around here

...it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

an anniversary of love

these are my parents and today is their 47th wedding anniversary. today is also the day {six years ago} that my father died. 

i'm certain the occurrence of these two events not a coincidence. i believe my dad held on until this exact date before passing. i think he chose to leave us on the same day they got married so that we would have something happy to celebrate after he was gone. he was like that: very strong-willed and a total romantic. so today isn't an anniversary of his death, it's an anniversary of their love. because he would've wanted it that way.

father's day

andy, you were just barely a dad on father's day last year when i took this picture of you and your three-week-old son. that look was often on your face whenever you held him - a combination of care, responsibility, honor, wonder, and love.

now, with another 365 days under your belt, your comfort with fatherhood shows when you lift august over your head and he kicks his feet from the thrill of it. you get the best laughs out of him.

watching you become "dada" to our son has been one of the sweetest and most surprising experiences of my life. i'm so grateful that our boy has such a great example to learn from. someone who will teach him to be mindful of the world around him, respectful to the people he shares it with, and do his part to contribute in making it even better. and thank goodness he has you - the original "mr. funny man" - teaching him your goofy ways, because that's important too.

happy father's day, love. and to my own father who is with me every time time i look at my son's blue eyes. he got those from you, papi, and i love the reminder. hopefully that is just one to many traits he inherits from you.

our {long} weekend

happy friday! do you know what is on the other side of this weekend? june. JUNE! where does the time go, i ask you. well, lest we forget the birthday month that was and move right into summer, how about a good ol' fashion photo dump to get all caught up, yeah?

we spent memorial day weekend with andy's family in the catskills. up in those parts of new york, they are about a month behind us {seasonally speaking} so everything was that neon green of early spring. it was the perfect retreat being nestled in those lush mountains where we woke up every morning covered in fog and went to bed every night under a blanket of stars. we did a lot of sleeping-in AND mid-day naps.

it's duck's birthday today - five years old - and she still has the energy of a puppy! she got to spend the weekend with her favorite itty dog, playing in the yard, chasing birds, and swimming in the pond {she plays hard, then she sleeps hard}

august got this lawn mower for his birthday and he squeeled with delight when he saw it. SQUEELED! he was pumped to be able to mow the lawn like he's watched his dada do so many times. and even though it has a little bubble-making motor that putters, he likes to make his own motor noises when he pushes it.

memorial day truely couldn't have come at a better time. a three day weekend, surrounded by family, topped off with warm weather and sunshine, MAN! on behalf of my vitamin D-deprived skin and half-functioning mind, thank you most honorable of federal holidays! and thank you to all those who have served and are serving this country. to me, your service represents a patriotism and selfless sacrifice that is not only noble, but that has allowed us to enjoy the freedoms and safety we too often take for granted.

four things

ONE// there is something you should know about duck. duck does not like feeling left out. whenever andy + i get smoochy, duck sits at our feet, paws at us, and gives this look that says but what about me guys? i've got feelings too, you know. similarly, when we let her outside, she quickly does her business and jumps on the back door to let us know she's ready to come back in. last sunday i made the rookie mistake of leaving her outside well beyond her comfort level for solitude. in protest, she took off for four hours, roaming the nearby neighborhoods and plodding through creeks. when she was finally returned home she was unapologetically caked in mud. message received loud and clear, duck.

TWO// for his birthday, i took andy to see his favorite folk duo, gillian welch + dave rawlings, perform in concert. whatever you think you know about folk music, get it out of your head. they rocked. it. out. i've never seen anyone make keeping time with hand claping and clogging steps look so cool as gillian welch did. throughout the entire show, i held on to hope for her cover of radiohead's black star {which, is my nightly lullaby to august} but it never happened. they more than made up for it with two - count 'em: TWO - encores. it was by far the best show either of us had ever seen.

THREE// despite their relatively equal weight and size, ada is actually nine months older than august. up to this point, i think she'd been confused by her peer. she'd poke and prod him, but rarely got more than a distressed cry out of him. now that he can sit upright, crawl, and stand on his own, they're finally able to interact. he's constantly trying to take things from her hand to which she responds by gripping hard and scolding him with "nooooooooooo". all things considered though, they love each other.

