wooly braid

Running in the summer in Arizona is hard. More than that. It's down right miserable! At least for me. Running in the heat does something to me (pounding headache/puke) that can only be undone by a cool shower and a good nap, and on days like today, 2 Excedrin Migraine. This morning we set out at 5 am and 85º. The run was gorgeous (Paradise Valley) and I had good company. I also took precautions to make the run the best I could - good music, water, skittles, hat, etc. One thing I also have to do, is put my hair in a bun or a braid. This is to prevent my hair from getting totally knotted up from the constant side to side motion. Today it was the ponytail through the back of the hat and braided.

So this run got hot! Over 90º by time we finished, but the sun on me just KILLS me! I try to keep cool by squirting some of my rationed water over my head, and of course I run through every lawn I see with sprinklers going. At about mile 7 I was out of water, but saw a house with a coiled hose out front. I ran over, turned it on filled up my water bottles and took a full on shower in this front yard, just trying to cool my body off. Holy cow it felt good! So then I was drenched, and finished out my run.

Once we finished, my friend Chrissie asked me, "how did you fix your hair like that?" Like what? A braid? Easy. Until I felt it. The water logged hair and the side to side swishing did a number on my braid! It full on shrunk up! (what is my hair, wool?!) The braid was probably was at least three inches shorter than it started out, just fro'd out!

When I got home and took off my hat, I realized something really wierd about it. My hair segregated! All the dark hair puffed out on top of the braid, and all the bleached hair puffed out on the bottom part of the braid. How weird is that???
It took me almost twenty minutes and half a bottle of conditioner to comb through that hair.

another Drake conversation

We really have some good discussions on our way home from the gym. I think all the endorphins in the air really open up our lines of communication. Today it was this conversation.(as we were passing Circle K)

D: Mom, can we go to Circle K?

K: No buddy, I think we need to start eating healthier.

D: Okay! So QT?!

bday wish list

I'm turning 30. That's right, the big three oh. I've heard it's all down hill from there, but I refuse to let that be true (that'd be really sad if it were true). I mean come on! Thirty's nothing. I'm still young.... right????? (crickets chirping) Whatev. I have two little ones, they keep me young. I'm in college, that makes me feel young. (Actually it makes me realize how OLD I am compared to the young partying college crowd) Okay, anyways thirty is some sort of milestone right?? And while I had planned to be on a cruise or something like that when I hit it, that's not how it's going to work out. You see Ryan is currently studying for the bar. That means all work, no play. Oh well, hopefully we'll get to celebrate when the bar is over at the end of July.

So for the KRISTIN'S BIRTHDAY WISHLIST 2011:

1. Yellow is my favorite color.

Ever.

It always has been too. Even when I was little and yellow was not cool. And when kids would ask me what my favorite color was, I'd reply yellow, and then they'd say, "ewww, yellow is the color of pee!" I still loved it then! Well look at this darling Williams Sonoma tablecloth.

That'd be perfect on my kitchen table with my tacky United States place mats on top!

(only at dinner time, besides, Ryan and I know our states like that!)

2. Beach Cruiser.

I had a super cute one with that Ryan got me for mother's day five years ago! And guess what? This is awful, you might not want to read.... it got stolen along with my two seater bike trailer for the kids.... right off my back porch!!! I shed a tear or two, and now I can't help but take an extra close look at every Phat Customs pink beach cruiser I see. It had three gears and a cute white basket, and oh I loved it!! So I'd love to have another. Because when the kids want to go out and ride bikes, I feel impractical jumping onto my road bike that doesn't even have pedals! Plus I take one pedal stroke and I'm to the next house while Drake's still spinning away on his bike. So a cruiser would be ideal for those family bike rides. Hopefully this curiser will be a cute color (seafoam green, robin egg blue, or yellow, etc.), have more than one gear, and have a bell! This one (I'm sorry the pic is tiny) is from Wal Mart! And look at the cool seat thing on the front. Can you just imagine Gwen sitting on the front holding on for dear life?

3. This Martha Stewart Cake Plate.

I LOVE that it's square and black and white. I do enjoy collecting cake stands. They make me happy. Even if not yellow. :)

4. Yellow pumps.

These would be my choice, but at $135, the next are more likely

These babies will only run you $30 at Charlotte Russe.

5. Marc Jacobs Lola.

This is my new favorite perfume. I got a sample a while ago that I have been rationing! I'm almost out, so either I need some more samples ;) or for my sweetie to get me this perfume. Isn't the bottle cute?

6. A MODEST tankini, like this one from Lime Ricki.

My tankini's I think I've got from before I was married! The one I wear the most has elastic rotting in it. I like this one because it doesn't have a plunging neckline and the top is long. Plus the hot green ruffle at the bottom is rad.

7. This Coach bag is from the new KRISTIN line!

I'm dead serious. The line is Kristin. Not Kristen. It's meant to be. I think it even said 30th Anniversary Kristin bags. Okay it didn't, but it might as well have. I mean come on! I turn 30 the same season as the Kristin Coach line?? MFEO.

8. Sport sunglasses.

Okay, this one is a legitimate need. If you haven't noticed from some of my race pictures, I run and ride in big ol' cheap sunglasses. They're more like a windshield. That's all good and fine, until I tried on some nice athletic sunglasses. Oh man, now I know what I'm missing! And how much easier my activities would be with a nice pair of Oakleys instead of some Target frames. (no offense Target, I still love you!!!) They are so stinkin' light, with arms that just hold your head without SQUEEZING it. No more having to keep pushing heavy sunglasses up my sweaty nose, or worse when I just have to resort to mouth breathing because my classes have slid down and just pinched my nose closed.

