Belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I am not going to say all is well in our house. Lice eggs (or nits) are still holding on for dear life in Ashley's hair. I am strategically going through her hair every night to get those out. I don't see how we can send a man to the moon, but no one can come up with something to get those eggs to detach themselves from hair.

And I am also not going to share that I never got the stomach thing that rocked everyone else in my house. Nope, not going to say it at all.

Audrey is our puker. She always has been. She woke up in a coughing fit last night and THREW UP again all over her bed.

The things I have washed in my house over the past week:
All the bed linens
All the pillows
Couch pillows
Blankets from everywhere
Coats, scarves, earmuffs

And some of those things more than once. I tossed all of Audrey's stuffed animals. I colored my hair last night and we are all washing with Head and Shoulders shampoo. I feel like I am an expert on lice. Go ahead, ask me anything. I spent a few hours reading all I could on the internet and spoke to my pediatrician.

Christmas was still good though. Ashley got a laptop, a video Barbie, tons of stuff from Justice as requested. Audrey got a DS and a dance barre.

We have no plans for New Year's Eve. We were going to head to my neighbor's beach house, but I would rather not take lice to her beach house.

And I am 2 weeks from a long run. I missed my scheduled 20-miler last weekend due to the snow and vomit. I just figured I would pick up where I left off and do 16 this weekend, 20 the next. I hope I survive the marathon in February.

This Christmas is going on record....

Christmas eve brought the stomach bug to Ashley about midday. Right before leaving for our annual hot chocolate with friends at The Umstead hotel. So she missed that, church, and our Christmas eve party. She was okay, only threw up 4 times and was all better Christmas day.

Audrey got hit with it about midnight, and proceeded to throw up every ten minutes between midnight and 3am. And then she intermittently threw up for the next few hours.

Fast forward to today - Ray woke up with the stomach bug AND I found lice in BOTH GIRLS' HAIR. And we have 8 inches of snow on the ground. Luckily (or unluckily as this is probably where they got it from) a neighbor had treatment stuff for the lice, so they have been treated once.

So am I just a ticking time bomb for getting the stomach bug or what?

Oh, and this all also means no long run for me today. Good times.

H-E-L-L

Audrey is definitely the most loving child between her and her sister. She hands out hugs and kisses all the time and still snuggles with Ray and I. (I think Ashley thinks it is not "so cool" to do those things anymore, and yes, she is only 7.)

This morning Audrey was snuggling in bed with me before I got up as she had come in our room at about 5:00am and had gone back to sleep. I told her I loved her and she told me she loved me more, and that she loved me to "hockey sticks, heaven, Mars and the moon and back". It took a second for me to think what the heck hockey sticks was.

I don't cuss a ton at home (aw hell, yes I do), but I do say "God Bless America" instead of sh*t and "H E Double Hockey Sticks" for hell. So yes, Audrey loves me to hell and back.

I realize most of the United States is cold right now, but DAMN it's cold. At least my van started this morning unlike yesterday morning. I am doing all my runs during the week at the gym and will attempt my 20 miler in the cold on Saturday morning. I am thinking I will be wearing multiple layers of clothes. This is really not normal for this time of year in NC. I hope it passes soon.

Lack of posting

I feel like I get one post done about my epic new distance long runs, and then I have already run my next one. Sorry for the lack of posts!

This past weekend was just Audrey and I. Ray and Ashley flew to Texas to visit friends. And since they left on Friday and Audrey would be in school, I did my 18 miler on Friday. I started at 10am, finishing around 1pm. And yes, I was STARVING when I finished. Good thing I had parked next to a McDonalds....

The 18 miler was hard, and really it was hard because I thought the trail I had picked to run on was really long. Instead I had to play "where can I pick up more miles" the whole time which is really tiring.

But I did it. Ran for 18 miles straight.

Audrey and I had a good weekend and Ray and Ashley had a good weekend. The girls both love being only children. Audrey did sleep in my bed all weekend though....

20 miler this Saturday, anyone want to join me? It should be about 20 degrees. I am done with the cold. It was so cold this morning my freaking van wouldn't start. Luckily Ray was still home and we jumped it.

Who picked a winter marathon to train for?

First full weekend in December done

It was a packed weekend - Ashley had two sleepovers, Audrey had a birthday party and sleepover, Ray's company's Holiday party, Virginia Tech once again winning the ACC Championship game, and a pajama party exchange hosted at my house. Oh, and throw in a little bit of snow AND a sixteen miler, and I am done.


Friday night Ashley had a birthday party to attend and it was a sleepover. She has done plenty of sleepovers, but this was the first with a ton of girls. Nine total and they didn't get to bed until midnight, up at 6:00am. To say Ashley was tired on Saturday was an understatement.


Saturday morning I left the house at 6:30am to head to the American Tobacco trail for my 16 miler. It was 31 degrees out and cloudy. I was surprisingly not very cold in my triple layers, but I ran through all my tissues I brought for my runny nose by mile 3. I resorted to using my gloves to blow my nose. I did 16 miles in 2 hours, 39 minutes and some change, basically 10 minute miles which if I can run 26.2 miles in 10 minute miles, I would be ecstatic. The only issue I had was serious chafing from my sports bra even with putting on glide. It still hurts today.


Audrey had a birthday party that morning as well, and then it started snowing. Not enough to do anything, but enough to make the kids all want to go out and play. That evening the girls spent the night at a friend's house so Ray and I could attend his Christmas party and watch the Virginia Tech football game.

And now it's Wednesday, and this week has been packed too. Ray and Ashley leave for Texas on Friday for a long weekend, so Audrey and I get to enjoy some Christmas activities alone. We will be in our town's parade on Saturday morning. Ray and Ashley come back on Monday.

And yes, I have an 18 mile run scheduled. At this point I am doing it on Friday and let's hope it warms up. It was 17 degrees outside this morning. Brutal.

More of the same...

I still have not completed anymore Christmas shopping, although I have had to purchase 5 birthday presents between parties my kids have been invited to and my BIL and MIL (Happy Birthday Cindy and early birthday Sean!). And in the three stores I had to go into at the mall, I had someone cut in front of me in line at two of them. They had complete disregard for the line. And I wonder why I don't want to do any Christmas shopping. I need to look online for the stuff I need.

And now my laptop at home has crashed. We thought it might have been the power cord, so I ordered a new one on ebay for $8. Well, that wasn't it. Three years of pictures are on that damn computer. Someone better be able to get those pictures off.

I have 16 miles to run in the morning. Wish me luck as the temperature will be about 28 degrees, although weather.com says it will feel like 22 degrees. Fabulous.