Busted (Part 2)!!!

Caught leaving the scene of the crime!!! Somebody figured out how to pull all the diaper wipes out of the container!

Thankfully, it's easy to forgive him now that he's so affectionate! He's learned to give kisses and wave! I caught him waving at two different strangers this morning at the post office. Thankfully, both parties waved back (thereby saving me the trouble of having to kick their behinds if they ignored my boy). However, we do have to fine tune his kissing technique a little. At present his "kiss" consists of merely leaning forward and opening his mouth, which while cute- is not likely to win over his lady friends at preschool.

Even though this week's long run should have been 10 miles, last night I deviously and excitedly hatched a plan to wake up at 5:30am and slam out 13.1. This is partly because I had such a great 9-miler last weekend and knew I could handl it- physically and psychologically. But it was also because I really, really needed to do something 'spectacular' that would make me feel like a champ again (it's been a rough week...Ry has been very sick and needy, and the overeating has been out of control).

However, thanks to piss poor planning on my part, I stayed out too late last night shopping (Roy gave me 3 hours to myself!) and then forgot to take my sleeping pill (I'm some what of an insomniac) until 10:30pm. I also forgot about a morning appointment that would have made it difficult to run those extra 3 miles. The practical/paranoid side of me also worried about overdoing it and ending up with an overuse injury versus safely pacing myself.

So I started out the run feeling both very groggy and dejected. And despite downing 6 shot bloks throughout the run, I never really found my groove. In fact, I felt tired for pretty much the entire run. Though I was able to eke out the 10, it was at a MUCH slower clip than last week and did not feel enjoyable. At all. In fact at one point during mile 2 I looked over at a rocky, jagged lava field and thought- man, wouldn't it be great if I could just stop running and take a little snooze on those rocks? And at mile 5 I remember thinking- ah hell...I think I'm just gonna call Roy and crawl under a shady tree until he comes. Preferably with a bag of chips. But of course I didn't. Because not only am I incredibly stubborn (I HATE quitting long runs unless I'm injured), but I kept trying to remind myself that it's not the awesome, powerful runs that fortify and strengthen my mind, it's the extremely exhausting, laborious difficult ones. And while that didn't make me feel a damned bit better during the run, I did feel a tiny bit of satisfaction afterward that I managed to slog through it.

On a more entertaining note, I did notice that I once again completely soaked through my running shorts. This doesn't bother me, but I'm sure it may have bothered some of the early bird senior citizens in line at the post office since they were subjected to my wet, soggy behind stretching against a handicap parking sign pole while we were all waiting for it to open. And if you're wondering if this is embarrasing to do this in such a public place...um, it is. A little. But when I'm that tired, I just don't care all that much!

Roy rocked the mike (& I rocked my run)

Roy did really well at last night's ukulele recital. If you're on Facebook, he posted a video of him performing Leonard Cohen's 'Halelujah' while the audience swayed back and forth waving lighters in the air, some weeping hysterically and falling to floor, others screaming out his name (unfortunately, none of which was caught on camera...so you'll have to take my word for it). Roy only took 8 lessons before he performed, and he happened to take them from the world's flakiest instructor ever (she no-showed once, came VERY late twice, then cancelled and rescheduled 4 classes in a row....but the icing on the cake? Last night she arrived over an hour late to the recital leaving all the students she asked to come in an hour early to help set up locked out the entire time)! And of course- not a single apology. Classy, eh?

Here's a pic of little Ryan at the recital. You can see that he was a very good little boy who sat quietly in his stroller and watched daddy the entire time (except for 50 of the 60 min. when he tried to stand up, shrieked, ate graham crackers and bananas, banged on his tray, repeatedly threw all his toys on the ground and shimmyed his way to the ground so he could crawl around on the dirty floor, etc.). He was such a joy to watch that I plan on taking him out socially again sometime in 2017. Just kidding- he did have a few cute moments. At one point when I was standing in the back of the room with him tossing him up into the air (dangerous, but it gets him smiling) he saw his daddy and began smiling and waving at him.

