Happy Intentions, Reality and Back to Happy

If I could freeze this moment...
Fall Morning
Blue Ridge Mountains
Sitting out on my porch
Small Mountain Town
Birds, Squirrels, Falling Walnuts
Coffee
   Color
Cool
   Crispness
Clear Skies
   Calendar Day Open
 Kid Giggles coming from inside,
   as they jump on couch cushions and eat pancakes on the side
Unmade beds
SUNSHINE
Happily sore legs from a week of solid running and fitness
This will be a day I come back to in my memories...

Cue the screeching car break sound.  Or finger nails on a chalk board......

We interrupt this short moment of bliss for a few moments of full blown four year old fit reality!  

Really?! 

Deep Breaths, tight chest, irrational logic from a four year old boy who insists that jumping off the couch towards cushions right up against a brick fire place is the BEST idea despite anything we say to convince him otherwise.  

Deep breaths.  

A few tears.  

Instead of carrying on with my immediate plans of finishing my coffee while writing a long Happiness List as a morning exercise of gratitude, I needed a few moments to get my hormonal 34 (35 in a month) year old self back to neutral.  Man! Tell me again how much I'll miss these sweet days when my kids are young? I know I will.  And remind me how strong will and feisty personalities are good traits to have for life. I know this too.

I took a few moments to sip my coffee and take in the beautiful morning thinking the worst was behind me.  Then another fight broke out.  And another. And, ready for it?  Another.  I guess my kids were clearly NOT on the same vision page as I was on this fine day.  In an attempt to reclaim my happy energy, I tried to sit in silence for a bit and read past posts on here and in my journals related to Happiness. This helped. It reminded me of how capable of sweetness and love my kids really were.   It also helped me reclaim my happy mojo to be reminded of just how many things there are to be happy about. One post in particular that  made me smile was one written almost exactly a year ago:

Things That Make Me Happy.. An Exercise in Happiness

Reading this post (along with the comments from you) made me smile.  All is calm again and I'm ready to add to my happiness list throughout this day 

Things that make me Happy Today:

• Beautiful morning
• Tracking friends at the Portland and Twin Cities Marathons.
• Seeing my daughter get better at riding her bike.
• Watching my husband be such a good father to our children. His patience is a gift to all of us. When I'm feeling more emotional than normal, he is so quick to step in and pick up the slack.   
• A family walk/bike ride to the local bakery where we ate some really great kale salad and shared a cookie.  
• Living in this beautiful place that I love so much.  I know it is short lived but when we say good bye in July, we get to go back to Portland, Oregon.  Not a bad place to live at all.  One of the coolest places I know actually.  
• The Jewel Fairy came today and brought Halloween Jewels.  
• Yoga with my sweet 6 year old daughter.  I could write an entirely separate post on just the different gifts that each of my children are.  So unique.  This little girl is my calm.  She always has been.  Sweet.  Happy.  JOYFUL.  Humble.  And Wise.  Having her next to me for the hour of yoga was such a sweet moment of life.  She kept turning to me on our shared mat and mouthing to me that she loved me and telling me how much fun she was having.  
• Finding my voice again.  Not that I lost it entirely.  It was just a little quieter than usual.  
• New opportunities.  They always come when we are willing to put ourselves out there and take more risks.  
• Trader Joe's came to Asheville!  Yippie!  Only thing is that everyone else is saying "Yippie!" too.  Gee, you'd think the circus was in town.  This place is crazy right now because EVERYONE in the general Asheville area wants a piece of it.  
• Excited about training for another marathon!  This DESIRE is KEY!  Yay for it coming back.  Now, let's see if my body agrees that it's a good idea.  I think there will need to be plenty of yoga and strength type stuff. 
• My friend Stephanie broke 3 hours in the marathon this weekend at St. George!  Such inspiration to me.  Thank you for this inspiration Steph, Soggy Runner Girl!  Write that race report as soon as you recover.  LOVE!  Incredible to watch you on your journey in finding your gifts.  I love you. And I miss running with you even though you are much faster than me. 

I could go on and on with this list.  Making a list like this has left me smiling. Similar to listing gratitude...such a powerful exercise in helping us change our perspective on things...or just saying THANK YOU for all that we have that is GOOD.  And when we recognize these things with gratitude and love, we almost always get more of them.

