna cheered, "pregnant runner!"  At this point, the miles just started flying by (even though I'm not ashamed to admit I'm a steady 13 minute mile kind of girl).  We arrived at Tech Square where two years ago I sustained an mild injury in my left knee making the last 2+ miles extremely frustrating.  Talk about a mental hurdle to overcome.  It wasn't until we passed the 11 mile marker on Techwood Drive that it sunk in that I could complete the race without walking.  With each step Kyle and I would comment that this was the farthest distance I had ever run in my life.  There was an awesome band playing at Marietta Street across from Engineers Bookstore; with the momentum their music gave us, we were aware that we were on our way back to Centennial.  By sheer excitement my body propelled me faster than I normally run, and Kyle encouraged me.  We weaved in between folks to get to that happy sight~ the finish line.  There were tons of people along the streets watching and cheering as we arrived back where we started; it was as energizing as the sight of all the runners we waited to race with earlier in the morning.  Kyle and I crossed the finish line together, and he gave me a victory smooch before we received our medals.  It was all so miraculous.

My second half-marathon medal~I definitely feel like I earned this one.

Back in March 2009~Kyle rests my medal on me and snaps a shot while I snooze.  Kyle gave this picture the title "Lil Champ".

 Perhaps I romanticize it a bit, but it really was a wonderful experience.  In all truth I do get grumpy when I run, and I complained for the first 3-4 miles about how Kyle's baby was sitting on my bladder making me uncomfortable.  Okay, so it's my baby, too.  But when I reflect on the experience, I'm so grateful for several things.  First that Kyle, who is naturally athletic, is kind and patient enough to run slowly with me for nearly three hours.  I know he'd get a better work out and have bigger accomplishments if he left me in the dust, but he makes our time together running a priority and never (as in never ever) complains about how slow I go.  Second, I am grateful that the training works.  All I have to do is run 3 or 4 times a week, and I can complete a half-marathon.  Ridiculous.  Third, moleskin.  I had never heard of this before a couple of weeks ago, but it's basically like the adhesive fabric from a band-aid.  It comes in large rectangles; I cut out what I need, wrap it around my toes, and prevent blisters.  Simple, but it makes a world of difference.

Thanks to Kristy for this picture of Kyle and me getting close to the finish line.

Our Results~ only beaten by 9283 other people. Haha.

 The fourth thing I'm grateful for deserves its own paragraph.  I cannot fathom how perfectly the human body was created.  I know I've furrowed more than a few women's brows when I've revealed the kind of running I do while pregnant.  In truth, many believe pregnancy to be either a frail season or an excuse to eat endlessly (which, don't get me wrong, I do).  I've talked about it with my physician and nurses (all women), and they have been nothing but encouraging about training for and participating in a half-marathon***.  I thank God that I didn't have to give up jogging (which I love) the moment I became pregnant.  I thank God that at 19 weeks~ half way through my pregnancy~ I can say that I'm at the fittest I've ever been in my life.  That's something I never expected to be true.  It's something I'm very proud of.  I know I'm starting to reach some of my limits and am planning to switch out some running with more walking and perhaps even swimming (provided I find pregnancy swimwear that doesn't make me cringe or frighten my neighbors).  Having an active lifestyle during pregnancy helps me face the delivery with more confidence and gives me hope for being in good shape once I'm a full-time mom.  I'm not sure what my post-delivery body will be like, but I shouldn't sell myself short or set low standards.  After all, I just ran 13.1 miles 19 weeks pregnant!

The fifth greatest reason to be thankful for this experience is hands down the food!  I've delayed on sharing what Kyle and I did the rest of the day, but it was a whole lot of eating in between naps.  After coming home, we virtually attended church (they have a live stream of the service online), took showers, and headed to our victory lunch at the Flying Biscuit.  Of course we wore our race shirts so folks would know why were were cleaning our overflowing plates.

Kyle rocked the High Flyer~a peach pancake, eggs, sausage, biscuit, and grits.