So today I ran my 9-miler. Loved it! It was just what I needed after yet another week of eating way too much and feeling like a loser. I wasn't feeling it when I started, partly because after the recital last night we hung out in the hot tub at a friend's house until after 10pm and then I got up at 5:30am (so I was tired), and partly because it was already humid as heck. But around mile 5, the adrenaline kicked in and I started to feel good- in control of my breathing, my stride relaxed but confident and full of energy. Two weeks ago when I ran my 8-miler I started to feel really tired over the entire last mile, but today I felt like I could have easily run 10 miles. I forced myself not to though, I don't want to overdo it and end up with an overuse injury to my granny knees (as it is, I popped some ibuprofen around mile 8 once they started to ache). But the best part of all? I actually ran solid 10:00 minute miles. I started out at 7am, and even though I stopped at about 5 traffic lights, I finished at exactly 8:30am.

So I learned something new out on the road today (get your pens out folks, because the lessons I learn out on the road are always poignant and life alternating)- If you have sweaty, chubby thighs, you CANNOT wear light blue running shorts in humid running conditions. Because if you do, once you're finished, it will very much look like you peed yourself. Repeatedly.

Talk about embarrassing. I mean, I've definitely noticed that I sweat more running here versus California, but I never noticed just how much until after's today run when I happened to glance down and nearly fell over when I saw JUST how disgusting I looked. So from here until the end of time, it's all about the dark-colored running shorts.

Even though it's much more humid here and there are no equestrian trails, I will say that the people make running here ten times more desirable than California. Back in Cali, I felt like it was everyone's goal to run me over in their haste to get their Starbucks double soy latte hold-the-cream .05 seconds faster. And it was pretty much an hourly occurance that some sketchy male would either slow down next to me and creepily stare or honk loudly to scare the crap out of me. But in Kona? Moped riders and bicyclists always smile and say hi, and to date- even after months of running on the road, not ONE motorist has honked at me. Now in all fairness, this could be because most people tend to be visually repulsed by those who appear to lack bladder control (I saw 'most' because the beauty about living in this great country is that no matter how funky and messed up your fetish is...you're probably not alone). But even better? Every single time I get to an intersection the same time as another motorist, they always wave me through first. Unbelievable, right? Kona, Hawaii really does "share the road with Aloha." Good job, PATH! (People's Advocacy Trails Hawaii)

Our Little Boy

Look who loves Amy's veggie lasagna!

Ry's a pretty good eater, but I worry that I've gotten into a bit of a rut with his diet. Everyday it's pretty much the same thing:

Breakfast- applesauce with mashed apple bananas and brown rice cereal or oatmeal

Lunch- mashed avocado and a cup of plain yogurt or poi

Snack- graham cracker

Dinner- veggie/tofu stir fry or elbow macaroni (fortified with fiber) with pesto/broccoli or cheese

Occasionally we'll make strawberry or banana pancakes, waffles or pb & j for breakfast, but for the most part, I feel like we're feeding him the same ten foods over and over again. They're generally healthy foods, but we're not giving him the variety or crunchier/more chewable foods that I think he's supposed to be ready for since he has 6 teeth. I also rarely feed him veggies since I give him so much fruit. I'm still too chicken to give him 'real' table food, either because it's too oily, too spicy, too salty or too dangerous. I hope I'm not delaying him developmentally because of my laziness/cowardice.

Mom's of the world- any suggestions for easy to prepare, mostly healthy baby foods that aren't too oily/crunchy/salty/dangerous?

Easter Weekend

Pre-race smiles...before we got schooled!

SHAME ON ME...

...for ever snickering at old people's tales of having to walk to school uphill, both ways. Because on today's 10k race course- Roy and I learned that it is VERY possible to have a race course that is uphill both ways! It kicked our a**!!!

...for ever internally gloating anytime I ever (and this is admittedly very rare) glided by a mother running with a jog stroller. Those damn things might be light and aerodynamic...but once you plop a smiling, chubby 20-pound baby boy in there and try to push 'em up a hill while running- it's HARD!!! We had NO idea how much more difficult it would be to run with that thing. I humbly bow down to the stroller mom brigade!

Ry (sans shirt...it was hot) & Daddy pounding mac nut pancakes

I must say, however, that despite the race being a bit hotter, hillier and heavier- that it was a lovely, lovely race. I loved the friendly, casual small town feel to it (so different from So Cal!). We parked our car on the side of the road a few hundred yards to the starting line (chalk dumped on the ground), the 'starting gun' was a conch shell, some friendly young canoe paddlers on the side of the road kept yelling "Gooooo baby!!!" at Ryan everytime we passed them...and of course, we appreciated the post-race macadamia nut and banana pancakes by the ocean!

