Some Princesses Wear Running Shoes....

So. I try to plan my runs in the middle-ish parts of my days most days. I'm kinda like a kid whose mind is more alert and sharp in the morning, so that's when I like to get my think-hard work done....but then I hit a point where I need a recess or PE break to shake some of it off, and then refocus for the rest of my day after. It works for me. Don't criticize. wink emoticon

Sometimes, depending on the time I'm able to schedule my PE time & the route I choose, I'm often at the end of my run at just when a nearby elementary school gets out. Today was one of those days. Just as I got to the school and pick-up car line, I switched my runkeeper to walk for the rest of the route home. As I was walking away from the school, I got behind a mom pushing a stroller and a couple of kids walking beside her. She was going pretty s-l-o-w pushing that stroller, so I increased my walk to run past her. As I did, her little girl appeared on the other side. Crazy, wild brown curls going all kinds of which-ways on her cute little head. Disney princess dress with play clothes underneath. Sneakers, or "running shoes". Normally, kids just move away or back up, closer to their moms when I pass them while running. This cutie, however, was in her own little world, bouncing along....and when she saw me, instead of getting that shy little look I'm used to seeing and backing closer to her mama....she grinned and those twinkly eyes lit up. She turned that bounce into a run and started running with me!! As we "ran" together, her smile got bigger and she kept looking at me. We were "racing"!!! We got to the crossroad and of course, she got there first. wink emoticon She was so excited that she won..."I won!!" she said and then looked at me...."We were racing!! Did I win???" I told her "of course you did" and gushed over what a good...and fast... runner she was. As she ran back to her mom, I heard her say, "I won!! I knew I would win!! Because I'm a princess"!!

I love kids and the way they see things. <3heart emoticon

May she always have sparkly eyes with a zest for living each moment to its fullest potential. And let her brown curls get crazy messy, because fun things happen when you let your hair get messy. And may she never doubt herself....not for a second, that she can do things....and and do them well....and even win.

Because princesses like pretty things. Like sparkles & flowers ....& princess dresses....they like to look and be pretty. That's how they're created. And they should be sweet & kind....& loving & gentle. But they should also be strong & smart & capable. And courageous & adventurous. If life doesn't make them forget or convince them otherwise....and if it does that to her....may she find her running shoes again. To help her remember.

Choose Happy....It's a Choice!!

....because I'm a quiz addict....Interesting that over half of these photos are from the most difficult and painful parts of my life thus far....my divorce and losing the dream home I had waited so long for, my baby's cancer battle....starting over in the kind of life I never wanted to have to embrace, all happening at the same time. Finding the happy moments in everything is a choice, and one that's worth making!!

My biggest happy has been my kids since the day I found out I was going to be a mom. ❤ I recently had someone tell me I was too good of a mom, meant as a criticism. That my kids were too much of a priority in my life, etc, etc, etc. Someone criticizes that part of me, and I instantly don't like them and they quickly find that there's no place for them in all of my happy moments to come...

Mama Bear. That's one of the very BEST parts of me.

Feed the Right Wolf

As Christians, we might use different terminologies,
but the lesson is the same.

What you feed, you will grow.
What you choose, you will sow.

Kickboxing....My Kind of a Girl's Night Out

3 friends....since we were about 12 years old.  Reuniting for a kickboxing adventure/girls' night out...
Old friends, refusing to grow old.

So fun.  So awesome.  Even if I'm such an uncoordinated dork. And, apparently, I hit like a girl.  ;)
But...hey.  It was only the first class of 5 that we signed up for.  You can't learn new things
if you're not willing to look likea dork sometimes.  And I am totally willing,  haha ;)

And.....my kids. One day....they will look back and be thankful for the woman that took care of them.....& kickboxed across the living room & into their bedrooms as she warmed up, did less than supersonic Wonder Woman spins, and basically acted like a fool sometimes. They will laugh and say, "I'm glad my mom was a li'l bit crazy". Right now, however, I think they're thankful that very few see the things that they do.... 
wink emoticon
Their eyes roll. Their mouths say, "MOM. You're weird". But....those lips. They turn upward, even though they fight it....and they smile. 

Haha. ;)smile emoticon

Never Underestimate the Impact of Surprise Encouragement

Kinda cool when you open a surprise pkg like this on a Monday following a week that left you feeling like you can't win for losing in a cpl areas...my sweet friends.  They have a way of  making  my day.  <3

Twinkly, Sparkly...Endorphin Therapy

Night running in January. 1st night run in.....a long, long time.

Highlights:: Christmas lights!!! Because most people still have them up, ya know.  Puts a little jolly in my haul-y. tongue emoticon
AND, I got to say "on your left" two times as I came up behind and passed other pedestrians!!! 

Captain America reference....just in case you don't know.  Sigh.  <3 Captain America <3 ....but, I digress....

wink emoticon smile emoticoheart emoticonOther observations:: 

1.) at night, my shadow goes before me and I notice things I've never noticed before...like, my ponytail wags like a happy dog's tail when I'm running.

2.) in the dark places where the street lights' illumination cannot reach.....it is REALLY dark and will test my memory of the twists and turns of a well-traveled path

3.) people coming home from work do not care that I am there. In fact, I think they resent it. They would like to turn me into a Flat Stanley.

Only my running friends will appreciate this post. I'm ok with that.

This post brought to you by endorphins.  ;)

YES.  Yes, I do.

Run/Walk/Crawl....My 2015 Wall of Awesomeness ;)

"I always thought of running as just dancing forward" ~ Tom Hiddleston


 BEHOLD. The wall of awesomeness that was my running year, 2015.  Looking ahead to this one. ;)

♫Life's a dance, you learn as you go...sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow♫......I don't think it really matters, as long as you Just. Keep. Going..... & find a way to dance along the way wink emoticon

♫Don't worry 'bout what you don't know, Life's a dance...you learn as you go...♫