The Perm 2011

OK, so everyone wants to know about the perm.  The last perm I had was in 1988.  I was 17, and I had big hair.  I was trying to find my senior pictures so that I could scan one in for this post, but they’re still in a box somewhere.  My big hair actually looked pretty dam*ed good in those pictures, if I do say so myself.  Alas, the only big hair photo I had handy is the one you see below.  It was taken the week of my high school graduation, and includes my three little sisters.  L>R:  Anna Kilgore Rawlins, Alyssa Kilgore Sage, and Bird (Cathryn) Kilgore.  You’re welcome, girls.

 

Cut to fall 2011.  We have just moved to Manassas, VA, on the south side of Washington, DC.  It’s been raining and raining and raining.  And when it hasn’t been raining, it’s been unbearably humid.  My natural hair texture, which, aside from being frizzy, has weird, unpredictable waves underneath and is stick straight on top, does NOT get along with water.  Now add the fact that I have to walk my kids to school in the morning, which means appearing in public, amidst the other moms in my near vicinity, who are always super cute in the morning.  (WHO DOES THAT???  WHY???)  And then I have to get my errands done in the morning, before taking Keaton to pre-school and THEN being able to go to the gym.  What it was beginning to add up to was me needing to spend 25 minutes on my hair with the blow dryer and flat iron, TWICE A DAY.  Sooooo not happening.  As I was searching for a solution to that perplexing problem, I saw that my local ULTA salon offers something called a “texture wave.”  I was intrigued.  I thought if I could just add some large, consistent waves to my hair, I’d be able to do a quick wash in the morning, put some product in it, let it air dry, and walk out the door.  I made an appointment.

 

When appointment day came, I printed out a style sheet to show the stylist what I was after.  It consisted of the following four photos:

 

I washed my hair, let it air dry so that the stylist could see what it does when left to its own devices, and headed for the salon.  For the sake of science, I had the stylist take some before pictures, as shown below.  (Yes, I actually walked out the door like this.  **shudder**)

I posted a “during” photo on Facebook at the behest of my stylist.  That picture of me all rollered up and covered in plastic sure caused a furor!  Ever since, all my ladies have been pestering me for the “after” shot.  So, without further ado, here it is:

This is me with air-dried hair.  (Except for the bangs, which took all of two minutes to blow dry with a large round brush.)  Not bad.  For sure, I haven’t suddenly morphed into Jessica Biel with her perfect natural waves.  It’s tighter than I wanted, but I can live with it.  And if I do it again, which I probably will, I’ll just have the stylist use the biggest rollers.  She talked me into using the two next-smaller sizes, because she was afraid the curls would “fall out” in three weeks.  I’m still trying to find the best product to use in it.  I don’t want the curls to be wet-looking and crunchy all day, but trying to lose that factor makes it a bit frizzy.  If/when I find the perfect product, I’ll make sure to let everyone know.

 

So there you go, girls.  The Perm, 2011.

For my 40th birthday, I went to the zoo…

…no, seriously, I did:

 

And then the next day, after I’d been walking around on it for three weeks, I found out that I have a severe stress fracture at the top of my tibia (the big bone in your shin that forms the lower part of your knee).  I’d just walked in the door from having an MRI, and the doctor called.  She said I needed to come right back to the hospital to get a cast, and I needed to keep all my weight off the leg for at least four to six weeks.  If it moves, or doesn’t heal right for some reason, I get to have a rod and maybe a plate put into my knee, which will most likely result in arthritis.  Nothing like the specter of arthritis to make one feel old.  I figured if I had to have a gigantic cast, I might as well choose hot pink (I’m smiling because the other option was to sob):

 

I am truly blessed that I have a mom who can and will drop everything to come live with me for several weeks to help out.  Especially since the cast is angled such that I am totally off-balance if I try to hop around without my crutches.  It makes it impossible to carry anything in my hands.  I can pour myself a Dr. Pepper, but I have to down it standing there at the counter, because I can’t carry it to the table.  I can change Keaton’s diaper as long as he doesn’t wiggle and throw me off-kilter.  Forget trying to carry something to or from the grill or drain a pot of pasta.  I can sit and fold the laundry, but I can’t get the dirties to the washer or the clean stuff into the drawers.  Going to the bathroom is a challenge, and I’ve so far been too scared to attempt a shower today.  I’ll be waiting till Karl gets home in case I fall while I’m in there.  But a bath is even a worse option.  Just trying to crutch my way around the house is quite a task with three little boys and all their toys scattered around.

