Weekend and Cold season

December 18th, 2007

It warmed up here a bit Friday and everything thawed out which was nice.  Then it decided to turn cold yet again.  Saturday it was cold (upper 20’s) and we had some nice gusty winds in the 20+ mph range with big old snow flakes thrown in.  IT was blowing to hard to stick, though.  Headed out and got in 8 miles.  Running into the wind sucked, but going with it was good.

Great run overall, and got to tour a bunch of the surrounding neighborhoods to see all the downed lumber.  What a sight.  There was one house that I give my “Making the best of a bad situation” award to; they had a front yard full of limbs and had strung their Christmas lights all over them.  Went back that night to show Carrie.  It looked like they had shrubs across the front of their yard which they had decorated.  Too funny.

Was going to run Sunday after our church’s Candlelight Carol Service, but we didn’t get home until.  10pm.  Oh well.  Oh yeah, I have a head cold now.  It stinks.  No running yesterday or today.  We’ll see about tomorrow.

3 months

December 12th, 2007

So I’m a week an a day late.  But the last week has been extremely busy, and not in a good way.  Last week began with a visit from Monique, Jules, and Darby from NOLA.  It was great fun having them here and meeting Darby for the first time, even though it was cold and rainy and not nice outside.

On your 3 month birthday, Abigail got sick, throwing up once in the crib while sleeping and once in the middle of the day all over Jules, who had picked her up to save George from the coming onslaught.  We didn’t think much of it since Mommy ate some spicy food Monday night, and we just thought it upset A’s tummy, since A was in a great mood.  Not so.  Wednesday evening G decided to throw-up all over A and Mommy right after eating dinner.  Mommy wasn’t feeling too great but got into the shower to clean herself and you kiddos off.  Halfway through, she began throwing-up all over the tub.  Guess what, it didn’t drain very well, so she spent a while cleaning it up while I finished putting you two to bed.  She spent the rest of the night, and next couple of days sick as a dog.  Luckily G&A were not fussy at all, but slept a lot.

We spent the weekend getting well only to have an ice storm come in and knock out our power Monday morning at 2am.  There were limbs and trees down all over the neighborhood.  It looked like a tornado came through.  The streets were full of debris and we had a time getting out of the neighborhood.  Luckily, the Lees didn’t loose power, so we had a sleep-over at their house Monday and Tuesday night.  Finally this morning at 10am, we got power back!  Woohoo!  Needless to say, now we just have to get the limbs all cut up and ready to be picked-up.

You two keep on growing and changing every day.  I probably should have been doing a weekly journal, but oh well.  You are both now holding your heads up on your own, even when laying on your bellies.  G you are a little behind on this as you definitely received the Jankowski noggin, and you have way more head to hold up. A, you are constantly holding your head up and looking back and forth at everything.

G, you are a chamer, still always wanting to be held and content to just stare back and grin.  Your smile is great, taking up your whole face.  You have also begun laughing this month.  It is a cute little “huh-huh” quiet laugh.  You are still just laid back as can be.  You have no problem sitting in the swing staring at fishies, or just laying on your back looking at everything in sight, slowly but surely, like you’re trying to memorize every detail.  But when you get a wet diaper or need some food, watch out.  You break out into verse and don’t stop until your need is met.  There is no soothing.  There is no middle range.  All or nothing.

A, you are a fiesty little one.  In a good way.  You are strong as the dickens.  It all begins with your hands.  I call you my little lint collector because you are constantly grabbing everything in your reach, especially clothes, and by the end of the day, your palm and in-between your fingers is a great collection of lint.  You have begun to really enjoy lying on your back kicking your legs and raising your arms.  This is usually combined with talking, as you talk to everyone, and everything, you see.  Your big milestone was rolling over on a consistent basis.  It is pretty fun to watch, you move your head back and forth rocking for a while and then throwing your head one direction and following it with your body.

One of the best moments from this month was 3 consecutive nights that you both slept for around 7 hours straight.  It was a bit frightening the first time, and Mommy and I were awake wondering if we should go check on you, but we restrained ourselves and let you be.  The next night, we didn’t even wake up until you did.  But then as quickly as it happened, it ended, and we’re back to waking up at least once in the middle of the night.  Oh well, I’m sure you’ll consistently sleep through the night when you’re good and ready.

