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swoon.

2012-02-27T12:58:00.003-08:00

love ever after is a project by lauren fleishman about couples who have been together more than 50 years (oh my). this sort of love makes my heart flutter.

(found this site through rockstar diaries)

love luv love

2012-02-21T13:06:00.000-08:00

this valentine's day i had to close at work, not a big deal to me (and to ben either, so i thought...). but as 7 o'clock rolls around, i look up to see my little man, running towards me with a red rose and the biggest grin on his face. my heart nearly explodes. and i look up and see his handsome father/my wonderful partner with the same grin on his face and i lose it. in that moment, i felt so loved, so special, and so fulfilled. these are the two greatest men i could ever wish to spend my life with.
(the night before valentine's day, ben did get me a most beautiful bouquet he arranged himself and on the night after, we ended up having our valentine's day dinner. so i guess you could say we had a three day valentine's event).

two month anniversary

2012-02-11T22:41:00.000-08:00

(unfortunately i have no idea where this image is from. i found it any of the many social media outlets i subscribe to)

well, february 9th marked my two month running anniversary. for whatever reason, on december 9th i laced up my running shoes and hit start on day one of the c25k app. and i haven't looked back. it is crazy to me that two months ago, i was huffing and puffing through a 60 second stretch. and today i ran for just about 40 minutes. i've pushed through the bad days (ahem, i'm looking at you, yesterday, and a disastrous run to mt. tabor) to get to the really good days (like today when i created a new distance record for myself, 4.13 miles). but the thing is, even the bad days aren't so bad afterwards. you never really regret it. and thank you, ben, for convincing me to take the first step in just getting out the door. you pushed me towards doing my best. thank you.

p.s. on an unrelated note, as we were having evening giggles in everett's room at "night night" time, he started laughing and pretended his juice was diet coke. and that turned in to "large coke." aka, i go through the drive thru at mcdonald's far too often. oh, the things kids pick up on.

(runner's) high

2012-02-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

(stoked)

a funny thing happened tonight...

i got home from work at 9:30pm tonight, knowing i'd have to lace up the ole sneakers and move about for a mile's length. i had planned on doing my 1.66mile stretch to 52nd ave and back. but, as i started jogging, i realized that i felt good. i felt light on my feet, my legs took off as if they were waiting for this moment tonight, and the air filled my lungs and energized me. i turned the corner at 52nd and kept going. so instead of doing 1.66 miles, i did 3.75 miles. and beat my record by running for 3.5 miles straight (averaging about a 10min/mile). and towards the end, i just had to laugh, because i was wondering how far i could go. i didn't feel tired. and i think it's starting to hit me.

i'm a runner.

part 2

2012-02-04T21:44:00.000-08:00

and here's the second half to the January Photo A Day challenge on instagram....

17/water 18/something you bought 19/sweet 20/someone you love 21/reflection 22/your shoes 23/something old 24/guilty pleasure 25/something you made 26/colour 27/lunch 28/light 29/inside your fridge 30/nature 31/you, again

ch-ch-ch-changes

2012-02-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

i did it.

I DID IT!!!!

since december 9th, i have been training to do a 5k. the lovely app, C25K, maps out an 8 week plan that assumes you are not active at all (aka, me) and gets you in to running shape in 8 weeks. i can not speak highly enough about this program. the slow start and kind intervals between running and walking really boost your confidence and does not overwhelm you mentally or physically. i can not say what possessed me to actually start. fitness has always been a scary thing for me. but one day i just did it. and that's all it takes to start something. the fact that i continued through the entire thing is something i am so very proud of. i am not the best at keeping commitments to myself. but i started this, continued it, and finished it. and today is the first day (the first time, really, in my 26 years of being) that i ran 3 miles continuously. it was incredible, joyful, and i am so proud of myself. high five. i am doing the 5k portion of the Race for the Roses on april 1 as my last hurrah to finishing this program. and you can best bet that i will spring the extra money for the medal at the end.

now, a few weeks in to this fitness program, sister ashley, introduced me to the myfitnesspal app. with this you can track your caloric intake and log any exercise to ensure that you are eating the proper amount in order to lose weight. pretty much my mentality was "ignorance is bliss" with food. it's hard knowing that cookie is up to 300 calories. and after a few weeks in of obsessing, i slipped up. and had a breakdown. but you know what? i realized it's not about keeping the perfect log and keeping every. single. day. under 1200 calories. it's about how i recover and get back on the right path. it's easy just to keep slipping, and in the past i would have. but all those gluttonous days will now be the outliers, not the norm.

because running past round table pizza every single day is going to cause me to break.

fitting room fashion show

2012-01-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

for whatever reason, i sporadically take pictures of my outfits at work. the walk to our stock room and office has you traipse down a faux catwalk through the fitting rooms. with a large, full length mirror at the end, you can't help but look at yourself. and more times then not, i hate the outfit i see. it always plays out better in my head and from the waist up in my bathroom. c'est la vie. moral of the story? i need a full length mirror. i've come to realize my style is a bit more plain that i would have thought. nothing revolutionary here, folks. but here's a snapshot in to my style.

i like zebras.