FOUR// i'm not much of a baker, so it was up to whole foods for andy's birthday cake. and because no one should eat cake alone, i got an oreo flavored treat for myself - one of the many reasons i love celebrating birthdays.

it's the first day of may!

happy may day! today is a celebration of spring's favorite month {and warmer weather and dancing around maypoles, or something}. today is also andy's birthday. he'll appreciate that i mention that three sentences in because he's not big on birthdays. i, however, am a HUGE advocate in the celebrating of birthdays. so with august's first on the 27th and our dog, duck, turning five on the 30th, i hear by declare may 1st also as the kick off to birthday month!

when he was a little boy, andy never had big parties with pinatas and clowns {his family descends from italy, for one and two, clowns are scary}, but not a year went by without a visit from the 'birthday fairy'. she'd come at night, when everyone was sleeping to bake a cake, decorate the dining table with balloons, and leave a mound of gifts. it was THE way to go for an understated birthday boy. so it's actually pretty fitting that andy shares his birthday month with duck and auggie.

but anderson, you know how i feel about birthdays so just for today, i'm forcing you front and center. you being born and making your way through this world to me and august is worth celebrating. then after today, you can take a back seat again. BUT GET YOUR FAIRY BOOTS ON because mr. and mrs. birthday fairy are going to be real busy!

happy birthday, love.

how we weekend

you know what's hidden inside those eggs, don't you? pure joy. and it came pouring out of each technicolor shell they cracked open. hope your weekend was bright and joyful too!

how we weekend

 

they came in droves for the famed blossoms and let me tell you, it was worth the wait {and the crowds}. i hope your weekend was just as beautiful. spring is in full bloom! 

first post-baby race recap

that's me on the left and my twinner on the right

days later and i'm still gimping around from sunday's cherry blossom ten mile run. my time was nearly five minutes slower than my personal best and i almost dropped out halfway through, but man! it was great to race again.

when claudin called a couple of weeks ago to tell me that she had been accepted as an elite entrant for this year's running i was all, "yeay! that's awesome! go you!" but then she was like, "no, you've got to do it with me." and then i was like "mmm, yeahhhh... i don't know about that."

the cherry blossom ten miler is one of the biggest road races in the country and it was selected to host this year's US 10 mile championships, so in addition to the perennially strong international field, some of the nation's top distance runners would be in the mix. not only did i think that i had no business toeing the line with such high-caliber athletes, but when i planned my first race back from pregnancy, i had envisioned a more low-profile event. regardless, claudin urged me to contact the organizers to see if there were any more open spots. so i left the final decision to chance and in the hands of mr. race director. 

wouldn't you know it, i got in.

claudin arrived friday afternoon before the event and we spent saturday getting all the pre-race logistics in order. we checked in at hospitality suite, picked up our packets, ate the customary pasta dinner, and called it an early night. claudin was without her kids for the first time in years and andy was on baby-duty, so we nestled into bed and slept more soundly than either of had in months. as far as i was concerned, we were already winning.

the alarm went off at 4:30am on sunday morning and i wanted to hurl it at the wall (we're never using your ancient cell phone with it's devil ringer again, claudi). after lying a few minutes in bed until my heart rate returned to normal, i joined claudin in getting ready and twenty minutes later we were driving down the quite dark roads into DC.once on site, we dropped our things off and camped out in a tent that was designated for the invited athletes.

claudin and i warmed up around the national mall, while the day dawned around us. the sky was magnificently color-blocked with a soft orange on the horizon and a rich indigo overhead. the capital building sat against that stunning backdrop at one end of the mall and the washington monument was glowing in the light at the opposite end. everyone was pulling out their phones for pictures and once again, i cursed claudin's "dumb" phone for not having a camera. i don't know what made me more anxious: getting through the port-a-jon line before the race start or not being able to capture the photo.

the elite women were escorted to the line around 7:10am and we all took our final strides while the announcer introduced the field. when the bull horn sounded ten minutes later, i was running with this group of speedy women and heading towards memorial bridge like i hadn't missed the last year and a half of competing. the first mile of a race is always misleading. your body is fresh, pumping with adrenaline, and just steps ahead are some of the fastest women in the world. no big deal. for a minute you even think, hey! i might be in better shape, after all. this feels easy! but luckily, i wasn't *that* far removed from the sport so i knew to back off. claudin and i settled in at the back of a small pack of about six women who were running at our goal pace.

