I found this little video called "How Not To Be a Flutist" - enjoy. (This is similar to one of Chuck's young students back in his middle-school teaching days!)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Running!
On May 3rd, I am running the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis.
This race is the largest half-marathon in the United States, and 34,999 other people are signed up with me.
You might be thinking, Kelley? Really? 13.1 MILES?
I know, I'm not a natural athlete. I'm not built like a runner. I'm built more for...Scrabble. But now with three successful 5Ks under my belt, I got a little ambitious last fall and sent in my registration.
I think this might be the hardest thing I have ever done.
Thanks to my mom, I am lookin' good in my Nike gear! Thank you Mom! Does Nike make Air Booties yet for dogs?
The problem is, running outside in sub-freezing temperatures is no fun. :) Lenny, my loyal training partner, refuses to go any farther than half a mile with me. And it's hard to breathe! But I am trying to stick to my training schedule. I am still in the running/walking phase, but my time spent walking is going down.
I did my "long run" on Saturday, and for the rest of the day, my insides were completely messed up. My dad is helping me a lot and coaching me about training and hydration, so that has been really helpful. Apparently I need to hydrate BEFORE I run...ahhh. Makes sense. I will try that next time, and hopefully my digestive track won't revolt. My sister-in-law Missy, who is a talented marathon runner, has also given me good tips!
On Thursday night, I got some great inspiration. Our local movie theater was showing a documentary - one night only! - called Spirit of the Marathon. The movie got two thumbs up from me! It really got me motivated. The funny thing was that the theater was packed with people wearing their athletic gear - their tech t-shirts, jogging pants, etc., announcing "I am a runner!" I did not feel insecure enough to do that - I know I am a runner! I am so confident in that fact that I didn't even feel bad munching on my popcorn. With "buttery topping." (I ran three miles before I saw the movie. I deserved it!)
Happy 91st birthday, Grumpy!!!
This race is the largest half-marathon in the United States, and 34,999 other people are signed up with me.
You might be thinking, Kelley? Really? 13.1 MILES?
I know, I'm not a natural athlete. I'm not built like a runner. I'm built more for...Scrabble. But now with three successful 5Ks under my belt, I got a little ambitious last fall and sent in my registration.
I think this might be the hardest thing I have ever done.
Thanks to my mom, I am lookin' good in my Nike gear! Thank you Mom! Does Nike make Air Booties yet for dogs?
The problem is, running outside in sub-freezing temperatures is no fun. :) Lenny, my loyal training partner, refuses to go any farther than half a mile with me. And it's hard to breathe! But I am trying to stick to my training schedule. I am still in the running/walking phase, but my time spent walking is going down.
I did my "long run" on Saturday, and for the rest of the day, my insides were completely messed up. My dad is helping me a lot and coaching me about training and hydration, so that has been really helpful. Apparently I need to hydrate BEFORE I run...ahhh. Makes sense. I will try that next time, and hopefully my digestive track won't revolt. My sister-in-law Missy, who is a talented marathon runner, has also given me good tips!
On Thursday night, I got some great inspiration. Our local movie theater was showing a documentary - one night only! - called Spirit of the Marathon. The movie got two thumbs up from me! It really got me motivated. The funny thing was that the theater was packed with people wearing their athletic gear - their tech t-shirts, jogging pants, etc., announcing "I am a runner!" I did not feel insecure enough to do that - I know I am a runner! I am so confident in that fact that I didn't even feel bad munching on my popcorn. With "buttery topping." (I ran three miles before I saw the movie. I deserved it!)
Happy 91st birthday, Grumpy!!!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Christmas Eve pictures
On Christmas Eve, Mom, Dad, Chuck and I went down to Cambridge, Massachusetts to St. Paul's Church, where Chuck and I got married. It was beautifully decorated and the music was wonderful as well. The Boston Boys Choir sang.
Mom and Dad
We saw a few familiar faces, including the church lady that made Chuck so upset that he cried at our rehearsal, and the secretary who called my dad a "Love Muffin." The director of the Boston Boys Choir was the organist at our wedding.
Me and Chuck
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Saturday's BSO Concert
The Bloomington Symphony Orchestra performed its December concert (re-scheduled due to "snow") on Saturday, and the review is in! Lots of praise for Chuck.
(Click on the article to see a larger version.)
Too bad - no mention of any spectacular flute soloists. :)
(Click on the article to see a larger version.)
Too bad - no mention of any spectacular flute soloists. :)
More Christmas
We were lucky that we got to see Annie and John while we were visiting. They were up from Connecticut. We had a very nice few days with them.
By the way, John gave me the BEST Christmas present - YAK TRAX! They came in very handy when Chuck and I were walking up icy driveways when we canvassed. Check them out!
Chuck (with his Christmas beard) and me
The boys being goofy opening presents
I love the look on John's face in this one..."Oh, fun...Santa decorations...These will come in really handy..."
Mom and moose
Monday, January 14, 2008
Walter's Christmas attire
I'm going to post pictures from Christmas in little chunks instead of all in one huge long post. Let's start with Walter!