2012-01-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

through a fellow portlander's blog, ashore, i have discovered that there are zebra's and giraffes just down the gorge in hood river at schreiner farms.
i don't quite understand how this is possible, but i will find it.
(isn't the picture she took amazing? all credits to her.)

memories

2012-01-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

a while back i had started a new blog. kind of as a test run (which did not pass). however, i did write a couple holiday posts that i shall re-post here. because these are the kinds of memories that need to be shared. because if they are out there, they will never be forgotten.

december 10, 2011
best friends

every single day, my heart swells at something i see everett do or say. or merely the sight of him. and on at least one occasion, my heart almost bursts at something so amazing, so magical, that i tear up and count my blessings. his innocence, sweet nature, and pure magic is something that my wildest dreams never even thought possible.
today's moment involved his conversation with a large, inflated lawn reindeer. now to me, these large blown up holiday decorations are to be avoided. to everett? they are amazing. they are the potential to be a new best friend. the past couple of nights we have gone to say hello to the reindeer down the street (sometimes referred to as a cow. i don't bother correcting him. it's more fun that way). the previous night he wasn't home. he was "out with his family eating dinner" (so says i). "eating noodles," according to everett. well, tonight, the giant reindeer was home. and everett had a lot to catch him up on. he was excited to tell him about our "new stove!" he remembered i said he was eating noodles and asked if they were "good stuff." he introduced himself ("my name everett... umm, mama," as he points at me). he showed him the lights. showed him his ball. and then said "night night" and we walked home.
and that innocent, sweet, magical conversation with a large blow up reindeer will have a piece of my heart for a long time coming. because my kiddo? he is the sweetest, most imaginative, gentle, kind soul i know.

december 29, 2011
happy happy merry merry

christmas 2011 was the best yet.

everett did wonderfully with santa. we did major prep, in anticipation of him getting shy and playing with this fingernails (which is the cutest nervous tick i think i've seen). he marched right up to him, and said what he wanted (a bike) and his name before he was prompted. but in a loud, clear voice. this mama bear was roaring with pride.
christmas eve, stephen and ashley hosted us and my mom for dinner. we brought a much curried butternut squash soup and salad. dinner was delicious (ma's duck was amazing). everett received a much anticipated shopping cart, as well as new best friends, woody and buzz.
after a near nervous breakdown christmas eve night (naturally), we woke up christmas morning to a beautifully crafted and lit up teepee, as well as the new bike that santa brought and a thrifted football helmet that has stolen the show. and the magic moment of the day that will stay in my heart a lifetime, was everett turning around as he is opening his gifts and saying "thank you, santa" to the air. his earnestness, manners, joy, belief in santa, and magic just made my heart explode.
the joy of christmas really is renewed once you have a child. each year gets better with him. i don't know if i'll be able to contain my love at this rate (it's debatable if i have). a mother's love is limitless. otherwise, i would have exploded years ago.

instagramie

2012-01-16T22:43:00.000-08:00

i am obsessed with instagram. it's like twitter with a picture. an enhanced picture with a filter. and what's not to like about that?
halfway through, so here's the first 16 days of the january photo a day challenge.

1/you 2/breakfast 3/something you adore 4/letterbox 5/something you wore 6/makes you smile 7/favourite 8/your sky 9/daily routine 10/childhood 11/where you sleep 12/close-up 13/in your bag 14/something you're reading 15/happiness 16/morning

two thousand and twelve.

2012-01-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

this last year was the best of times and the worst of times. i wouldn't change a single piece of it, as there are trials and tribulations in every life that you learn from in order to move on to a bigger and better life. i had too many good times to count this last year, and many hurdles that were cleared (if just barely). in the end, i am excited for a new year, with new laughs, new perspectives, new tears, new laughter, and new beginnings. i can already feel that it's going to be a good one.

this year i will....
- run a 5k... and a 10k. the 5k is set for april 1 with the race for the roses. you can bet that i will be paying to get that medal. the 10k will likely be in the back half of the year. (there will be a bigger post about this part of my life later.)
- put my clothes away once a week. the pile i get in my bathroom and closet is disturbing. once a week may not sound like a lot, but trust me, this may be the most difficult of the resolutions.
- be a better friend. i can easily fall victim to "out of sight, out of mind." but i have such good people in my life that bring so many great elements and qualities to my life. i need to do better on my end in keeping them an active part of my life.
- be present. with everett. with ben. in love and life. with my job. my family. and my me time. don't let my mind wander unnecessarily. this is the here and now.

maybe i'll think of more as they come. we can think of this list as a work in progress.

hello.

2012-01-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

my name is emily.

welcome to my new space.

it's a pleasure to meet you.