 

HOWEVER.  I am going to try to remember that this is temporary.  All over post there are young men and women from the Warrior Transition Battalion who have lost limbs completely or had their bodies and lives altered in other ways that will affect them forever.  I will expect my friends and family to help me remember this and keep me cheerful during this challenge.  That’s the best thing you can do for me right now.  That and prayers.  Lots of them.  And keep complimenting my pedicure.  That’s nice, too. 

 

Sigh.

Augusta Canal 10 miler

Augusta Canal 10 miler by mrsrichards99 at Garmin Connect – Details.

2011 Columbia, SC Half Marathon

Soooooo.  I turn forty one month from today.  I wanted to do something big before turning forty, so a couple of months ago I set my sights on running my first-ever half marathon.  That was today, so here’s the run-down.  After a fitful night’s sleep, I got up at 5am.  Dressed, ate breakfast and left the house at 5:45am.  Those of you who know me well know that THAT was an accomplishment in and of itself!  After a 90 minute drive to Columbia, SC, I parked and headed for the park where the race would start.  Lots of people milling around, stretching, talking and fiddling with iPods.  I had my Nike + iPod thingy with me, but I had had to get a new sensor recently and for some reason, the receiver wasn’t picking up the new sensor.  Frustrating.  A cold drizzle started as we waited for the 8am start time.  Yay.  Rain.  Started out feeling apprehensive, but after the first mile, realized I was actually feeling really good.  I was in the back of the pack and I intended to stay there.  Slow and steady finishes the race.  Following my dear friend Becky Belnap’s advice (She’s a seasoned marathoner training to qualify for Boston.  Her husband is Karl’s cousin.) I stopped at each table with Gatorade/water, which were positioned every two miles.  30 seconds to drink up and I was running again.  She also said to eat something (she recommended Shot Bloks, a kind of energy gummy) every half hour whether I felt like I needed it or not, so I did.  I’m sure her advice helped me to keep on truckin’.  Rain stopped at about mile 4.

The first 6 miles were relatively flat, slightly rolling, running through the part of Columbia that sits on the east side of the Broad River.  Past the Governor’s mansion, district of historic homes, USC campus, and State House.  Then we headed down to the river, across and up the other side.  The west side of Columbia was hilly.  That, to put it mildly, really sucked.  But I still felt good for the first 11 – that’s ELEVEN – miles.  I was so proud of myself.  I started to flag a bit, but made it back across the river to the mile 12 marker.  Which is when I found myself staring up a monster hill.  I started trying to run up that hill, but found that I was running so slowly I might as well be walking.  And I was expending more energy trying to RUN up that hill than it would take to walk fast.  So that’s what I did.  After about 3/4 of a mile, I made it to the cross street and started to run again.  And…?

And I did it!  I finished!  My training was derailed for the past month due to illnesses, etc., so I was sure I was just going to die and not be able to finish the race.  When I went into it this morning, my goal was simply to finish without having to walk a lot, and finish in under three hours.  And I met my goal.  I finished in 2:48:20.  I ran the whole way except for miles 12 – 12.75, which was that long steep hill heading up from the river.  And seriously???  What kind of course designer puts all the massive hills in the last half of the race, with the WORST one at mile 12???  A sadistic course designer, that’s what kind.  I grabbed my finisher’s medal, a bottle of water and a banana and headed back to the parking garage.  90 minutes later I was standing in Sam’s Club (very smelly, I might add), back to the daily grind.

So now what?  Well, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but wanted to see how today went before I made my decision.  Now it’s official, though:  to “bookend” turning forty, I’m going to run the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, TN on Saturday, April 30, 2011.  I just registered and paid my fees, so there’s no backing out.  Hopefully, Karl will be able to take a couple of days off work and we can go up there as a family.  It would be great to have him and the boys there to cheer me on.  I’ll admit, today was a little lonely.  But if Karl and the boys can’t come, my brother Carl and his family will be there waiting for me at the finish line.  (They live in Murfreesboro, near Nashville.)

