home from wild wonderful WV

hey! well, the kids and I made it back from charleston in one piece. It was so hard leaving brock there though! I can't wait for him to come home on thursday!

We stopped immediately on ext 14 and picked up fred. He just had gotten groomed and was SO cute! and so happy to see me! Fred literall leap into my arms and started licking my face. AWw. missed you too buddy!

I unloaded the car, and tried to put things away. I have a mountain of laundry, since I brought home brock's work clothes from last week.

I got a call from the Cave House and the pottery ( trophies) for the road race is finished! HORRAH! I am SOO happy!! I can't wait to go get them on Friday. The artist who made them, wants to meet me! So i am going to meet up with her.

the Highlands festival is going on right now WOO! cant wait to go experience that:o)

sorry...

 I have been SO bad this week when it comes to keeping up with my blog.  It's been a fairly busy week. Brock has been gone all week working in West Virginia, and actually I drove up here with the kids yesterday to see him because he isn't coming home until next weekend. 

 I accomplished more things for the road race! I ordered the banner for the start/finish line, and I received several more entries in the mail! ( which is very exciting for me)  I sent out a volunteer "roll-call" to organize the volunteers and so I would have an idea of who would be there to help. I received a positive response to that as well. I truly am appreciative to everyone who decided to me honor Todd this way. The staff of volunteers are composed of family, friends and co-workers of my brother( and a few of my personal friends). I truly am blessed when it comes to the people in my life. I don't have many friends, but the ones I do have are great people. Also,  i have a wonderful family. I don't know what I would do without my family or Brock's family. 

If you don't have family, you really don't have anything. 

 I had the most wonderful breakfast this morning ( eggs Benedict) my favorite! I am going to get ready and stroll little Todd around capital street and look in all the shops. It really is surprising how urbanized Charleston, Wv is now. There are parts of the city that are kinda shady and ghettoised, but the area around the capitol building and the town center is rather nice and pedestrian friendly.

 so I am looking forward to that and spending the day with Brock

the house on main

I went to my husband's uncle's new restuarant tonight with my husband's parents and my kids: The House on Main in Abingdon, Va. I thought it was great! the desserts were the equivalent ( if not better than any 5 star restaurant I had ever been to) Very nice! great job Timmy!

I finally got around to going to morrell's shoe store to get jack his shoes today! I got him 4 pairs of shoes! I just couldn't help myself! they had so many cool shoes for little boys. So I got 2 pairs of 9's and 2 pairs of 9.5 for later this fall.

Brock is in morgantown, looks like me and the kids are going to drive up to see him one day this week. Can't wait. I really like the drive there. So many trees.

there was a hellacious lightening storm this evening. I wish I had my camera so I could try to take a picture of some it. It was an amazing display to say the least.

here are some pictures from my yard. I took them with my canon EOS rebel xt. I took the morning scene with my canon telephoto lens. The iris and the bird was taken with my wide angle lens.

 Saturday! My Day began at 6am! Pretty much today was utilized as a "restocking day" as a family, we ran out and gathered some things that we were out of: food, cleaning supplies, water etc. It actually was one of the more easier and more pleasant excursions we have gone on( shopping with a toddler and a baby can be overwhelming and tiresome sometimes) but today the kids just seemed so cute and giggly: well behaved. So I was glad(There is hope for not being isolated from the public in the future!)

So we came home, unloaded the car and put everything away. Then I set out to marinate some filets with this apple chiptole sauce and a dash of dale's. They turned out well. In addition to that we had some very nice twice baked potatoes! T even ate one for dinner!

tomorrow is going to be busy, and unfortunately brock has to go work for awhile. He has alot of jobs! I am toying with the idea of driving to morgantown to see him over the weekend, but I haven't decided yet what I would like to do. 

 I am sorry that I have such a filter on my blog. I have alot going on, but I just feel so self conscious about blogging about things occurring in my life, my inner dialog or feelings on things,  or even blogging too much about my kids.. (which is crazy paranoid) I just feel so very aware that what  I write can be read by anyone, and I really don't want to reveal so much about myself to where my transparency is perceived as a vulnerability. but that is why I don't post pictures of my children. I just don't want *just anyone* to have access to all sorts of information about me or my kids or the happenings of my life. That is the major reason why social networking completely sketches me out. I don't do it. 

it's FRIDAY

hey, Today was a busy day.

