the best part of my ( ____ ) world

the best part of my RUNNING world…

Race day! It is right around the corner. As a matter of a fact, it’s Sunday! I will lace up with more than 40,000 runners from 49 states and more than 20 countries to run my 10th 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles). All this will go down in the beautiful city of Pittsburgh. I’ve planned. I’ve complete my training. Some of my training runs I nailed. Some of them I bonked, and some were right where they were suppose to be. What’s left? It’s time to get my mental game on and, of course, pick out which sneakers I will wear.

the best part of my READING world…

Poem in Your Pocket Day! My readers and Mrs. H.’s readers gathered the perfect poems, jotted them down on a pocket, and cut out all those pockets! Our school celebrated by passing out 600+ pocket poems! It was a day centered around sharing and celebrating poetry. Smiles and poetry galore were everywhere!

the best part of my ROCKIN’ MOM world…

This girl! Since we are running in her city, her city of Pittsburgh, I’ll be spending some time with Maddie this weekend. Matt and I will be pounding the pavement and sailing across the bridges as Maddie cheers us on for race day. And, of course, we will try to squeeze in a little celebration for the end of her junior year at college.

the best part of my RABBIT world…

Story time! Two of my fur kids, Joy and Buddy, enjoy story time. My little Yoshi, on the other hand, decided to just hang back. There’s always one in the crowd who doesn’t participate.

Joy reading Wally: The Life of a Punny Bunny

Buddy reading snacking on Wally: The Life of a Punny Bunny

Yoshi…just chillaxing

So there you have it!

The best part of my world!

Now I’m wondering, what’s the best part of your world?

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This Is Me

Ricochet out of bed at 5:00 AM:

Blogger & Writer: I wake up early to proofread my blog post and publish it. Then I spend some time reading other blogs and leaving some comments. I’ll do some journaling if I’m not working on my blog.

Teacher: I’ll read my school emails, take a look at my teaching schedule, and put any finishing touches on my lesson plans.

Mom: I’m a “mom” to my little fur fam. I’m busy getting their breakfast, cleaning their cages, and letting them run around and wreck havoc on the house.

It’s 8:00 AM:

Teacher/Colleague: I arrive at school and step right into teacher mode. Everything else is pushed aside! I’m busy suggesting books, asking my readers what they are reading, fostering the love of independent reading, and teaching readers to be strategic about their reading. I also a support other teachers in the school by addressing pertinent reading questions and concerns.

School’s out 4:00 PM:

Runner: It’s time to put the rubber to the road and knock out a training run or cross-train. This could be anywhere between a 3 mile run to a 5 mile run, depending on where I am in my training plan. Cross-training consists of strength training, core work, or yoga.

Rushing around at 5:00 PM:

Housewife: I empty the dishwasher, put the trash out, place some laundry in the washing machine or put the laundry away, and pay some bills. I’m going to be truthful here, I rarely start dinner. That’s Matt’s area of speciality. If he doesn’t feel like cooking, I just roll with it and we eat leftovers or eggs.

Winding down from 6:00-7:30 PM:

Wife & Friend: I spend this time chit-chatting with Matt about his day and enjoying dinner, usually over a glass of wine. In between I will be texting or Snapchatting with my family and friends about whatever. I usually send a pic of the scrumptious dinner Matt has prepared. Some nights Matt and I might have a date. Our date would be at the gym attending a yoga class. I know you’re jealous!

Back to my little fur fam from 7:30-8:30 PM:

Mom: Once again I let the fur kids out to frolic around and get some exercise. I do my best to capture some of their antics and post it on their Instagram account. Usually, I’m touching base with Maddie too about her day via text or Snapchat.

Winding down for the day from 8:30-10:00 PM:

Whatever Me: You’ll find me writing in my journal or creating rough drafts for my blog. I *love* to make lists, so I’ll probably be preparing a to-do list, an exercise schedule, or a grocery list. Or perhaps you’ll observe me “reading”. (I have a tendency to read with my eyes shut. ~sigh) I catch up on social media during this time too. Best of all, I’m just chilling with Matt.

This is me. Just little ole me.

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On My Radar

This week in celebrating what’s on my radar of life!