Here’s a link to the course I ran today (if you click on the “Climbs” tab, you can get a visual on the monster hill at the end of the race):  http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/29132598

And here’s a link to the race in Nashville: http://nashville.competitor.com/event-info/

And here’s me, post-race and proud as all get out:

 

(But I’m not really that skinny right now.  I just did a good job of sucking in my gut for the picture.)

P.S.  I couldn’t have done it without all the love and support I’ve gotten from my family and friends over the last couple of months, especially the Facebook crowd.  You guys really, REALLY rock.  Love you.

Orlando 2010: Character Breakfast

Our hotel had a character breakfast buffet on Sunday, so we took the kids to that before we checked out.  Hudson was trying to be nonchalant, like, “Dude.  I’m six AND A HALF.  I’m too old to be excited.”  And yet, excited he most definitely was.  All the boys wore their Halloween costumes, so the people in the restaurant got bonus characters.  We saw Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Pluto.  And breakfast was really good.  We all ate enough to hold us over till four in the afternoon, which is when we finally stopped for lunch.  But I digress…

 

 

Orlando 2010: Sea World

We didn’t do any of the Disney parks because they were so expensive that we didn’t think it was worth it with Keaton being so young.  But Sea World has a program called “Here’s to the Heroes” where military members and up to five dependents get in free once a year.  So Saturday afternoon, after Karl’s conference was finished, we went as a family (!weird!) to Sea World.  Got there a little late, but we started off at the whale and dolphin show, which ended up being our favorite.  Wish we hadn’t missed any of it.  Stopped at the sea lions and seals on our way over to the Shamu show.  That one was disappointing.  They have toned down the show considerably since they had a female trainer drowned by an orca during a show a while back.  This time there were no up close interactions between the orcas and the trainers, and no trainers got in the water with them.  Made the show quite a bit shorter, too.  Went over to Shamu’s Happy Harbor to do some kid-sized rides (including a nice little roller coaster), then off to see the Sea Lion and Otter show.  The one show we missed, that I wish we’d seen, was A’Lure, which looked like a Cirque du Soliel-meets-dolphins-and-seals kind of show.  Maybe next time.  Checked out the sharks and then back to the Happy Harbor to let the big boys blow off steam.  (Keaton fell asleep in the Sea Lion and Otter show and stayed that way until we got to the car.)  The park was actually a lot bigger than we expected and there were lots of parts we missed, like the penguins, polar bears, and dolphin nursery.  Oh well.  I guess that saves some for next time.

 

Keaton spread eagled in Mommy’s bed.  So much for the crib.

 

Whale and dolphin show

Sea lions and seals with some local wild birds who like to co-opt the seals’ habitat.

The Jumping Fiddler.  Or something like that.  It’s like the Froghopper at Hersheypark, only it’s a Fiddler crab.

Swishy Fishies.  Like the Teacups.  Finally one Keaton could ride.

Ocean Commotion.  Sort of like the Pirate Ship, but it twirled, too.

Gorgeous and very patient boy.

Up close encounter with a parrot.

Sea Lion and Otter show.  With a walrus thrown in for good measure.

Boys in the giant net structure at Shamu’s Happy Harbor.

Orlando 2010: Kennedy Space Center

Excited boy on the bus tour.

Apollo 8 Launch Control Center.  Hudson was weirded out by the old computers.

Saturn 5 rocket that actually went on a moon mission.  Leave it to Keaton to fall asleep on the loudest part of the tour.

The Saturn 5 rocket is bigger than the Space Shuttle.

Lunar rover.

This pic turned out best in night vision.  Huh.

Keaton wasn’t thrilled about waking up.

The VAB, or Vehicle Assembly Building.  This is where they put all the parts of the Space Shuttle together to get them ready for launch.

Those tall grey things on the side of the building are the biggest garage doors in the world.

Decommissioned Space Shuttle Explorer.  Much smaller than you’d imagine.

In the cargo bay of the Explorer.  That is Hudson’s new picture face.  Isn’t it lovely?

Back end of the Explorer.

Fuel tank and solid rocket boosters for the Space Shuttle.

Not a good picture.  It was raining, okay?

Better picture.  Still raining.

Keaton fell in love with the guy in the spacesuit.

Orlando 2010: Downtown Disney

Boys eating breakfast.  Sugar cereal all around.

About to be eaten by a T-Rex at T-Rex Cafe.

Keaton was scared when we got too close.

Giant squid with jellyfish friends.

With Lego Woody at the Lego Store.