Ry and I with scenic Pu'uhonua O Honaunau in the background

As for our actual time? Tee hee. We were slower. Muuuch slower. Almost exactly five minutes slower. We both ran 10:30 minute miles. We wanted to run this race together as a family, so our priority was to stick together the whole time (which we did)! Like last month's 10k- Roy had to throttle back a little for the first half of the race. Possibly because he's male, or possibly because he has longer legs or perhaps he's just a superior athlete- he always starts out faster than me (and remember...he doesn't run/train!). So he sorta took one for the team by running slower AND pushing Ryan a lot more in the first half of the race. However (probably because I do 'train' more), I carried us the second half by keeping us on pace on pushing Ryan more.

The Mac-A-Thon 10k was about half the size of the Kona Brewing Company's 10k last month, only 50-something people ran the 10k, and only around 70 people ran the 5k (which was about 40-50 less than last year). I'm guessing it's because it's much further out of town and the poor economy, but it's still a shame. Even though the race course kicked us in the arse, I know we'll be back next year.

And as a completely funny side note, guess who "won" her age division (female 30-39)? This was only because there was a total of 4 people in my age group- two of whom were in the top 3 overall finishers, thereby leaving only me and the other female. So if you can completely overlook that fact that the other two females skunked my a** and won their own medals, then you can feel free to congratulate me for winning the 1st place medal by default (I'm guessing the other lady was either running with triplets or recently broke her leg).

Once we left the Mac-A-Thon we raced over to an Easter event so we could get a picture of Ry with the Easter Bunny to commemorate his First Easter. You can see how thrilled he was by the experience (he was VERY disinterested and sucked his thumb the entire time).

Ry & the Easter Bunny (he tolerated her because she felt like a soft blanket)

He was equally impressed by his first pony ride...if you look closely, you can see how he tightly curled all ten of his toes the entire time because he didn't like the stiffness of the horse's coat!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Ry's Easter present to us is that about a week ago he started to clap on command. I also taught him how to give a kiss (he leans forward and opens his mouth), and Roy taught him to throw both his arms up in the air when he yells "touchdown" (we're not perpetuating gender stereotypes AT ALL in this household).

Hana Hou for us, Debut for Ry!

Assuming my ankle gets better, Roy, Ry and I will be running this Saturday (that's right! Ry will be cruising with us in his jog stroller!) in the Keoua Honaunau Canoe Club's Annual 10k Mac-A-Thon! I'm excited. Mostly 'cause they'll have mac nut pancakes at the finish line, but also because the race is at the beautiful Pu'uhonua O Honaunau, which is one of the most sacred and serene places on the island. Though I still vastly prefer 13.1 over 6.2 (mostly because I'm so slow and running further makes me feel better), I'm learning that there are a lot more 10k races than half marathons, so I've gotta work with what we've got here!

We don't really have any time to practice with Ry in the stroller (he's always in the backpack, which he prefers) before the race, so we'll be winging it. I apologize in advance to the Napo'opo'o community if they hear nonstop whimpering/howling while we navigate our way through the course. I have no idea how much more difficult it will be pushing a jog stroller, but little Ry isn't so little anymore. He's just shy of 20 pounds now!

And on that note, guess who will be one year old in less than 6 weeks? So as of this month, I'm in official party planning mode!

Here is a copy of the invite that I whipped up in Word that showcases little Ry during each month of his first year of life. I've also started working on the menu and a to-do list. Getting excited though, just bought all the ingredients for FOUR pans of macadamia nut brownies for the party favors! It will KILL Roy to give those all away! He's not a greedy man...until I start giving chocolate baked goods away.

The Big News

My apologies...so after multiple teasers about my 'big news,' I forgot to even mention what it was (since it never panned out). A little over a month ago I applied for a Director of HR position at a local brewing company that's growing quite rapidly. In my opinion, they're on track to be the next Sam Adams in terms of being small, but big (if you know what I mean). So after 3-4 weeks of interviews, it started to look like I had a good chance at getting it since I was one of the final two candidates.