I would love to hear a few things that you love...first few things that just pop into your head when you comment (IF you comment...I know, I know, I've been so so bad at commenting back lately so I'm surprised that anyone still reads this thing).  Love and Happiness are contagious...I love reading what people are thankful for, what makes them happy or what they love.  So, in either a comment or a post of your own.....TAG, you're it!

And Just because the pictures from my post from my Friday's Post make me HAPPY, I'm including them again!

It's a boots, long socks, dress, sunshine, crisp fall kind of day! Love my Keen Bern Baby Bern

What a perfectly wonderful message from the universe for this little boy on this beautiful morning: "You are LOVED!" I love that my 4 year old noticed this "heart" on the walk into preschool, a sign clearly meant for him! What a gift of a day! #love

Oh, and the next post will be all RUNNING!  I promise.  I know, I don't need to write about running but this used to be kind of a running blog, right?  I want to ask about marathon training plans, talk about favorite shoes, Savannah Half-Marathon (yes, I switched to the half), Girls on the Run (LOVE this program and want to be more involved soon!), The Asheville Marathon, and a few other running-related things.  

What makes you Happy??  First 5 things that come to your mind.
Who raced this weekend??!  Portland Marathon?  Twin Cities Marathon?  What else?  

Run Happy Friends,

Amanda 

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Loaded Post: Life Realizations, Random Facial Hair, and Intentions on a Gift of a Friday

It's a boots, long socks, dress, sunshine, crisp fall kind of day! Love my Keen Bern Baby Bern Boots!

Hello Beautiful Day! I'm not sure a day could get much prettier. On all levels.  A Friday with blue skies, a fall crispness, positive energy, warm sunshine, flowing inspiration, seemingly endless patience and strong running legs.  A day of "I've Got This!" and "Wow, so many possibilities!"  I like this feeling.

It was one of the first days in a long time where I've had to grab a pen and notebook to keep up with and capture all my flowing thoughts.  Good thoughts.  Ideas.  Inspiration.  Small steps to take to get to where I'm going.  But first thing was first... I needed to get a to-do list going for my morning before I could act on any of the other things:

1. Tweeze the heck out of my eye brows.
2. Wax my upper lip.
3. Pluck random 2 or 3 chin and face hairs.  

Okay, so this wasn't on my to-do list but it should have been.  I mean, good grief!  Nobody told me that once I start getting closer to my mid 30's, I'd honestly be able use the phrase "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin." No, I'm not talking beard by any means but I really hope that these random hairs that I keep finding are as bad as it gets.  Someone tell me I'm not turning into a man. Ha! And if you're a true blonde, yeah yeah, you just don't understand.  And if you're my husband, you're embarrassed that I just wrote any of this because he is convinced that most women don't have to tweeze, pluck or wax...it's clearly just me.  What? Seriously honey? You really think I'm the only woman that buys the random box of lip wax/bleach?  Or has tweezers as her favorite beauty tool?  Nope.

Some real goals today:

1. Kick some ass today. Period. 
2. Be intentional about patience and self control when responding to kids.  
3. Be intentional about the positive messages I'm sending to my kids (especially my son who is dealing with some strong emotions lately).  I specifically want to model for him:  Self love and compassion, facing fears, and dealing with anger in ways that are helpful not harmful.  
4. Order some more parenting books and do a more research/reading on teaching kids emotional intelligence.  
5. Run.  
6. Continue to get involved with volunteer opportunities.  
7. Do the Jewel Fairy Dance for my kids. The Halloween Jewel Fairy is supposed to deliver some Halloween jewels today.

It wasn't hard to make today great.  I woke up happy and in love with where I'm at and the people in my life.  I had every intention of making great things happen today and I was excited to make it happen.  And gosh, when I'm feeling this way and making efforts to change things for the better, my entire family follows.  We all benefit.

