Category Archives: Flashback Fridays

Flashback Friday – Baby Bump Edition

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I decided to bring back Flashback Friday – Baby Bump Edition to catch you up on what was going on in the few months when our surprise was still our secret.  Only because oversharing (and using incomplete sentences) is my way.

MONTH 1 – Finding out!

Main scoop: We were *trying* to get pregnant.  In fact, we’d been trying for a little while.  I was charting, meaning I tracked my cycle and took my temperature every morning and when ovulation was imminent…well…you know.  You’ve got to get crackin’ (an egg pun for you).

I used this one.

Anyway, this month it happened to work!  We were relieved, excited, terrified.  As far as feeling different, I didn’t really but more on that later.

The Science: Baby Center recap – 4 weeks.  Did you know that by the time you typically find out you’re pregnant, the docs already consider you 3 weeks along?  Yep, you are officially pregnant before you even conceived.  Doesn’t make sense?  The reasons why are complicated but basically 1. most ladies don’t know diddly squat about their cycle (including me until I started charting) and 2. pregnancy, duh, is gradual – so it takes while for things to settle in and the hormones to become high enough to detect them.  So, if you survive the first week after knowing – you’ve already made it through the first month!

Speaking of hormones: I present to you The Pee Stick, along with the romantic way I shared the news with Hubs:

Most of you either probably didn’t notice or, most likely, were too polite to mention anything but I missed #4 on my August 2012 Raves and Faves.  Instead of being my usual bouts of blogging idiocy, it was a purposeful placeholder to remind myself that my absolute favorite part about August was starting a little family with my best friend, my rock, my Hubs.  *gets teary-eyed*

Body morphing: There was a lot of significant (miraculous!) things going on on the INSIDE, but on the outside, I was the same old Candace.  Except I felt as though my eyes were nervous and telling, waiting to betray my newfound secret at any moment…

Sexy stuff! Well for one, I took the longest pee of my life shortly after we found out.  Seriously, Guinness Book of world records worthy. Also, I felt like bucket loads of blood was rushing to my brain and my breakfast was hanging out in my throat.  But, before all of that -when I was camping with my cross country kids - us girls got our craft on by making bracelets using strips of damp fabric that we twisted together like so:

(I know I’m biased, but aren’t my girls so beautiful?)

Anyway, holding that damn fabric in my mouth was almost intolerable.  It made me gag immediately, which I thought to be such strange reflex.  I hadn’t confirmed I was pregnant yet, but this made me suspicious (and turns out, I was right).

Food drama: There was no food drama.  And here you all suspected I’d be a pregnant little diva, didn’t you?  Pffft!!!  I’m stronger than that!

Any suspected strength gave way immediately and I turned into an incompetent, slimy, whining slob.  Look to MONTH 2 for all of the juicy (literally) details.

Exercising? I kept on running in the mornings with Callie and Danielle, then I’d head to summer running with the cross country kids in the afternoons to run some easy miles with them.  So, technically, I was running a lot but it was nothing strenuous.  But, then there was the camping trip.  To be candid, the camping trip was fairly brutal.  On the first full day, we hiked EIGHT miles in the mountains and then ran for an hour that evening.  The next day, we went on a 10 mile run (10 MILES!  in the mountains!!) but regretfully the group that hung close to the lady with the map (me) GOT LOST.  Horribly lost.  See?  I told you I was bad with maps.  We were out there for hours (3, in fact).  It was worst run of my life.  I think I have post-traumatic stress from it all.

To Dos: I had no To Dos except to pray that these first few vulnerable weeks would go by quickly and happily!

And randomly: The official cross country season started the day after I found out I was pregnant.  Was I ready to take on the first trimester AND 130 teenagers simultaneously?  You’ll have to wait and see.

Next Friday, you get to read all about Month 2!  Yay?

Flashback Friday

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Move-in day from almost exactly (oxymoron?) a year ago.

This brings back memories of those New Town jitters and the reminder that moving IS NOT FUN.  It’s cheesy to say, but I can’t believe it’s been a year since we crossed the CO border with our fatty Penske truck.  What a year it’s been!

Flashback Friday

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Girls Scouts.  I was one.  I adored it.  Here’s our troop on some field trip out in the unforgiving Alaskan tundra:

Hard core, eh?  Oooh if only we had Pinterest back then, think of the crafts we could have busied ourselves with!  Tweens nowadays have no idea how lucky they are!

And even though you didn’t ask, my favorite Girl Scout cookie is the Samoas, by a massive margin.  But, truth be told, they don’t hold a candle to homemade cookies.  What is your favorite kind?

Happy half-way through June!  Eat a cookie to celebrate summer, how ’bout?

Flashback Friday

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So there’s this HUGE 10k race hosted in Boulder each year called the Bolder Boulder.  It’s always on Memorial Day and it’s insane.  It has such a large field of runners participating that the start waves go ALL morning long!  They actually set up a temporary store at the mall so you can pop in and register for the race.  Hubs and I decided to swing by on a whim during an afternoon bike ride a few weeks back, just to check out the tshirts.  Little did we know, we’d get lured into jumping on a treadmill and running TWO miles so we could qualify to get into a faster heat, all for free if we wore the shoes they provided!

Excuse my hair.  Hadn’t washed it in days because I’m disgustingly lazy.

It was not the most comfortable run donning jean shorts and a regular bra, but I’m so excited for all of hulabaloo this weekend!  It should be a good time, assuming we survive the 10k first.  It also reminded me of my last race in MN, also on Memorial Day, where I shuffled through a half marathon.  I can’t believe that was a year ago already!

Doing any running around this weekend?

Flashback Friday

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A lot of my track kids made it to the State Meet this season; a success I am attributing to their incredible coaching staff, *cough* *cough*…

And today is Day 2 of the 3 day event.  I couldn’t be more proud, impressed, inspired by all of the student athletes – a few of their performances yesterday brought me to tears.  Now, I never competed at the State level myself so it’s a real treat to be here, soaking it all in.  I can’t help but be reminded of my high school track days, where I was quite the track star, winning numerous medals in the worst hair and scary-eyebrows events.  I was also fairly annoying, which left quite the legacy.  Here is a picture of my girls track team from 1994.  Can you spot me, Walmart shoes and all?

I’m pretty sure the hair is a dead (end) giveaway, but just in case it’s early and you haven’t had your coffee yet, I’ll give you a little help.

Almost twenty years later, another track picture and still rockin’ bad hair.  Thankfully, I’m in the waaay back.

Sorry for the crappy resolution, I had to take a picture of the picture because my printer/scanner combo is out of ink and therefore refuses to scan anything.  Isn’t that the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard?

Happy Friday, friends!

Flashback Friday

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I know I’ve taken a small hiatus from the blog, but trust that I am still alive and consuming more sugar than I ought to, so don’t worry!

 

You weren’t even worried?

 

It’s Mother’s Day weekend and it’s only right to give some blog love to the very lady that sprouted my handsome brother and I from her uterus:  MamaP!

Love you so very very much, MamaP.  Happy Mother’s Day and thank you for all that you’ve done for me!

Of course, I need to give a shout out to my other mother of sorts:  My MIL Betsy:

Not only did she do an outstanding job of raising Hubs to be the most caring and kind man, but she churned out three more kids just as wonderful!  She is a stellar Mom and I am over the moon thankful for her.  Do your Moms right this weekend and tell them that you love them!

Photo credit: My sweet, Emily Griffith