Love,

Daddy

Ice Storm 2007 (part 2)

December 12th, 2007

My favorite local newscaster (Rick Mitchell of KOCO News Channel 5) is all about sensationalism, and so am I.  Every time there is the tiniest chance of bad weather, it gets some crazy name that they use to refer to it for weeks on end during the newscast and on the bottom of the screen scroll.  Well the most recent weather event is Ice Storm 2007, but I’m pretty sure that moniker was used back in January/February 2007 when we were previously frozen.  For shame, I expect more from my sensational journalists.

Still, I’ll be watching every glorious minute of coverage, now that we have power after 2.5 days.  There’s nothing better than watching the on-the-scene reporters freezing their tails off to show a) ice accumulation in the last 10 minutes, b) Oklahomans still can’t drive on ice, or c) ice melts when it gets over freezing.

On a side note, I have gotten some runs in even with the inclement weather.  Best was Sunday night as the first wave rolled through.  It was a glorious 5.25 miler.  Nothing better than finishing a run with rain freezing to your jacket.

Long Week

December 7th, 2007

Monday I got out with Boomer for his first run in weeks.  He did great.  It was beautiful outside.  Temp hanging around 40F and no wind to speak of.  Stars were all out and we had the streets to ourselves (For the most part).

Tuesday just didn’t get around to running, but did crunches and sit-ups instead.

Wednesday, the dams broke loose from Carrie and George with both throwing up frequently.  I spent all night up with them as they were sick sick sick.  I ended up getting the stomach bug, but at least it affected me in the opposite way, and only for a minor part of Thursday morning as I was home taking care of the fam.

By Thurs evening I was feeling ready to run, and Boomer was in the need of some activity as he had been in for the majority of the day.  So off we went.  It was a great evening and the run went well until around 2 miles and then I hit the wall.  I had to walk a little bit, but made it home in one piece.  Finished with 3.5 miles.  Moral of the story, don’t run the same day you have ill effects from a stomach bug.

Slipstream/Chipotle

December 4th, 2007

Looks like I have a new cycling team to root for.  Slipstream/Chipotle is not only dedicated to winning without cheating, but it is sponsored by one of my favorite restaurants, ever.  Not star studded, with the exception of Millar, but there are some great up and comers such as Van de Velde, Zabriske and Danielson.

Make sure to scroll down to the comments on the 1st link to get a language lesson from William Safire.  Good stuff.

Weekend

December 4th, 2007

Man it was weird weather-wise here in OK.  It was warm and humid Friday.  Cooled off and got very windy Saturday am.  I was set to run double digits.  Didn’t have more of a goal than to hit at least 10.  Set out a little before 7am.  It was registering 50, but was very blustery and misting.  Not my favorite running conditions, but off I went.  It was a very stout wind out of the south.  Sustained around 15mph and gusting to 25+.  Went south for about a mile then went west and north for a while.  Coming back into the wind was rough.  I was struggling to hit 10min/miles.  But on I pushed and ended with 11.3 miles in 1hour 48min and some change.  Was pleased to average under 10 min miles, cause I was spent

Sunday, it turned cold with a strong wind from the north.  It was very cool to see the front roll through, dropped 15+ degrees in about 10 minutes.  Our church had an advent festival that evening and we had friends in town with a 1.5 yr old, so we headed to see if there were crafts for him to do.  (There weren’t but there was an indoor playground for him to run around on.)  Decided to pack the twins into their bunting suits and wrap them up tight for our very first run with the jog stroller.  Goodness!  That is one heck of a workout.  It worked great, but pushing a wind trap into 20 mph head winds sucks.  Powered through for 3.3 miles to meet the rest of the crew at church.  Can’t wait for many more runs with the twins.  They did great, slept the whole time.

Slacking

November 30th, 2007

So I haven’t been out nearly as much as I should, but rest is a good thing too, right?  Actually, we’ve just been busy, busy in the evenings, doing all of those holiday planning things, as well as cleaning the house, grocery shopping, etc.  So, not too surprised that I haven’t been out.