On my running radar:

I will finish week #5 of the training plan for my upcoming 10 miler race, which is on August 27th. My week will round out with me running a total 20 miles in the heat and humidity.  Hopefully, Sunday will be cooler for my 8 mile long run. I can honestly say the temperatures are crushing my pace, but I’ll continue to push through. I am happy though that I ran a 4 miler this week and did break through the brick wall of heat. I also got in some cross-training this week of Yoga, BODYFLOW, BODYPUMP, and CXWORX.

breaking the brick wall

On my reading radar:

You know it’s a great book when I finish it *fast*, since I’m the world’s slowest reader! Last week I finished Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. It is geared toward the young adult reader and reminded me of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. In fact, I liked Yoon’s book more so than Green’s. This week I’ll be wrapping up to I Will Always Write Back by Alifirenka & Ganda. It’s a compelling true story of a friendship from two different worlds. It’s an awe inspiring memoir that truly makes me appreciate the simple things of my life.

two must reads

On my rockin’ mom radar:

The countdown is on! Maddie’s summer here at home is quickly coming to a halt – only one more week before she’s back at school. We have been busy shopping for her first-time apartment. I’m enjoying our time together shopping and the time we’ve been spending together at the gym. She’s a great workout buddy too!

yoga buddies

And that’s a wrap for this runner, reader, and rockin’ mom!

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 Join in each Saturday for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

It’s a time to celebrate the joy!

Join Me at Starbucks!

If we were chatting at Starbucks this morning I would share…

that I bit the bullet and signed up for *three* races. My first race will be a ten mile race right here in my home town. It’s on the local rail trail. I am so familiar with the course that there shouldn’t be any surprises. The ten miler is right around the corner, and before I know it August 27th will be here. I also signed up for a 5k in New Hope, PA. It’s called Run Now, Wine Later. I mean who wouldn’t want to run a race the serves you wine at the finish line! Actually, I ran this race last year with my friend Sandy and we had so much fun we decided to go back this September. And last but not least, in October I will be running a half marathon in Hershey, PA. This will be the first time I participated in this race. Several of my running friends will be there too. With all these upcoming races, my training is in full swing!

If we were chatting at Starbucks this morning I would share…

that I attended the Scholastic Reading Summit in Leesburg, VA. It was a one day conference but we managed to make it a girls’ overnight stay for a little pampering at the beautiful Landsdowne Resort & Spa. The theme of the conference was the power of Independent Reading. Although it was a small conference it had a big bang of presenters. In just one day I had the opportunity to hear John Schumacher, Donalyn Miller, Nancie Atwell, Lauren Tarshis, and Sara Pennypacker. Everyone was so motivating! I came home with an AwEsOmE “swag bag” of books, compliments of the Scholastic Reading Summit, and I bought my own stack of books for our classroom library.  All the books at the Scholastic book fair were 25% off! I have so many new titles to share and book talks to present. ***throw confetti*** If a Scholastic Reading Summit is in your area, I highly recommend it.

If we were chatting at Starbucks this morning I would share…

that summer is quickly coming to an end. Maddie and I have been busy getting ready for her move back to college. This year she will have an apartment off campus so we have been diligently shopping for big and small items for her new place. We’ve been pricing everything from mattresses, to curtains, to decorations. It’s an exciting time and she’s quite anxious to have her own place and space.

If we were chatting at Starbucks this morning I would share…

that I am quite envious of the pastries you picked out to enjoy with your coffee. I would only be drinking a hot tea straight up with no sugar because I am on day 16 of 30 of my Whole 30 food challenge journey. I’m happy to say that I have successfully made it past the halfway mark. It’s been a challenge to say the least, but I guess if it was easy everyone would do it!

So, that’s what’s been happening this running, reading, and rockin’ mom’s world. I’m wondering what you would be sharing with me at Starbucks this morning!

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The Best of…

I love the city of Pittsburgh. I had never been there until we went college shopping. Now Maddie happens to go to school there, so I get to visit more frequently.  Quite simply, we have the best of times in Pittsburgh and this past weekend was no exception.

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the best city for shopping:

We kicked off our visit with a quick stop at the Pittsburgh Marathon Expo. SO.MUCH.RUNNING.GEAR! Matt bought a new pair of sneakers and a running shirt. Then it was off to Shady Side on Walnut St. Maddie had birthday money so we stopped at Pandora and then went to Lululemon to buy her some running shorts for our 1/2 marathon the next day. We topped it off our trip with some delicious gelato from Mercurio’s.

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the best city for dining out:

Saturday evening we had a delightful dinner at LeMont. The atmosphere and the service were excellent. And the view! It was spectacular.  Matt ordered a crab cake, Maddie a fillet, and I had sea scallops.  Dessert was on the house since we were celebrating Maddie’s birthday so she couldn’t resist the chocolate mousse cake.