I should note that Walter looked like he had lost a few pounds. Nice work, Walter! Looking very svelte!
I should note that Walter looked like he had lost a few pounds. Nice work, Walter! Looking very svelte!
Winter Weather
It snowed several times while we were in New England and it was beautiful. This is in Dover. The driveway is not completely snow-free and black because Chuck shoveled, not Dad. Dad would have been a little more "thorough" [read: obsessed]. Dad even shoveled the sidewalk in front of our church (after the city had shoveled) so no little old ladies would slip and fall. He just can't get enough of shoveling. :)
These are pictures from up at the lake house.
These are pictures from up at the lake house.
Shopping!
Christmas Tree Shops clearance sale event. No explanation necessary. :) A highlight of the trip.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Lenny's Christmas
Over Christmas, we had to send Lenny to "Double K Kennels" in Hope, Indiana because there was no room for him at his local place, "Bark'N'Buddies." It was a nice place, but it was over an hour away. We had a hard time finding a suitable (and available) boarding option.
Anyway, he came home with a report card, and apparently he behaved after he stopped chewing on his paws the first day. Though they described him as "shy"... we're not really sure where that came from, though it may have been his normal aloof attitude. If you click on the picture, it will show you a larger picture so you can read all of the details.
We have determined that his paw-chewing behavior is most likely due to separation anxiety. His allergies seem to have calmed down slightly, and luckily, he's been much better about his paws since he came home from the kennel. We just ordered a new toy to challenge (and distract) him from a company called "Canine Genius." It's a puzzle toy - he has to figure out how to get the treats out from inside of it.
By the way, we just celebrated the fourth anniversary of Lenny's adoption - he came to live with us on January 2nd, 2004.
Anyway, he came home with a report card, and apparently he behaved after he stopped chewing on his paws the first day. Though they described him as "shy"... we're not really sure where that came from, though it may have been his normal aloof attitude. If you click on the picture, it will show you a larger picture so you can read all of the details.
We have determined that his paw-chewing behavior is most likely due to separation anxiety. His allergies seem to have calmed down slightly, and luckily, he's been much better about his paws since he came home from the kennel. We just ordered a new toy to challenge (and distract) him from a company called "Canine Genius." It's a puzzle toy - he has to figure out how to get the treats out from inside of it.
By the way, we just celebrated the fourth anniversary of Lenny's adoption - he came to live with us on January 2nd, 2004.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
O-H-I-O and Obama
Wow, it's been a tough week here for me. Monday night was the college football BCS national championship game with Ohio State playing LSU. We were hoping the Buckeyes could redeem themselves after last year's embarrassing loss to Florida. No such luck. But we still adore Jim Tressel, the coach, and we had a good time with several friends over. In the picture with Chuck and me are Amanda and Renee, both Buckeyes!
Despite the volunteer hours that Chuck and I put in to the Obama campaign while we were in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton squeaked out a victory there on Tuesday night. I made a few hundred phone calls in Strafford county, and Chuck and I canvassed (went door-to-door) in Dover. Both the town and the entire county went solidly for Hillary. But the campaign is optimistic about the next primaries coming up later in the month, so I am trying to keep my chin up. I'm reading Barack's first book, Dreams from My Father, and taking solace in the fact that the woman who asked the question that brought Hillary to tears ended up voting for Obama. His victory speech in Iowa and his concession speech in New Hampshire were amazing and inspiring. YES WE CAN!
So now that all of that excitement is over, I'm not sure what's up next! It's got to be better than Monday and Tuesday, though!
I'll be posting pictures from Christmas vacation very soon.
Update: I just checked the NH Secretary of State's website for detailed election results. Hillary won in all 6 of Dover's wards, but in Ward 3, where Chuck and I canvassed, her lead was by far the smallest. She only won by 14 votes. So I feel like maybe we at least made a small difference! :)
Despite the volunteer hours that Chuck and I put in to the Obama campaign while we were in New Hampshire, Hillary Clinton squeaked out a victory there on Tuesday night. I made a few hundred phone calls in Strafford county, and Chuck and I canvassed (went door-to-door) in Dover. Both the town and the entire county went solidly for Hillary. But the campaign is optimistic about the next primaries coming up later in the month, so I am trying to keep my chin up. I'm reading Barack's first book, Dreams from My Father, and taking solace in the fact that the woman who asked the question that brought Hillary to tears ended up voting for Obama. His victory speech in Iowa and his concession speech in New Hampshire were amazing and inspiring. YES WE CAN!
So now that all of that excitement is over, I'm not sure what's up next! It's got to be better than Monday and Tuesday, though!
I'll be posting pictures from Christmas vacation very soon.
Update: I just checked the NH Secretary of State's website for detailed election results. Hillary won in all 6 of Dover's wards, but in Ward 3, where Chuck and I canvassed, her lead was by far the smallest. She only won by 14 votes. So I feel like maybe we at least made a small difference! :)
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