Our jubilee is not endless this weekend...

we are quite sad here in our household.  Our lil pup, Charity, went to run in the green grass of heaven yesterday.  She was just 9 months old and hadn't learned the dangers of the road.  We've worked with her and all the other dogs do a good job of staying away from the road but yesterday was not a good day.  Our hearts are breaking especially Cowboy's.  He was really getting attached to his spotted dog.  He always wanted a Leopard Hound and was so excited to get one and for free too.  To lose her as just a pup and to the road, is just killing him.  We keep bursting into tears.  We are going to miss her terribly.  I know she was just a pup but she was a part of our little family.  We've come to love all her little quirks and the way she was fitting in with the other dogs.  She was a unique, one of a kind doggie and there will never by another Charity Autumn.  Little girl we will miss you.

Then There Was Six...

Cowboy and I went to take a look at our furry kid #6 tonight.  She is an absolutely, adorable, American Beagle puppy who is currently 5 weeks old.  She is so cute and isn't the typical tri-colored beagle.  She is actually a "blue" beagle.  She is a silver blue, white and tan color and is the tiny-est one of the bunch.  We have a few weeks before we can bring her home but we are excited to welcome her to the family.  She will be the last furry kid for a while.  Six is PLENTY!    We are still debating a name and will have pictures soon.

Winter Wonderland Wednesday

Finally we have some snow here in PA.  It seems that all the "storms" are always south of us, but we did get some snow this time.  I like a good storm once or twice during winter and love those occasional snow days.  Today was just a delay day.  Still good, but not as good as a snow day.

This week has been extremely exhausting.  I am still recooperating from my weekend in Florida and my lack of sleep.  Getting back into my weekly routine has been tough.  I need the weekend to get straightened out again.  My family and I had a wonderful time in Florida for the Disney 2011 Half Marathon and Marathon.  We got in late on Thursday night/ early Friday morning but finally got settled and got a few hours of sleep. 

Friday we spent time in Magic Kingdom before heading to the Expo and picking up our packets for the race.  Baby Sis and I ran the Half Marathon on Saturday.  Up at 2:30 am to grab a quick bite before we headed to Epcot to join the other 21,985 runners.  We spent a few hours shivering as we waited for the start.  We were in the second wave and got started running at 5:42 am.  We ran the first 6.5 miles together and then I headed out ahead of her for the last half.   I felt really good throughout the race.  The first half was definitely easier with Baby Sis by my side but there were so many distractions and people watching to be had for the second half that it zoomed by.  I was surprised at how quickly it went.  Not a PR for me but I did finish in 1:54:59 seconds.  I was really happy with that since I didn't train very hard.  My overall stats were excellent and I was pleased to be in the top 9% of finishers!

After the race we got cleaned up and then headed out to Animal Kingdom for the rest of the day before heading back to the resort to relax and get rested to repeat the fun on Sunday.  My Dad, Lil Sis and SIL all ran the full marathon on Sunday.  Baby Sis, BIL, Niece and I all had to head out to the airport early so we weren't able to go and watch but we did get the constant text updates with their progress.  They too ran together for the first half and then my SIL headed out and finished in 4 hrs15 mins.  My Dad and Lil Sis finished in 4 hrs 54 mins.  This was Lil Sis and SIL's first marathon and my Dad's second.  The girls were quite nervous but did an amazing job!!!! 

There were talks of doing it again someday....maybe even attempting the Goofy Challenge....hmmmm.....  we will have to see about that.

Back to the Grind

Winter break is so wonderful and it is so sad when it comes to an end oh so quickly.  I guess I should be glad I am so lucky to have a job that has a winter break.  I remember when I worked in the "real world" and only had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off.  It just never felt like the Holidays when I only had two days. 

So back to the grind I went this morning.  Luckily my lesson plans had me and the students easing back into our routine.  After school I met up with my Dad for a run around town.  It felt really good to get back out again for the third day in a row.  My IT band and groin muscle felt so much better today.  I wasn't left with that ache twinge that I had on Saturday and Sunday.  I felt good and could have kept going but we kept it to just 2.5 miles. 

Tomorrow I plan on resting and then running 3 on Wednesday and am hoping to get at least 2 miles in before we fly out on Thursday. I'm starting to get excited about going to Orlando.  It's been four years since I was in Orlando and that was to run the Marathon back in 2007.  Now it will be my turn to run the half and watch my dad, sister and SIL run the full.  I wish I could have trained for it, but it is just so hard to squeeze things in with teaching.  Maybe someday I will train for another marathon but we will see...I find the half marathon distance much for enjoyable.