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the best city for running a race:

Sunday was race day! You know we are a family of runners.  Isn’t there a saying that says the family that runs together stays together? Well, maybe I made that saying up! Anyway, this was our second year of racing in Pittsburgh. Last year Matt and I ran the marathon and and Maddie ran the half-marathon. For as hilly as Pittsburgh is, the course is surprising kind and somewhat non-hilly!  This year Maddie and I tackled the half-marathon. The weather was so temperamental on race day and it really played with my mental aspect of racing. We weren’t sure if it was going to rain, thunderstorm, have cold temperatures, or even be a warm day.  One thing we were pretty sure…the sun wasn’t going to shine…and it didn’t. It ended up being warm and drizzly. So much so, that I was actually overdressed for the race.

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the best city for site-seeing:

After the race Matt and I headed to Mt. Washington to get a view of the city.  It was magnificent! We could see the finish line of the race at The Point, Duquesne University, and the whole way down to the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. Look at those skies though! Now you can see why the weather had me worked up and in a tizzy for the race.  Believe it or not, it only actually drizzled on and off. I can only imagine what our view could have been if the skies were clear and sunny.

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the best city for casual dining:

We love to visit South Side Works for casual dining. Matt’s a fan of the Hofbrauhaus House. Me, not so much. But I did enjoy some post-race carb loading (if there is such a thing) and ordered the Hofbrauhaus pretzels and bier cheese for an appetizer. Lunch was a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant-nothing German about that! Matt had the Wurstplatte. Basically it was a sampling of Wursts. He was happy!

So today I’m celebrating the best of Pittsburgh, the time we have spent there, and the memories we have created.

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 Join in each Saturday for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

It’s a time to celebrate the joy!

And Just Like That…

I remember when you were one,

we took you for walks in your stroller and snuggled in the afternoon.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were two,

we spent our time together at the pool and the playground.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were three,

we read from your basket of books and enjoyed milk & cookies.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were four,

we went to the Rail Trail and you learned to ride a two-wheel bike.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were five,

you went off to kindergarten-reading and writing on your own.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were six,

you loved playing in the backyard and taking care of your turtle, Puska.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were seven,

we took you to Boyd’s Bears and you brought home Grace.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were eight,

we moved into our new house and went to visit Micky Mouse.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were nine,

you went to a new school and Mrs. Patterson taught you cursive.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were ten,

you got your first pet, Nibbles our beloved chinchilla.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were eleven,

we went on vacation to Deep Creek Lake. Now it’s a family tradition.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were twelve,

you found a new passion in baking cakes and cupcakes.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were thirteen,

you played your oboe in the middle school band.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were fourteen,

you ran Cross Country for the varsity team and competed in States.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were fifteen,

you took your favorite class, chemistry biology.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were sixteen,

you found a new sense of freedom after getting your driver’s license.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were seventeen,

we visited colleges and you decided to attend Duquesne University.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were eighteen,

you graduated from high school and started college.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

I remember when you were nineteen,

you traveled on Spring break, leaving Mom & Dad behind.

And just like that, now you’re twenty!

And so it is,

just like that,

now you’re twenty!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

(a slide-show of just a few of my favorite pictures through the years)

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Nineteen Special Years & Counting

I see…

a preschooler of yesterday,

a college student of today,

beauty of a young lady with ambition,

the nineteenth birthday of a remarkable daughter!

I feel…

proud to be your mother,

a rush of happiness hearing your laughter,

excitement every time I see your warm-hearted smile,

how quickly those nineteen birthdays have elapsed!

I hear…

your giggles as a toddler,

a young adult sharing her future,

a voice of creativity,

the tune to nineteen years of singing “Happy Birthday”!

I love…

your kind and caring heart,

the determination you have to succeed,

independence that you have embraced,

knowing those nineteen years have been a treasure!

Happy 19th Birthday, Maddie!

~~~~~

#digipoetry

April is National Poetry Month!

Please check out the hashtag #digipoetry on Twitter

to find more poems written by fellow bloggers.

~~~~~

Slice of Life

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It’s Time for a Revision!

Original Post: 8/11/12 @ Runner, Reader, Rockin’ Mom

*****

If you want to find Amy,

Look for the bright purple laces on her Brooks sneakers

Training 5 miles here, 10 miles there, marathon ready

Sporting sunglasses and her running hat so she’s not to be noticed

A Garmin watch on her left arm to help keep a fast pace.