Hudson was thrilled with all the Star Wars Legos.

The big AT-AT thingy.  It only cost eleventy-billion dollars.

Lego New York, complete with King Kong.

Carousel.

More carousel.

Halloween 2010

Hi, I’m one of those mean mothers who won’t let my kids trick or treat on Sunday.  Ergo, you get pictures from our church “trunk or treat” last night.  Keaton was Spiderman, but the way his mask was designed (toddler costume), it kept reminding Karl and me of the movie “Nacho Libre” with Jack Black.  Cracked us up all night.  Cannon was Iron Man (“the RED Iron Man!”), with a battery-powered light on the front of his costume.  Hudson was Darth Vader.  His costume was expensive.  Karl and I debated whether or not he should have such an expensive costume.  We finally decided to make a deal with him that if he got the expensive costume for Halloween, he could have one less Christmas present.  Hudson thought that was a good deal, so Darth Vader he was.  Complete with a lot of heavy breathing.  We didn’t really get a lot of pictures of Hudson, though, because this was the first year that we let him run off with his friends instead of making him stay with a parent.  How did he grow up so fast???  Without further ado, pictures:

Nacho Libre

 

 

Versatility times seven

My SIL’s SIL, who is really just my sister anyway, gave me a blog award.  Mostly just to make me blog something of interest rather than continuing to go on and on about my NEW! GRANITE! COUNTERTOPS!  One of the rules is that you have to blog seven things about yourself, so here goes:

1. I am bipolar.  Depression is my stalker.  I take some pretty high doses of several medications in order to keep myself out of bed, but other than that, things are really good right now.  But not TOO good, IYKWIM.

2. I am well-traveled.  I lived in the Bavarian ski town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, for two years.  We used to drive 100mph on Autobahn 95 every Sunday to get to church in Munich.  To hit the highlights, I’ve visited London, Berlin, Munich, Paris, Normandy, the Loire Valley, the French Riviera, Provence, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Venice, Rome, Pompeii, Salzburg, and the entire country of Switzerland (hey, it’s small.).  I’ve also been to Turks and Caicos and to at least 25 of the 50 US States.  Looking for links for this post has made me realize that I haven’t blogged many of my travels.  I may have to go back and rectify that.  Brace yourselves.

3. I collect books and pottery whenever I travel, both of which are over-running my home at this point.  I’ve always had a love affair with books, but my pottery collection was started with two gorgeous pieces given to me by Deb Blanchard and Gracia Blanchard for my wedding in 1999.  They were purchased at the Mt. Gretna Art Show.  I have pieces from Berlin (broke the pitcher’s handle in the train station in Munich trying to get it home), Provence (my bakeware), Winter Park, CO, and Gatlinburg, TN, among other places, and each has a memory associated with it.  I buy pieces that are useful as well as beautiful, but my two most-used pieces are still those two pieces I got for my wedding.  Thank you, Deb and Gracia. 

4. I am Open Water SCUBA Certified, even though I am terrified of drowning.  Like, I was nearly hyperventilating-on-the-boat-ride-out-to-the-dive-site terrified.  I had a supportive husband and an amazing dive instructor.  Lots of prayers helped, too (as in, please God, don’t let me die even though I am doing something totally expensive and selfish and I probably shouldn’t be risking it since I have three small children but really I’m just doing this because I want to see this part of your beautiful world, please, God, DON’T LET ME DIE!!!!!).

5. I’m famous for my gift-wrapping. 

6. Although I haven’t been back there (other than passing through) since we moved to California in 1983, I still have a soft spot for Indiana.  I am mildly obsessed with an Indianapolis blogger, in part because she blogs pictures from the Indiana State Fair every year.  It makes me think of Tiger Ears – making them and then eating them, fresh and hot, with cinnamon sugar all over my face.

7. I hate to admit it since it was my most-hated subject in school, but math comes in handy when I’m sewing, paper-crafting or DIY-ing.

 

A "Versatile Blogger" brings everything to the table – a little of this and a little of that."

 

Now, here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:

• Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award (Thank you, Deb)
• Share 7 things about yourself
• Pass the award on to (up to) 15 other bloggers who you have recently discovered and think are fabulous
• Contact the bloggers you chose and let them know about the award.

I’m going to see if I can get Moosh In Indy to do this one, as well as

                                            The Little Red Pen and

                                            Jessica Lindquist