Brrr...

I have been taking some time off from running in order to avoid injuring my hip worse than it already is. I tried running on Monday and had to stop at a little over 2 miles. But, tomorrow I really need to try to get in a long run. Problem is that the weather forecast says brrrr.... Wind chills in the 20s and 30s and winds 13-16mph. I'm actually a little anxious about this, but I won't get a chance for another long run until mid week next week. I guess I'll start and see how far I get. I complain about the heat. Then, I complain about the cold. Maybe I'll just remember trying to run in the summer, and that will help me appreciate the cold wind a little more. Brrrrr....

Hot Question

I went to the doctor for my hip pain. It was getting to the point where it was stopping me from running. I had run out of anti-inflammatory. Anyway, diagnosis is hip bursitis. Yea! He did give an x-ray to rule out arthritis. Thank goodness I don't have that. Anyway, just an overuse issue. Problem is that the Houston half-marathon is on the 30th. It'll be fine, but no one likes pesky injuries showing up right at the end of training. And, just OTC Aleve. Boo!

Reading: Just finished I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui. Really a great story about a young girl in Yemen, who was "forced to marry a man three times her age." It's very short and an easy read.

And, to answer the hot question...no, we still don't know when Joe will be home.

And January is here...

Finally, it's January! January means we are nearing the end of Joe's deployment. A military family is a ball of nerves before a homecoming. Elle knows it's January, too, and so she asks (along with all other friends and family), "When will he be home?" The problem is that we still do not know the answer.

Today, January 4th, marks his 6 months. They made it pretty easy for me to remember the date when they deployed him on July 4th. Halfway through, we noticed that his orders say something about 6 months plus training the new guy. So...we are still waiting with no return date. This is just torture.

On the bright side, he still should be home this month and that's something to celebrate!

New Year's Resolution

Just one this year.

I resolve to focus on friends and family that matter, and to stop spending time and worry on those who are just passers-by in my life.

Hope everyone has a great year in 2011. Congraulations on another trip around the sun!

Willow House ending 12/31

Hey Friends! There are only two days left. This ends on 12/31.

My aunt, Gwen Berthelot, is a Willow House Consultant. For all purchases through the end of the year, 25% of all sales will go to my mom. If you didn't already know, my mom is a stage IV colon cancer patient. This will help her with medical bills, etc.

Have some extra Christmas money to spend? Be sure to check out those outlet items. They have great deals there!

Go through her site http://gwenberthelot.willowhouse.com, click on “Shop my new Online Store”, and enter your order. When you check out, it will ask for a host and you should put in Kathleen Williams

Feel free to forward this information along. This fundraiser is open to anyone. They don't have to know Kathleen.

Thank you for all of your support.

Christmastime trip

We left Monday of Christmas week and headed to Austin (well, Pflugerville) to see my new nephew. He is just the cutest little thing. Keira was a little jealous. I can't say I blame her. I did insist on holding him almost every second that he was awake and not eating. It was still not enough.

Tuesday we visited Joe's grandparents who live in Austin. Of course, Granny made us lunch. We were not expecting lunch as it was a last minute visit, but I should have guessed Granny would not let us leave without feeding us first. It is so nice that the girls get to see their great-grandparents.

From there, we set out for Houston to see Joe's parents. Keira slept almost the entire way, which was very nice. On Wednesday evening, we went out to see Panto Pinocchio. It was in a small theatre. We had front row seats and there was audience participation. Elle was so, so excited to go to this, but the minute it started she freaked out. I was sitting with Keira and Elle was with Baba (Bridget, Joe's mom). It's a good thing because I probably would have walked out with her, not wanting to disturb the rest of the audience. But, Baba and Aunt Marcia managed to calm her down. Keira was enjoying it though. She sat right on the edge of the seating area with her feet dangling onto the stage. There was a portion when all the kids were asked to come out and sing. Keira ran right out there and the entire audience went, "Awwww..." She was the littlest one. Then, another little boy about her size ran out there, too. I would say Keira was the highlight of the show. Everytime she got up to potty we'd have to pass some of the cast in the wings. They would all comment on how adorable she was. Well, on the way home she threw up all over the car. Thank goodness that did not happen on stage.

On Christmas eve we played at the park. Of course, we opened presents later. It pretty much looked like Toys R Us threw up in the living room again. Yea!!

We had Christmas dinner early at 11am, so we could get on the road back to Abilene in time for Santa to come. The trip was long, but we made it in one piece. Santa had a really hard time putting together Keira's mini trampoline. It is still not right, but the directions even say you need two people, so we will fix it in a few weeks when Daddy is home (yea! Did I just say weeks...only weeks to go!)

Elle could not fall asleep for Santa. I had to keep talking to Santa through the chimney asking him to wait a little longer, so Elle could closer her eyes. This only made her more excited though. She would scream, "Santa is here!"

They were both very pleased with their Santa gifts. I have to say they have done a wonderful job sharing so far. But, I'm certain it will not last.

I was able to read a little during the trip while the girls were trying to fall asleep each night. But no running. I felt a little rusty on my first run post Christmas, but it felt normal by the end. Tomorrow I have a sitter coming, so I can do a long run in the afternoon. The rest of the week will be treadmill runs. Then, next week starts school again on Wednesday! Woohoo!

RRRG

It's been so long since I have blogged that I really don't know where to begin. Maybe I should just stick with the basics.

Running: The girls had their last day of school last Monday, so I am stuck on the treadmill for a few weeks. I made it 10 miles on the mill on Friday. My longest on the treadmill. It took forever. I watched an entire movie. I cranked up the air conditioner to get it down to 60 degrees and still had my fan blowing it my face. But I did make an entire 10 miles on the treadmill, so I call it a success.

Reading: B&N had to send me a replacement Nook. Mine finally froze and wouldn't wake up this time. Let's see if I can recall all of the books I've read recently. The Plain Truth by Jodi Piccoult. Eat, Pray, Love. I really didn't like this book at all. Awesome for someone to get the chance to travel around the world to "find" themself while eating, praying, and loving - or whatever it is she was doing. But, I just found it boring to read about someone else's journey to self-actualization, happiness, peace, or love. I found myself thinking blah, blah, blah...get over yourself, girl. Regardless, I'm excited about receiving my rental from Netflix in the next couple of weeks of the movie. I think I will appreciate the movie much more than the book.

I just finished Picking Cotton. It's a true story about a man wrongly convicted and imprisoned for rape. The story was good. It's a true story, so it's not like you can just input more interesting events.

Right now, I'm reading The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard. I have only read the prologue so far, but I'm pretty sure I will like this one. It's a book for my book club that we are reading for January.

Raising Girls: Whew! We have been busy. They have school Mon-Wed-Fri. Elle has dance class Tues-Thurs evenings. On the weekends, we've been busy with parties or get togethers, I guess. I'm really not sure where all of the time goes. Elle had her Christmas program at school. I don't think she sang one word, but she sure was cute standing up there. Then, she was an angel in the Nutcracker. Her dance studio puts it on every year. It was last night and she was absolutely gorgeous. Really...I can't get over it. I find myself staring at the picture of her in her costume and make-up. It's a glimpse into the future.

We leave tomorrow to start our Christmastime trip. One quick stop in Austin to see Baby Carter, my new nephew! Then, to Houston to see Joe's family.

Only about a month until our guy returns. I cannot wait!