   My friend k and her kids came over to play, and we had a great time. Then my mother in law brought my little nephew over( he is 2) and he played with all the kids. The weather is VERY hot, but then it's july.. so I guess, it would be weird if it wasn't hot.  I was just amazed how ( usually I walk around barefoot) and I found it virtually impossible to do so today! the astroturf at the playground ( as my son jack says "uchi, ouchy!") my deck where the sun was hitting it,(EEOW!)  So I ended up being so mindful about slipping on my flip flops today, because when I would absent mindedly walk out the door, I would be walking back quick for my shoes!

Brock finally made it home. HOORAY! only to be gone again monday (BOO!) but we have a good weekend planned. 

 There really is so much more going on, but I am so worn out writing this, I'll write a longer blog tomorrow.  I am proud that I at least wrote everyday this week! hoorah for me!  I really feel that writing some everyday, has to be beneficial on some level. 

( although the whole time I have been writing this, I have been zoning out on "deadliest catch"  on our tivo)

waah!

 hey yall. Well it's Thursday. Brock is coming home tomorrow, and jenny has survived yet another week just her and the kids here on big knob. 

kinda had a crazy morning. I ended up getting a little cabin feverish, so I took the kiddies out with EVERY single intention of going to get little jack some shoes. He has outgrown 7's, and I surmised by looking at his foot that he was about a toddler 8 1/2. WELL, we go to southern shoe connection which is this huge metal building filled wall to wall with shoes. They measured jack's foot and sure enough, the youngun is now an 81/2. Easy part. the hard part: couldn't find ANY shoes.. other than these girly keds ( do boys even wear freakin white canvas keds?!) I wasn't about to buy them and then have my baby ridiculed by the bus kids in Sunday school. So we left with ZERO pairs of shoes. I had planned to buy several pairs too. So back to square one with that one. ( if people knew all the energy I had to expend to get the stroller out, the baby, then jack strap them in, then push the gargantuan   stroller through double glass doors( and NO one ever bother to help. They just always sit there and watch me struggle and try not to squish my kids in the doors( which ALWAYS makes me super mad, I always help people with doors especially if they have a stroller why are people so lame sometimes?) THEN I get in the shoe store and NOTHING in this kids size in the WHOLE store.(except of course, the femie looking keds that would get him a wedgie if he wore them around other kids) UNBELIEVEABLE. )

So I cut my loses there and we went to TJ Maxx and Target for me to just see what is going on there, since I hadn't been in town for a couple of weeks. scored a cool ed hardy belt and some cute steve madden sandals that are mustard yellow. Jack was so funny. When we pulled into the shopping center he looked at me and said "exactly WHY are we here?" haha. Both he and Todd got a toy at target, so they were all good when all was said and done. 

I got the racing bibs in today from Runners World for the Road Race. I am SO excited how everything is coming together. The 16th will be here very soon. 

 well, I am tired, I guess I will go relax and read for the rest of the evening. 

somewhere down the line

 well, I am over here in Richlands, VA hanging out with my parents, letting them enjoy the company of their grandkids:) Actually, jack is out in the garden with my mom digging potatoes, and gathering squash and cucumbers. My Dad is mowing the yard, and I am in the house with little Todd who is getting ready to take a nap. So that pretty much is the run down of what is going on here. 

My nephew, Brian, who works for consol energy, will be home from work around 4pm, then we will all have dinner together before I head back up the road to the mean streets of Bristol. 

  Brock is working in West Virginia. I can't wait for him to come home on Friday. 