the next four miles went just as i hoped: claudin and i were running stride-for-stride at a comfortably hard pace, occasionally exchanging a few words of encouragement. as we approached mile five though, i sensed that while claudin was in cruise control, my foot was heavy on the gas trying to keep up. then, i started to feel a burn in my right quad/IT band. crap! we're not even half-way yet. it was too early for my body to be breaking down, so i knew that i was probably going too hard too soon. "go ahead, i don't want to hold you back" i told her. "no" she said and pointed to the ground at her side, indicating that i should get up next to her. i made the effort to catch up, but my wheels began smoking and the warning light came on. "if i don't back off now, i might not be able to finish" i told her and with that, claudin understood. she dropped me like i wasn't moving and left me alone in no-man's land.

we were entering haines point, an isolated peninsula where the only company was a bunch of demons hitchhiking on the side of the road. feeling lonely, i picked a few up, but those pesky hitchhikers were lousy companions. they kept talking about the pain in my quad and about how i haven't been training hard enough and how there were still five miles left to go. so after about a half mile of that nonsense, i decided that was about as far as i'd take them. without slowing down, i opened the door and kicked them out. when the next mile marker came up, i checked my watch and was surprised to see i was still on pace. if my body was holding on despite feeling so crappy, then the doubt was obviously all in my head.

i rallied my best survival tactics and coached myself into a more positive mind set. one thing that always works for me in these longer distances is breaking the race down into smaller parts - one mile is pretty easy to wrap your head around - so instead of thinking about the ten miles i had to cover, i focused on the one ahead. i looked for the runners in front of me and as it turned out,  i wasn't the only one hurting. there were a couple of women who had also fallen off the group. i set my my sights on their backs and gradually ran them down, one at a time. as i moved my way up, i noticed that there was just one woman between claudin and i.

with a mile left to go, i found myself on the heels of the next runner and less than 100 meters behind claudin. i passed the woman in front with ease but was nervous about her finishing kick, so to be safe, i pushed a little harder to create a buffer. despite my move, the distance between claudin and i remained the same. i lost sight of her around the final turn and instead noticed a particular couple on the sidelines that caught my eye: a handsome bearded man, holding an equally stunning little boy. "there's mama! go luci!"

it was with those two guys in mind (and the very real fact that if i didn't keep moving, my quads would shut down) that i bee-lined it to the finish and right through the line, like forrest gump running past the end zone. i clocked in at 1:01:06 and placed 39th. without ever stopping, i went straight to august and holding him my arms, paraded him around like i won top honors.

for the record:
+ my cellphone isn't any "smarter" than claudin's but the battery was dead that morning
+ claudin finished 20 seconds and one spot ahead of me. she's clearly at a new level since her 5th place finish at the marine corps marathon and i'm excited for her to run even faster in her next one!
+ there were two other new moms who put my performance to shame with how fast they blazed: sara slattery finished 14th in 54:14, while megan wright was 22nd in 56:51.  both have one-year-old boys.
+ my good friend and old high school teammate, chris sloane, also ran super fast and PRd by a minute.
+ after the race, claudin and i split a large pizza and each HOUSED a double concrete from the shake shack WHAT! (that one was for both of you, ne and nick mangum)
+  the cherry blossoms hadn't even budded but they're reported to be at their peak between april 8-12. but SHHHH don't tell anyone until after i've taken my pictures and left this coming saturday

how we weekend

sometimes you don't need to go far to explore new places. i present to you my back yard: the nation's capital. maybe those cherry blossoms will be in bloom next week? maybe that's how we will weekend next week? until then, have a fantastic week friends!

how we weekend

we just returned home from a long weekend birthday bender of [lego]blocks, bobbers (aka robbers), babies, and balloons. it was was a BLAST and i hope yours was too. {how's that for alliteration!}

happy birthday little man

how we weekend

 

they say you "catch a cold", but who really wants to do that? i say, a cold caught US early in the weekend (and by "us", i mean our littlest one was the sick one but since mama and dada have to make it all better, it was really a family thing). it was nothing some epic naps and pi(e) couldn't remedy though. here's to a healthier week ahead!