To make a long story short, I didn't get it. Which ultimately, was not a bad thing. I was very conflicted about not wanting to work full-time from the get go and was very upfront with the CEO about it (which may have influenced my not getting it, but I'm too old to not be up front about that stuff). The only reason I did apply was because had I gotten it, we figured Roy would probably drop down to part-time so that he could watch Ryan instead (we don't want him in daycare yet). However, when I didn't get the offer (they ended up going with a gentleman from out-of-state who has 10+ more years of experience than me), the CEO did a really amazing thing- he offered me another position that he thought I'd want even more- a part-time HR position that would have allowed me to work partly from home.

While it was an extremely kind and considerate offer from one of the most compassionate CEOs I've ever met, I regrettably had to decline based on a number of logistics- conflicts with Roy's ever changing work schedule, the subsequent cost of part-time daycare, etc. Though it was very difficult to pass up what felt like a priceless opportunity, I'm confident I made the right decision. It was still quite an emotional roller coaster though. Initially I was just flattered to have made it to each new round of interviews, especially since the job was posted in multiple states and on national job websites like Yahoo.

So unlike your normal Kona, HI interview pool where one candidate shows up slightly drunk, another shows up late, three are your cousins and two come in wearing rubber slippers (I wore a shower cap just so I'd fit in)- this was a decent candidate pool. But once I made it to the final round- I started to get excited about the idea of having a kick-a** job again. This soon turned to panic once Roy realized he really didn't want to work part-time though (he's just starting his career and loves it), which would have meant daycare for Ryan YEARS before I'd intended. So in the end, while logistics were largely the reason I/we declined the offer, it also came down to wanting to maintain the simpler lifestyle we have found here (versus the more complicated one we would have with dual careers again).

It's a pretty miraculous ending for me (declining the position) if you knew that for the first 7-8 months of Ryan's life, all I wanted to do was have my old life/job back. I couldn't have felt more isolated. While I appreciated being able to stay home with Ryan, it never felt 'right' or natural for me. Even though I bonded with Ryan from day one, I still felt as though I was living someone else's life. Some other mother's life. Every single day for over six months I woke up with a sense of almost disbelief that this was now my new life. I couldn't believe that Roy would drive off to work each day and that I was still standing there in my Hello Kitty pjs waving goodbye with a baby on my hip. So for nearly all of that time, I was a very unhappy martyr who also carried around immense guilt for feeling that way.

However, over the past few months (in large part because of this job opportunity) I've really come to appreciate my new life. Mostly the long, lazy days I have with Ryan and the simplicity of it all. No hour(s) long-gas guzzling commutes, no petty work gossip or office politics, no early mornings/late nights, no cutbacks or lay offs, no more crazily coordinating with Roy who would work what day and when we would see each other next (sometimes it was 2 straight weeks before we'd have a day off together).

Nowadays it's just waking up to see a grinning, bouncing Ryan, running a few errands, taking him to preschool twice a week, cooking our meals, doing the occasional load of laundry, managing our finances, reading while he naps twice a day, evening walks with Roy, hanging out with my mom and sister-in-law...it's not a rough life. I mean, it may not be my first choice in life, but it's certainly something I can enjoy for a few years. And now I think I do. Very much so. Like everyone said- it just took time.

I think it will always pain me a bit to have given up a great job not once, but now twice. But I have yet to meet a parent who has regretted choosing their children over their careers/money. So while I do miss thriving in the workplace and earning a paycheck, I know that I will have many opportunities to do that again once Ryan is in school all day. Not that I ever intend to work 8-5 again. I'm committed to being home when he's home (from school) for homework and after school activities, which means at most, I'll want to work part-time until he's old enough to not need or want me there anymore. But I don't look at it like a sacrifice, it's more like a healthy work-life balance that is best for all of us- Ryan, Roy and I.

So that was the big news- I thought I had a big, kick-a** life changing job again. I thought I'd be ballin' again. But...I'm not. I'm still 'just' a stay-at-home-mom who's gonna have to kick a** and take names in my own way that has nothing to do with the workplace. And I'm very, very cool with that now that I've learned that there are plenty of other far more meaningful places to find yourself and redefine yourself other than the workplace.