Some things I realized today as I stepped back and looked at my life with such contentment and joy: 

• Sometimes things get harder before they get easier.
• The little things really do add up to big things!  Start with something small today.  It makes the big picture look a little less scary.  
• Thanks for this quote Women's Running Magazine:  "Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." --Joshua J. Marine
• Letting go of fear and embracing vulnerability is a real freaking big deal, it truly means something to me, and it isn't easy these days but gosh, life is better this way.
• When one door closes, another almost always OPENS.  Or many.  
• The things that matter most to us are sometimes the things we tend to take for granted and work the least on.
• Some pains, heartaches, and deep rooted longings will always be a part of us and that's okay.  They makes us who we are.  Acknowledging and accepting them, practicing lots of self love, and looking forward to the possibilities are key here.  
• We all have a story to tell that will make a difference to someone else.  Tell your story. 
• We don't have to do it all at once. Start small.  I know I said it again but this one is huge for me right now.  What's the worst that can happen?  We apply for something, reach out to someone, send an e-mail, make a connection, sign up for a new opportunity...these things almost always lead to something new...they get things in motion and start making our dreams a reality.  Thankful for a good friend who reminded me of this recently (thanks AM). 
• Sometimes it takes letting go of something we love because we love something else more. Life is full of decisions.  What matters most? 
• We never really lose ourselves.  Sometimes it feels like it.  But really, we are finding new parts of us that we didn't know we had.  
• I'm so glad to be who I am right now and wouldn't go back to who I was one, two, three or any years ago...not for all the money in the world.  This is a good place to be.  I know that life will only continue to bring layers of wisdom, love, lessons.... Bring it! Change is good even if the process of stretching is painful at times.  
• I am so incredibly thankful for the love of my life and best friend who is willing to continually grow and learn with me.  And love me unconditionally.  He's my rocking chair partner when I'm in my 100's sitting by a fire and thinking about the many happy years we've had together. Couldn't have chosen a better partner to share love and life with.  And raise these beautiful kids of ours! 
• I love living in Asheville.  More than any other place I've ever lived before (Oregon, Colorado, Iowa).  But family is important and unfortunately they live on the west coast.  Leaving in July to go back to Portland will be bittersweet.  For now, I intend on soaking up every last bit of this place I am so in love with.  
•  Woooo Weee Parenting is never a dull moment!
• We get back what we put into things.  Especially when it comes to LOVE.
• I may keep my circle of closest friends small but Wow, I have some pretty special people in my life.  Some friends that don't come around too often.  I feel blessed beyond measure here.  Two of my closest friends are actually women I originally met through the running blog world several years ago.  Our friendship eventually turned to e-mail and now I enjoy visiting them as often as I can. They've come to be beyond special.  This is just another message to me in the value of putting ourselves out there.  And the truth in things unfolding as they are meant to unfold.  
• Raising kids is the most challenging, beautiful, rewarding, and joyful experience of my life.  
• Running.  What a gift!  It's been a constant in my life for over 20 years now.  That's pretty incredible if I really think about it.  It's provided joy, drive, focus, therapy, calm, spiritual connection and clarity, moments of reflection and processing.... oh SO MUCH.  Forever THANKFUL for the gift of RUNNING!  
• We are LOVED. To love and be loved...isn't this the greatest gift we have?    

What a perfectly wonderful message from the universe for this little boy on this beautiful morning: "You are LOVED!" I love that my 4 year old noticed this "heart" on the walk into preschool, a sign clearly meant for him! What a gift of a day! #love

More on this later, but I'm excited to have been chosen to be an Ambassador for the Asheville Marathon at Biltmore Estates (I've written about this most beautiful and historical place before). Last year was the first year for this destination marathon and it sold out three weeks early.  I have no doubts it will sell out fast again and I hope that some of you will think about adding it for a spring marathon.  I'd love to get a group together to meet up that weekend! I plan on using it as a training run for Boston.  Your can read about it and register by clicking the button on the top right hand corner of my blog. Let me know if you're thinking of it and I can answer questions.   

Amanda 

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Random Runninghood: Facebook, Boston, Marathons, Books, Saying Yes, and More!

I'm not quite sure how I got lucky enough to find myself home alone  after dinner while my family is off to soccer practice.  So quiet in here.  I swear I'm married to Superman.  Not only is he off with all three kids while I get to stay here and to "clean up after dinner" a.k.a waste time until the last 10 minutes and then bust some major clean up bootay), but he cooked dinner while I was at the YMCA trying to fit in a speedish type workout on the treadmill.  He's definitely racking up the points!