I couldn't resist their strawberry pecan french toast and breakfast sausage.

For dinner Kyle blended some delicious smoothies~complete with yogurt, banana, blueberries, and strawberries.

It was a great weekend, and I loved all the time Kyle and I got to spend together.  Perhaps it's early to commit myself to it, but I'm really hoping to do the half-marathon again next year.  It should be more than do-able since I'm not planning on toting around a mango-sized little man inside me next March.  For now, I'll focus on shopping for the perfect running stroller...

***It should be noted that I was only encouraged to train for a half-marathon by my doctor because I had been running a lot before becoming pregnant.  Women shouldn't start an arduous exercise regime while pregnant without consulting their doctors.  Also, it's super important that pregnant women don't overheat. Most of my training was done in winter months or cooler parts of the day~ any time I began to feel warm, I took breaks and hydrated.  I wanted to convey to you that it wasn't without careful thought, prayer, actions, and professional consultation that I undertook this half-marathon.

Race Day Eve!

Kyle and I went to the Publix Marathon Expo at the Georgia Dome yesterday after he got off of work.  Boy, those things are fun, but we must look like a bunch of punks when we're there.  There are all sorts of booths dedicated to selling sports products, promoting races around the country, and (our favorite) giving out samples of food.  After we thoroughly scoured the maze of displays for every possible nibble we can get our hands on, it sinks in that athlete snacks are loaded with ridiculous amounts of energy boosting calories~ not exactly what this little lady needed with big Friday night plans to watch Who Do You Think You Are? on the sofa with the husband.  Oh well....

Today I am so excited and nervous.  It's a weird combination of feelings~the anticipation is like Christmas but the anxiety is like the night before a big test.  Back in my test taking days, I typically would have read all the required material, done all the assigned homework, and probably even completed review exercises.  On top of studying the night before, I couldn't have been more prepared.  This, however, didn't remove the nerves I felt in not knowing what would be on the test.  That's exactly how I feel about the half-marathon.  I've done all the training and have prepared for months.  I've been hydrating and eating well.  There is nothing more I could do to be ready for the race~ yet in my stomach I get those butterflies that come when you face a challenge.

What better to do when you want to relieve your mind from the excitement/nerves than to have an action packed Saturday?  Well, that is after some sleeping in, of course.  Here's what Kyle and I have been up to...

Bake some baguettes~we were down to 2 or 3 in the freezer which just won't do.

Kyle always leans on Julia for her baguette wisdom.

Catch up on a stack of mail~ when the day comes along that we're homeowners, I refuse to use Terminix.  Enormous images of termites only serve to disgust me, not entice me to use your business services.

Go through our loot bags from yesterday's expo

 Grin merrily over all the free food I brought home~ kudos to the folks handing out Moonpies.  you know my true heart's desire.

Fill out emergency information on my race bib~ Any medical conditions we should know about?  This lady has a baby on board.

Play some Eric Clapton in our music area

Give a thumbs up and an odd smile for his race shirt

Check out the sweet motion one can make in a race t-shirt

Go for a diverting walk with my most comfortable (and hippy-ish) sandals

Speaking of diversions, how about I share some things from one of my running routes that I love.  Top 7 countdown of things I like to see while jogging!

7.  Trees in full bloom that snow pedals on me

Pedals galore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.  A tree trunk~ this Christmas tree has been slowly wasting away in the back of this truck since January. 

5.  Friendly faces~ even the trees are nice in the South.

4. Birds of prey~ sorry about the power lines and such.  I love seeing hawks on my runs.  They are so impressive.

3.  Hills~ even though they wear me out, I always feel stronger once I tackle them.

2.  The lake~  it couldn't be smaller or harder to get to, but it's always nice to take in the view at what I like to call the Peachtree Forest Pond.

1.  The sewer~ never was there a happier sight.  This is my finish line when I return from long jogs; once I get here I'm just moments away from a big glass of water and a shower.

Now, back to the events of the day...

Take off the super chipped and kind of bleh nail polish from before.  My toe-separator is cute, but it's like a medieval torture device.