So I really like these - the Necessity. They're a little more stylie than the next ones...

but these ones, the Forsake, are supposed to be the ULTIMATE sport glasses for women. They're also really cute for sport glasses. (I'm not an idiot, I know sport glasses for women are usually hideous)

Okay, there you have it. My dream list for my thirtieth.

16 more days of life in my twenties.

D has Bieber fever

A conversation with Drake on the way home from the gym:

D - Justin Bieber's a real boy.

K - Yep he is. But how do you know?

D - (In a "duh mom" tone) From the movie.

K - Oh ya.

D - Where does he live?

K - In Canada.

D - CANADA?!?!?!?! But that's far away!!

K - Yep, it is.

D - Can we go to his house?

K - No, we don't even know where he lives.

D - But you can call him.

K - No, I can't, I don't have his phone number.

D - (in his "I'm really getting frustrated with you" voice) Ughh! You can call every phone number and say, "is this Justin Beiber" and if they say no then call the next number!!

K - That would take WAYYY too long.

D - Does Justin Bieber have toys?

K - I'm sure he does.

D - I wonder what kind of toys. (And then he stares out the window, silently thinking about Justin Bieber and the kinds of toys he might have)

Summer's here!!

I thought life would slow down now that summer's here. Wrong. Dead wrong.
This will be a quick attempt of logging our summer so far...

We went to Bisbee with our super cool friends the Gannons. I'd never been to Bisbee before. But this place is darling! It's an old mining town which back in it's hay day was the biggest city between New Orleans and San Francisco. It's built in this valley area where all the houses are up on the hills and there are crazy stairs everywhere. If you haven't been, you should go. Ryan and I are thinking we may try out the Bisbee 1000 this year. It's a 5k that includes over 1000 stairs, so it's definitely not your typical 5k.

We went to the copper mine while we were there for a tour. Pretty cool stuff. Like this here is the toilets that the miners used down in the mines. It's basically a hole in a cart that'd get carted out about once a month. Ryan couldn't hold it, so he tried it out the potty. Still works!

Also in our trip we went to Tombstone and happened to be there for Wyatt Earp days. Drake was loving watching the cowboys walk around and the re-enacted OK Coral gun fight.
Then, the next weekend we took off to San Diego.

Part of our trip was spent with some of our best friends the Stewarts. Unfortunately we never got a group picture. :( But we went with them to Sea World. The kids loved it! Gwen here with a porcupine.And the kids here are petting a baby kangaroo. Drake was absolutely mesmerized with Shamu. He took my phone from me and honestly took about 60 pictures of Shamu during the whale show.
Then after spending ALL Saturday walking around Sea World (what on earth were we thinking?!) Ryan and I got up at 4:00 Sunday morning to drop off Gwen and Drake at Amy and Drew's hotel so they could watch them while we were doing this.
We were NOT prepared for this. Ryan was trying to convince me all week that we should just do the half so we wouldn't get injured. I knew that was the smart thing to do, but I paid for the full darn it. I wouldn't let not training prevent me from doing a marathon! Ryan decided on our way to the marathon that he'd try to do it with me. So we stayed together the whole time, and found that nice and easy gets it done! I'm so glad he decided to do the full with me. I never want to run another marathon alone. (who wants to do Nike Women's with me in Oct????)

Then of course we went to the beach.

Also, we've had swimming!

Gwen is on swim team and synchro this year. That means every morning I sit at the pool for two hours while she's doing her thing. But she loves it. Especially synchro. So I push aside all my selfish thoughts of what I'd rather be doing, and look at this cute face who doesn't want her mom to miss a lap.

Gwen's already has had a synchro meet (a first and a third place ribbon) and her freestyle swim meet (a fifth place ribbon). Gotta love how everybody gets ribbons!

This cutie boy loves it too. Unfortunately his lessons are only a half an hour, so he spends the other hour and a half with my phone playing Angry Birds. He's become quite the expert. He's also excited for next year when he can be on swim team too.

Then this past weekend my mom was kind enough to have G and D for an overnight because once again, we got up at 4:00 am Saturday morning to drive up to Payson to do the Payson tri.

It's just too hard to pass up a Saturday tri.

Yurbuds

Okay, so I have a lot to catch up on on the blog. Summer, swimming, vacation, etc. But here's what's on my mind right now:

That's right. Yurbuds. Last week while at the expo for the Rock and Roll San Diego Marathon, we saw the Yurbuds booth. I had heard about these earlier from an email, and the claim is that these ear buds will NOT fall out of your ears while running, or whatever it is that you might be doing. I was intrigued since I CAN NOT keep earbuds in my ears! They fall out for sure! I have to get the over the ear kind that will still work their way off my ears since my ears are basically just skin, no cartilage. (not really but they are so soft and floppy they can't support the over the ear kind for an extended period of time!) I've even resorted to taping earbuds in my ears with packing tape when I'm in a crunch. It works, but usually hairs get in the way, and when I remove the tape it's painful. :)

Okay, so back to the Yurbuds, I got the email, was super interested, but was skeptical since I've tried A LOT of earbud/headphones, and have had no success. That coupled with the fact that these aren't the cheapest out there (cost + shipping), I was too cheap to buy them.

Enter SD Marathon Expo.

I got to try them. It took them a while to try different sizes to fit my strange ear bud rejecting ears, but success!!!! We got some, and both wore them the next day at the marathon with no problems at all. No pain. No falling out of the ears. Just us and our tunes!!

If you have problems with ear buds while you run, you have to try these!

They have a money back guarantee.

And there you have it. My Yurbud testimonial!