I really want to go make a trip to Boone, NC sometime soon. I have alot of things coming up the month of August, and really don't know when I can do everything I need to do. Ever feel that way? so overwhelmed by tasks at hand, that there literally doesn't seem like enough hours in the day.  but once we have my brother's memorial road race, the Christopher Todd Richardson Memorial 10k (  www.runtricities.org )  I will have some more free time on my hands.  I would like to go to Grandfather mtn and check all that out up there. I really enjoy the town of Boone itself. I love going to the mast general store and all the stores on Kings st.  I guess I just love that it's a college town ( so there is art, culture, free thinking etc) maybe it's just a way for me to attempt to recapture lost youth to just merely go there.  I feel like I have aged so much the past year.  I feel OLD.  Maybe it's just the confines of adult life and adult responsibities( caring for two small kids constantly ) I love my family. but it presents a whole special set of challenges that are new experiences for me, and have definately taken some modifications on my part.

 I just have to keep reminding myself that really I just need to enjoy the moment and phase of life that I'm in, while yes, it's hard to handle a toddler and a baby, but they will grow so quickly. (which will be sad) and then I will have all the free time to run, train for races, and travel: but I will never get this time back with them while they are small. 

 I  took the picture of a flower beside my house with my canon EOS.. isn't it awesome looking?!

here I go again

 I really am going to try to make a last ditch attempt at keeping a blog and keeping it current. 

Today I took my oldest son Jack to check out his preschool.  I think it went well, and he will enjoy it there. It's a smaller private school, but I think he will benefit from all the individualized attention, and small classes etc.  There was a summer enrichment program going on while we toured, and Jack just took off with them to plant flowers outside while I went to go over the paperwork and sign an agreement (guess my fears that he'd cling to my leg screaming the first day of school were unfounded)

Then we came home, jack took off with his grandmother to visit some of her relatives this afternoon. (again, does that kid ever miss me?)

 I pretty much spent the rest of the day playing with my little 8month old, Ranzey Todd. He is growing so quickly, and his little personality is really just developing into this uber sweet individual.  We play with toys, sing songs(well, i sing) I read him books. Then the rest of the time just is devoted to his primary care ( bathing, feeding, changing, you get the picture)

All the while anxiously anticipating the return of little jack:  who rolled back into town about 9am. Fun Stuff.

 I really can't wait for brock to get back into town so that I can go run. I ran 5 miles the other day ( I am kinda post marathon recovery mode which stinks) wasn't too painful.  I really have so much I would like to do( run, bike, tennis, golf) but until he gets back all my athletic aspirations are on hold haha.  I really have just come to terms that I will have to wait until both my kids start school before I can actually set lofty athletic goals and train on the level I want.( ACCEPT IT!) 

We just got back this past weekend from a 2 week jaunt out west. I took some amazing pictures, and had an amazing time as well. I just can't get over how much I love colorado. It truly is such an awesome place. Especially the town of Leadville.  The picture is me at the top of mosquito pass at 13, 900 ft during the leadville trail marathon. ONE TOUGH CLIMB. it makes me HATE swtichbacks so badly! haha it's maddening trying to get to the top!

Tomorrow I am supposed to go to Richlands to visit my parents farm. Jack is excited. He loves riding the tractor with my dad and seeing all the black angus cows.  I enjoy going just to spend time with them. It seems the older I become, the more I am aware of how important it is to spend time with our immediate family. Really, without them, my life wouldn't have much meaning. People define themselves through various ways: careers, hobbies, likes/dislikes; the crap they own but I really think that with some serious self reflection, one can see how really interaction with family and life experiences past, present and future is what molds and shapes us into WHO we are. 

current events very quickly: the dow dropped below 11,000 points (bummer), GM is cutting jobs(RIP), oil went down 7 bucks a barrel today. Sad state of affairs if you ask me. I don't even want to get into politics ( odd since I am degreed in political science) today.

 Book I am currently reading : "How the Irish Saved Civilization"

Favorite gadget: tie between ipod-touch and blackberry world. use them both equally the same

* I love my Mac Book, and will never use windows again.*

 cameras: use Canon EOS rebel XT primarily for digital pictures can't say enough positive things about this camera. for a smaller digital, I am  currently loving olympus stylus. its orange and can go underwater, shockproof etc.. I carried it during leadville marathon and I thought the pictures turned out great.  

film camera: Nikon 35mm SLR. 

 Over and out.