Get in the spirit of the Public half-marathon with Publix color toe nails

Shop craigslist for porch furniture, drive to Lawrenceville, bring home plunder

Thank my husband for deck furniture as spring sets in

Kick yourself for not asking if the seller was a smoker~ never venture to purchase upholstered goods off craiglist before learning about your soon-to-be-property's smoking history.  *cough* *cough*

Thank the Lord that it was still a good deal & that the chairs are comfy enough until we can make it to Garden Ridge.  Also, HYDRATE!

Bake those loaves of bread

Not without some steam action in the oven first

Conclude the day by carbo-loading on Kyle's delicious spaghetti carbonara

With a calm Saturday night in, we'll probably retire to bed very early and read.  After all, we're getting up at 5am and hoping to have a pleasant journey with Marta into the city with plenty of time to make it to our corral.  I'm so excited~I hope I sleep!

Home Hum

Ever have one of those weeks where you have nothing to talk/write about?  For days I've had the urge to write, but every time I sit to put some words down, I come up with nothing.  I walked around my lovely apartment a time or two and found some things to share. 

Guitar & banjo suspended... now to figure out how to make the floor area a bit more usable...

This is the Bible study I'm doing~we're reading one book in the Bible a week starting from Genesis.  I <3 the Amazing Collection.

Remember my cross-stitch project?  It's a Christmas stocking for Kyle & I'm making progress.

The most backstitching I've ever done in my life.  Some serious sewers may say I haven't been living.

More progress even though Santa looks more squat in this shot.  I picked light blue for Kyle's name~it definitely doesn't show up as well in the photograph as in real life.

Happy St. Patrick's day!  My old digital camera embellished my photos back in the day with digital stripes.  Someone out there~ if you get to enjoy a Guinness today on this oh so Irish holiday, do it for me.

March Plaidness & Kid Gloves

It's finally time.  If you haven't heard it through the grapevine, you're patience today will be rewarded!  Kyle and I are expecting....A BOY!!!!  We have no names picked out just yet, but around these parts he is affectionately known as little Mr. Hamilton.  He's growing right on track and has a very large stomach/belly for his age.  If you've done the ultrasound thing before, you'll know what I mean when I say his belly is 5 days ahead of his perfectly on time head.  No wonder I've been so hungry!  As for said ultrasound pictures, I love seeing my friends' babies in utero.  However, for me I'm not ready to share my womb with the world.  There will be plenty of pictures of the little man in good time.  I did snap some shots that don't relate with our anatomy to share with you...

Just in time for March Plaidness, Aunt Kelly (Kyle's twin sister) picked out this little number.  I'm already envisioning this one being his Christmas eve church outfit.  Stylish Kyle thought a small sweater vest would be the icing on the cake for this look.

Newborn shoes!!!  Did you even know they made shoes for newbies?  These were a gift from (yet-to-be-dubbed-with-grandparent name) Susan, Kyle's mom.

Now that you've seen some of lil Mr. Ham's wardrobe, feast your eyes on a sample of his colorful bedding.  These colors and circles are the theme for our nursery.

This last little section doesn't have much to do with the baby exactly.  The cold weather made me pull out my winter running clothes again.  I had found a pair of white mittens at my parents' house in my old bedroom while we were moving last fall.  They have become my go-to's for frosty days~nothings worse than having hands so cold they feel brittle.  Well after my run today, I determined they were quite grungy and needed a whirl in the laundry machine.  I guess I shouldn't have tossed them in the dryer because this is what I got....

They are now tiny little mittens.  No amount of stretching can return them to their former state.

For a little perspective, the wrist-ribbing to the finger tips is smaller than my hand.  Hand-me-downs for my little baby man?  Sure...

I guess I haven't mastered the art of laundry.  So much homemaking to conquer before mothering joins the mix...