******

If you want to find Amy,

Look for her iPad Mini

Reading one of her favorite blogs before the lights go out

Sitting by the crashing waves and basking in the warm sun

Enjoying an ebook by Picoult, Grisham, or Gladwell

Or reading to her students books from Palacio, Applegate, or Creech.

******

If you want to find Amy,

Look for her on the PA Turnpike

Or sauntering along the sidewalks of Duquesne University

Maybe an escapade to Target to buy the essentials

End with a quick trip to Starbucks for a way to celebrate the day!

******

If you want to find Amy she’ll still be running, reading, and a rockin’ mom!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poem adapted from If You Want to Find Golden by Eileen Spinelli

If You Want to Find Golden

Slice of Life

Slice of Life

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Goodbye Again

~~Goodbye Again~~

~~~~~~~~~~

suitcases & groceries

computers & iPads

a filled car

ready to leave

~~~~~~~~~~

~Goodbye Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

chilly & cold

a snowy sky

a wet windshield

a dirty car

~~~~~~~~~~

~Goodbye Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

hustle & bustle

a city on the horizon

a crisp blue sky

an anxious arrival

~~~~~~~~~~

~Goodbye Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

suitcases & groceries

computers & iPads

an empty car

sad to leave

~~~~~~~~~~

~Goodbye Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

chilly & cold

a snowy sky

tears in my eyes

an empty heart

~~~~~~~~~~

~Goodbye Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

a quiet house

an empty room

far away

close to my heart

~~~~~~~~~~

~Goodbye Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

thinking & reminiscing

a beautiful girl

academic achievements

athletic accomplishments

a happy heart

~~~~~~~~~~

~Hello Again~

~~~~~~~~~~

i love you much

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*inspired by my daughter’s recent departure to college

and mentor text Poetry Matters

by

Ralph Fletcher

Slice of Life

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One Little Word

Words…

They’re powerful.

They bring on emotions and feelings:

     *love & hate

     *happiness & sadness

     *inspiration & encouragement

There are thousands and thousands of words out there but I chose one, just One Little Word, to be my inspiration and encouragement for 2015.  Choosing my OLW wasn’t easy, but I truly don’t think I chose it.  My OLW actually chose me.  You see 2014 brought on a lot of changes and probably the biggest change was my daughter going away to college.  After eighteen years of having her by my side, all of sudden she was gone!  Not really gone, you know what I mean, but she wasn’t right by my side anymore.  Heck, she wasn’t even in the same town anymore.  She was miles and miles away!

Gone were the trips to Target.

Gone were the XC meets in the fall.

Gone were family breakfasts and dinners.

Gone were the quick escapades to the mall.

Gone were the evenings of just hanging out at home.

Gone! Gone! Gone!

You gotta love my family and friends though.  They would ask me how I was doing and I would share that I was fine. Just getting use to the house that was even more quiet now.  Truth be told, I was secretly hoping they wouldn’t hear the ping of emptiness in my heart.  I would get up in the morning and my day always seemed to have the same ho-hum routine. It was something like this:

• Eat breakfast
• Pack lunches
• Take care of our furry friends
• Go to work
• Collaborate with colleagues
• Teach my students
• Go home
• Run-4 miles, 5 miles, 6 miles 🙂
• Make dinner (Okay, maybe I really didn’t make dinner & those of you who know me well know what I mean!)
• Clean up the house
• Take care of our furry friends
• Read
• Sleep
• Repeat

Needless to say, I found myself in a rut and pondering what my purpose was. So, what did I do?  Well, I made a list because I love to make lists, really I do! 🙂 And, that list making, well it really put my purpose into perspective.  I stumbled upon that list when I was searching for my OLW and, voila, just like that my OLW for 2015 found me.  Drum roll, please!

My OLW for 2015 is:

My OLW for 2015

Good-bye to those ho-hum days of 2014.  Now when I find myself in that rut I will subtly remind myself of my OLW.

My purpose to be a good mother even though my daughter is away at school.

My purpose to be a good wife, family member, and friend.

My purpose to be an athlete and continue to run and exercise.

My purpose to be the best teacher I can be.

My purpose to continue to read and enrich my life through the written words of others.

My purpose to love and care for our furry friends.

Want to find out more about OLW?  Then check out the book or watch this quick video from YouTube. (And thanks to THE WRIGHT STUFF for sharing the video too!)

If you do have One Little Word please share!

Thanks for visiting my blog!

🙂