Monday got in crunches and push-ups.  Tuesday did the same. Wednesday night finally got out to run.  Granted it was 10pm, but hey whatever works.  Got in a strong 3.9 miles.  Great night run.  Quiet, cool, not too much wind, no traffic.  Got an odd look from a cop that passed me.

Last night did crunches and push-ups and was planning on running, but didn’t finish cleaning until 10:30pm, so decided to punt.  Didn’t run this am either.

I’m aiming for 10+ tomorrow bright and early.

Turkey day and surrounding festivities

November 26th, 2007

Sorry for the long delay in posting.  We had a houseful and even more visitors in town.  We hosted Thanksgiving this year and G&A were baptized on Sunday.  Quite a great time of celebration.  But man is it tiring.  Ended up cooking less than what I was expecting to as sisters-in-law and moms came to the rescu.  Still made 2 pies, 2 birds and green bean casserole.  Roasted one bird in the oven with stuffing.  Marinated and grilled the other.  Both turned out tasty.  I like the grilled bird a whole lot more.  You can’t beat bird cooked over an open flame.

Knew it would be tough impossible getting a long run in this weekend, and that there was way too much good food floating around the house, so Turkey day am got up around 7:30 and actually ran out to get coffee as the shipment from Peets hadn’t made it in yet.  Turned that into 7.2 miles.  Averaged 9:20 and did the last 2 in sub 9 min/miles.  It was cold.  The low Wed night was around 26F and it was still frigid with a strong North wind blowing in.  Great run.  No traffic and no one else out there.

On Friday most of the crew went down to Pauls Valley to visit the pig farm in the afternoon, so I headed out again.  Got in just over 4.5 miles.  Again cold and windy.

Saturday didn’t run, but walked about 4 miles or so going to tailgating and Bedlam.  Great game and good to see Dave and Steph.   Thanks for the ticket and invite.  Boomer Sooner, lets beat Mizzou.

Last night did crunches and pushups. Good news is I didn’t gain anything over the long weekend.  Was able to hold steady.

Basketball & 2.3

November 21st, 2007

Tuesdays have become my basketball night once again, so long as I can help get the kids down before I leave.  Which (knock on wood) has been happening.  So last night got the kiddos down and was there in time to shoot for teams.  Played 3 games in just over an hour.  No one wanted to play another, and I felt like I still had some in me.

So I decided to head out for a quick run.  Put in 2.3 miles.  The last mile or so was not so fun.  I apparently had sprinted enough for the evening and my legs felt like lead.  And the cold front decided to come in a few hours early and so the last mile which was due north into the incoming front sucked.  The only plus side was that the cold air felt good. Finished up in time to get home to cut the animals nails before giving the kiddos showers.

Tagged

November 20th, 2007

Rules:

  • Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
  • Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
  • Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
  • Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

My tagger? Big Bro

5 Facts:

1. I was born in Austin, TX, but only lived there for 2 months, before returning later in life. I still consider Austin my hometown.

2. I piled up 194 hours of credit at two undergraduate schools (Centenary College and University of Louisiana at Lafayette) prior to graduating with one major and not minor. Took a while to figure out what I thought I wanted to do and then there were just so many interesting classes. Guess this is why I won’t will try to understand if G or A takes a year off after high school to figure things out.

3. I’m a huge fan of the Sooners, but will cheer on Texas any Saturday in the fall except that celebrated second Saturday in October. This stems from having a Grandfather who worked at UT for many, many years, a mother who attended UT, a wife with a Masters from there, and cheering for them, at least until they were the only law school from which denied my application.

4. I’m an avid whitewater paddler, mainly kayak, but some open boat as well. I try to get away to the rivers as often as is possible, but that is quite tricky. While I love the sport, it is a very frustrating endeavor to be involved in such a rain and weather dependent activity. Great Organization.

5. I love to cook and do a majority of the cooking for our household. I love to try new recipes and cooking styles and many days have the Food Network on my office tv in the background for the off chance of seeing something interesting to try. I love involved cooking, and not necessarily recipes that are the quickest. Point in fact, last week I made green bean casserole with homemade mushroom soup instead of out of a can. And I try to make all my own pie crusts.

My Tagees: A Walk, RivenDri, Cousin Kerstin, & the Bailies.