My Apologies

I know many of you are anticipating discovering the gender of our sweet 17 week bundle of joy.  I'm sorry today is not the day for sharing this.  Yesterday morning Kyle's sweet granddaddy, Duncan Howard Hamilton, passed away at age 89.  It's amazing how a season so infused with joy is not immune to grief and loss.  Kyle and I bought a crib for the baby on Saturday as we plan a bright and happy nursery for our little Ham.  Later that day we heard that his granddaddy was not well and it was serious.  As I reflect on this weekend, my favorite chapter in Ecclesiastes jumps to my brain.  Many of you will recognize Solomon's word because they were made popular by a 1960s folk rock song by the Byrds.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

I guess for me it's difficult to process both a time to weep and a time to laugh simultaneously.  I will say that I'm learning so much about my husband right now, which is a gift.  When we heard the news we were visiting a Sunday school class for the first time.  I thank the Lord that Kyle's friend Nathan was there.  He hugged my husband to comfort him in a way that I don't think I could.  Don't get me wrong, I can hug my husband.  I just am not big enough to hold him when he needs to lean on someone.  After a few minutes of talking, Kyle surprised me by saying he'd like to go to worship.  What a challenge for both of us to worship God even though our eyes filled with tears, and we were both hurting.  I'll tell you, though, it's exactly where we needed to be.  If I had been in Kyle's shoes, nothing would have kept me from practically sprinting to our car before my weeping interrupted a sermon.  After church we came home and took time to process all that had happened and all that needed to happen this week with his family.  

Kyle surprised me more.  He picked up his banjo and played a hymn that he always heard growing up at his grandparents' church, He Lives.  As we have never faced loss like this in our marriage, I needed my big sister to talk to.  She and her husband both were a great comfort to Kyle and me~ they asked the right questions and listened carefully and spoke encouraging words.  Katie helped me when I was afraid I couldn't comfort and support Kyle as much as I desired.  I've only ever really lost two grandparents, but for one I was very young and for the other I hadn't had a lifelong relationship with her (I inherited a very sweet grandmother through marriage when I was 16 years old).  Every wife wants to be the best they can, and this was not the time for me to let Kyle down.  

Thankfully just because I can't exactly relate to the situation, I still can be there for Kyle.  For one, I loved his granddaddy.  In a lot of ways, I think Kyle takes after him.  They both have such kind demeanors.  They also have a terrible weakness for anything chocolate.  Granddaddy has a whole drawer in the kitchen full of candy bars.  Kyle says that when they were kids, his granddaddy would tell him and his siblings that Symphony bars gave you diarrhea in order to prevent the kids from dipping into his stash.  Kyle believed that for years.  One night in the last couple of years, we were eating homemade peach ice cream with his granddaddy.  He was telling us about farming (his lifelong profession).  We were puzzled as to how much a bushel was.  Granddaddy said, "Why it's 4 pecks, of course!"  When we still seemed perplexed by the introduction of yet another peculiar standard of measurement, he asked, "What are they teaching you in school, anyways?"  He always had a way of making you smile. 

One last thing I learned about Kyle was about how guys and girls are different.  While I would want to stay home, look at old pictures, and submit to the impulse to cry at any moment, Kyle needed activities to do.  It wasn't in an effort to avoid dealing with the death, but it was cathartic.  We had been planning on running 11 miles as part of our half-marathon training.  I had thought maybe we'd have to push it back to next weekend, but Kyle was ready to go the distance.  As we ran, he was trying hard to remember things about visiting his grandparents' home when he was little.  He talked about tractor rides, homemade beignets, and sleeping in cots in his grandparents' bedroom.  He told me stories I had never heard before like how they always used to play with an old fashioned hoop and stick game.  Going for the run provided a wonderful opportunity to talk about it easily; Kyle could reflect on happier times and talk about them with genuine gladness.

Since my sharing has become a bit long, I wanted to end with just a couple of pictures.

Kyle plays the banjo for his grandmother, uncle John, and his granddaddy

We smile big at Kyle and my rehearsal dinner.

On our wedding day with Nanny (on my right), Grandmother, and Granddaddy

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

(from Ecclesiastes 3)