I think this limited time calls for some bullet points:

• So Facebook wants to charge me for my posts.  Well, apparently, I can post all I want on my Runninghood Facebook page.  For free.  HOWEVER, if I want my followers/community to actually SEE my posts, I might need to pay for that. No thank you.  Right now, according to my stats, the only people seeing what I post today and quite often lately are my mom and closest friends.  Well, heck, I'm not even sure my mom sees my posts anymore.  Mom?  Do you?  Instead, I get this pop up a lot:

• Speaking of my mom (CherTheArt), love her most recent painting that she sold: 

The Protector, an original painting from CherTheArt  

• My personal challenge for today came from the familiar awareness that I say NO a lot!  Like way too much.  It is almost automatic at times.  About all sorts of things...things that others (and myself) might benefit from a "yes answer" to every once in awhile.  These things include trying new things, letting my kids do something that might require extra effort for me or against the normal grain, breaking from routine, treating myself to something out of the ordinary, etc.  So, today, I concentrated on saying YES to things that I might otherwise be too quick to say NO to.  It's neat to watch how these small but conscious YES DECISIONS can add to our life, open new doors, bring joy to others, and so much more. 

• As fall arrives, I can feel my appetite for running/training start to return a bit.  Summer for me brings such a more relaxed and non-structured side to it when it comes to running...long days, sunshine, sleeping in on weekends, lots of travel and being active with other activities outside of running, etc.  It feels good to want to settle into a more consistent running routine as winter approaches and I prepare my body for one or two spring marathons (The Boston Marathon and possible the Asheville Marathon).  Training during winter keeps me motivated and inspired during the months with fewer hours of daylight and sunshine.  In the past, living in Portland meant 9 months of constant rain and little to no sunshine.  Running gave me the endorphins and "inner sunshine" to help me through that depressing time of year.  Running more consistently also helps me stay active and fit during those holiday months that almost always sneak up on us.

• I love that it is long socks and boots season!  I have built up quite the collection of long socks but this black and white pair is my favorite.  I wear them all the time.  

• I love library days with my kids.  Really I love this town we live in, period.  But the library is one of my favorite parts.  It is so charming and just a very short walk from our house right downtown.  I'm going to miss it along with everything else in this community.  Most of the time we walk out of the library with at least a stack of 20 to 30 books.  This time my girls asked to get their own library cards (even though they don't need one).  You'd think it was Christmas around here with how excited my six year old daughter is!  She has her nose in a book ever chance she can get right now.  It is wonderful to see.  She can't wait to return her book and check another one out with her very own card.  So thankful to live in a country where we have books at our finger tips!  

One of my favorite things to do with my kids...learn and read!  We love libraries.  

• I spent this past weekend in Boston visiting a dear friend.  It was such a wonderful weekend.  Not only did I have the chance to get to know my friend and her family better, but Boston graced us with some most amazing early fall weather.  Sunshine, blue skies, and a perfect fall feel. Lots of talking, relaxing, laughing, shopping and running. We even went trail running but it was more of a hike at times...most technical trail I've run yet.  Only seven miles that took as long as 15.  And left me quite sore the next day!  I came home calm, refreshed, inspired and so so excited to be back in April for the marathon! 

AM took me trail running on a most beautiful trail. At one point we had a perfect view of the skyline of downtown Boston.   

I will always love this city!  Boston, you are beautiful!

Tried to get a decent picture that did the view justice but this will just have to do.  Both of us wearing our Brooks PureGrits.  

• My time is CLEARLY up!  I now have 20 minutes to hop in the shower, get the dinner dishes cleared up, and make it look like I've been doing something productive around here.  Time to use my mad clean-up skilz.  I demonstrate them in the following video from several years ago when we lived in Portland.  Although, I do have to say, my life is way easier now than it was when I was cleaning up after a 6, 3, and 1 year old.  I think I still find random lip wax laying around though.  And yes, I have one arm warmer up and one down after my run.  Oh, and yes, I'm also just pretending that my husband isn't home (that man really is him).  I also love how everyone is ignoring me as if I really do act like that all the time... I guess back then I probably did.  

1.  What's your favorite city? 
2.  What's your favorite season to train for a race? 
3.  Anyone else with a Facebook blog page having the same frustration with Facebook not showing your posts?  

Amanda 

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