Mind over Matter

It's funny how once you get your mind set on something it gets much easier.  I don't think I was really in the mood to run yesterday which made it so much tougher.  Today's run was nice, still a little soreness in my groin muscle, but otherwise I felt good.  My mind was in a much better place and I just focused on not thinking about running and just let my legs do all the work.  I know the Disney magic will set in on Saturday and with all the crowds and the great scenery I shouldn't have any problems being distracted from the fact that my little leggies will be trudging me 13.1 miles.  Better go stretch out a little bit, replenish my fluids and do a little school work before dinner. 

Living and Learning

I am definitely a life long student.  I enjoy learning new things and for me that happens everyday whether I am studying or not.  Yesterday was a day with several lessons hiding in the shadows.  Did I learn them all?  Did I find them all?  NOPE! But as always it is an adventure.

Yesterday was a nice day to just BE.  It was the first day of my winter vacation that I didn't go anywhere or have any plans.  I was finally able to stay home and get some things done around here. Laundry was the biggest task on my list and it took all day.  I also took time to play with my doggies and go for walks with them.  I also spent a good chunk of my day grading papers.  That's where I learn some things from my lessons for my students.  For example - 6th grade boys just don't get things like the girls do and I have to figure out how to help them get it.  A challenge and a lesson I think I'll be working on for a while.

With the half marathon just six days away, I figured I better get out and remind my legs what to do.  I took CopperDog for a 4 mile run on our usual route.  I felt ok....but I really hate these new shoes.  They just don't feel right.  My IT band ends up hurting and my groin muscles get really tight.  I hate having to switch to the next "edition" of a shoe.  Why can't they just leave things be??  I guess they will have to do for the half since I really don't have much time to figure out a new pair and get them broken in. 

I am hoping to get back out today for 5 or 6 miles to get stretched back out.  Then I will take Monday to run three miles, take Tuesday off and run 3 or 4 on Wednesday.  Thursday we fly out at 6 pm and get into Orlando late.  The Disney magic will start to set in as we pick up our packets, spend some time together and get ready for our races on Friday.  My Baby sister and I are running the Disney Half and my Dad, Lil Sis, and SIL are running the Disney Full.  It will be a great weekend!

Happy New Year

Well, its a start of a new year.  Hello 2011!  I can't believe how quickly life is zipping by me.  It seems like just yesterday I was spending time with my high school friends getting excited about graduating and going to college.  Now, here I am 17 years later, married to the Cowboy of my dreams, living in a gorgeous home in the country with 5 dogs running around our yard.  Wow!

2010 was a busy busy year.  I started the year as being newly engaged and planning a wedding in four months.  I was also in over my head teaching my second year of high school and feeling like I was drowning many days.  However, "this too shall pass" and indeed it did.  Cowboy and I got married in April and then I finished out the school year feeling much more confident and ready for my third year.  I LOVED my summer vacation and enjoyed spending time with friends and family, working in the yard, keeping up with my huge garden, canning and freezing my garden goodies, and training for a PR in my 7th half marathon.  I started my third year of teaching high school but also began teaching a block of middle school 6th graders each day.  I really, really enjoyed teaching middle school again and the high school classes are MUCH easier now that I am not trying to teach myself the material one day ahead of the students.  So 2011 - let's see what you have in store for me!

I've been reading so many blogs lately, that I thought I would go ahead and give it a try myself.  Hopefully I can find the time in between teaching, running, hunting and taking care of my doggie crew and Cowboy to update regularly.  My Cowboy and I enjoy taking our beagle out hunting for rabbits and the coon hounds out to chase racoons quite often.  Well my Cowboy does the hunting often, I join in now and then.  Cowboy just loves to hunt, trap and be in the woods regardless - that is where he likes to spend his free time.  I on the other hand enjoy working on little project indoors, taking care of the garden in the summer and running. 

So, here's my "off-the-cuff, not-a-lot-of-thought" resolutions for the new year:  1) keep up the running and train for another half marathon this summer.  2) incorporate more cross training in my workouts including lifting weights.  3) accomplish some of my work related goals.  4) spend time with my loved ones more often.  5) update the blog on a regular basis. 

Well time to get busy getting some things done and preparing for our annual New Year's Day meal.

QOTD:  Do you have a traditional meal you eat on New Year's Day?  

We have always had pork, sauerkraut and dumplings on New Year's Day and you have to eat some sauerkraut otherwise you won't have any good luck in the new year.