which way did the clocks move?

last sunday's wake up call sounded to the thppppbth, bakabakabaka, thppppbth coming from the crib in the room next door. there is no "sleeping in" on the weekends when you have a baby. not unless your partner decides to take one for the team, leaving you the whole bed and an extra hour to snooze. that there is what you call a clutch performance and it was HUGE since daylight savings was saying it was six a.m. when it was actually only five. heroics like that make you want to do something really special for a person. you know, to show your profound gratitude. so around seven, i shuffled out of the bedroom, traded off with my husband and left him the whole house while it was still dark and quiet enough for to salvage some sleep.

i loaded the baby into the car and we headed to abuelita's house for the day. it's the same house i grew up in and the place my siblings and i now call "the family home". the drive is not that far - only a few towns over - but it feels like another world; another time. the visit was unplanned, so when i walked in - baby on left hip and tray of coffees in right hand - to an empty house, i was only mildly surprised. she must be at church. we passed the time exploring the ol' homestead. memories were ignited by each room: my dad's office, where the desk lamp burned late every night as he prepared work for the next day; my sister's bedroom, where the wall-to-wall bookshelves make an impressive private library and a good source for some classic children's books; the loft, where we flipped through family photos my mother keeps in a wooden chest; and my bedroom, where we played with the same stuffed animals that sat on the pillows when i was a kid. walking around the home where you lived your childhood with your OWN child is kind of mind-blowing.

when my mom came home she had bagels and more coffee, which we enjoyed while helping the baby discover his food's route from table to mouth (a tricky and silly adventure that has its own story for another time). he barely finished his banana, smashing the last chunk into his eye as he rubbed it with sleep. once he was down for his nap, i left him in my mom's care while i went out for a run. running on the c&o canal brings back such vivid memories of my father. it's like he's with me whenever i'm there. i got lost in my mind with thoughts about runs we did together that one summer after my freshman year in college. as i approached the turn-around point, i remembered how he'd come home after having run to that same spot, bragging about finishing "just an easy thirteen [miles]" and had stopped midway to watch the kayakers navigate the white waters below. when i was done, i sat and stretched in the same gravel parking lot where he and i had stretched after every run together. only i have *these* memories of him. they're mine. my brother and sisters have their own intimate memories of him; my mother has countless more. but those moments are for each of us to cherish - gifts from my dad.

it's funny how when everyone was springing forward, i spent the day slipping back.

this is how we weekend

well, that was fun! hope you all enjoyed yours and are ready to get after this week. happy monday and helloooooo spring!

scallops

eight years ago we celebrated our first valentine's. i tried to cook a romantic meal in the tiny kitchen of his rundown, off-campus house on crusty old cephalon pans {college boys don't clean dishes for days and when they finally do, they take a blade to it}. the odds were stacked against us: he didn't get me so much as a card and i almost burnt the place down. cupid just sighed and shook his head. last night, HE cooked the dinner and nary a fire alarm went off. showed me. they were the most perfectly seared scallops paired with a modest rosé. raspberries and chocolate for dessert. knows the way to a woman's heart, that one. 

felíz cumpleaños

when my mother enters a room "the entertainer" should be playing. in my mind, it's always been her theme song. i get an image of her dressed as charlie chaplin - which she actually did once for halloween and let me tell you, she made the cutest chaplin. totally pulled it off. and not in the androgynous way lady gaga does when she dons menswear, but in a chic, coco chanel kind of way. anyway. you can practically see her shuffling into a room with a bamboo cane in hand, batting her thick, eyeliner-rimmed eyes.

my mother is completely enchanting to a child. she had very little growing up and was artist by profession, so she could create most anything out of nothing. it was magical. she baked elaborately themed cakes for our birthdays, sewed all our costumes for halloween, made all our dresses for prom, and arranged beautiful centerpieces for every holiday dinner. we used to joke that our weddings would be very inexpensive because she could provide everything: the gown, the four-tired cake, the photography, even the music. now I see the same wonder in the eyes of her grandchildren whenever she's around.

today is my mothers birthday. ¡que celebras tu día felíz, con FANta naRANja!