ddddrrrrruuuummmmm rroolllllllll please

i ran 5 days this week people! i usually make it to 3 or 4 and give up but i actually followed through. yippee! pat on the back

side note...jay is sick with a nasty cold. cold and flu medicine is in the future. the question is...WHICH cold and flu medicine

our baby

norman loves the snow!

for all you runners out there

10 Tips For Running In The Cold

Runners and readers like you give their best advice for plowing through the winter season. By Yishane Lee Image by Oksana Badrak Published 01/11/2008

1. Get Motivated
"Make a date to meet someone for a run," says Jean M., a reader in Colorado. "There's no wimping out when someone is waiting." John Stanton, the founder of the Running Room in Edmonton, Alberta, says the club's Wednesday and Sunday group runs are popular in winter, when the average high is 17°F. In January and February, the Running Room hosts the Hypothermic Half-Marathon, which attracts 3,500 runners in 14 cities across Canada--even at temps as low as -40°F. "There's a big, free brunch afterward," Stanton says. "People will do anything for omelets and pancakes." Solo? "Tell yourself that you can go back inside after five minutes if it's really bad," says Patti Finke, a coach in Portland, Oregon. "Usually you stay out there." Of course, not everyone objects to winter weather. "A night run during a light snowfall is one of the most peaceful things you can experience," says Justin Lord of Kenmore, New York.

2. Arm Your Feet
To keep warmth in and slush out, run in shoes that have the least amount of mesh. If you have shoes with Gore-Tex uppers, all the better, says Mark Grandonico, president of the Maine Track Club in Portland. Wear socks that wick away wetness but keep your feet warm. Runner Joe McNulty of Philadelphia swears by nonitchy SmartWool socks.

3. Get Dressed
You want to be warm without sweating so much you get a chill. "The rule of thumb is to dress as if it is 20 degrees warmer," says Maine Track Club president Mark Grandonico. "You should be slightly cool when you start." Think layers of technical fabrics, to wick sweat, with zippers at the neck and underarm area to vent air as you heat up. You'll learn your own preferences, but readers Darrell Arribas, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, and Eric Maniloff, of Stittsville, Ontario, both helped create these general guidelines. Assume you always wear gloves or mittens and a hat.

4. Be Seen
With limited daylight, chances are you'll be running in the dark (Alaskans, sadly, get only a few hours of dim light per day). Tall snowbanks on plowed streets make you even harder to see. Wear reflective, fluorescent gear, and don't be shy about lighting yourself up like a Christmas tree, says RW's own Ed Eyestone, who runs in snowy Utah. Says Adam Feerst, a coach and trail-race director in Denver, "I use a headlamp or carry a flashlight, less so I can see where I'm going and more so people can see me."

5. Warm up Prerun
Move around inside enough to get the blood flowing without breaking a sweat. Run up and down your stairs, use a jump rope, or do a few yoga sun salutations. A speedy house-cleaning works, too, says D. A. Reng from Kentucky. "The cold doesn't feel so cold when you're warm," says Laura Salmon of Akron, Ohio. If you're meeting a group of running buddies, don't stand around in the cold chatting before you run. "We sit in our cars," says Denver's Feerst, "waiting for one person to get out before we all get out."

6. Deal with Wind
Start your run into the wind and finish with it at your back, so the breeze doesn't blast you after you've broken a sweat. To avoid a long, biting slog, you can break this into segments, running into the wind for about 10 minutes, turning around to run with the wind at your back for five minutes, and repeating. You can also seek man-made wind protection. "When we get wind here, it can be like a hurricane," says Chuck Bartlett, the team director of Seattle's Club Northwest. "The buildings downtown block it." Protect exposed skin. "I use BodyGlide on my nose and on my cheeks to prevent frostbite," says the Canadian Stanton. Other options include Vaseline (a bit messy) and Kiehl's All-Sport Non-Freeze Face Protector.

7. Forget Speed
"Winter running is more about maintenance miles than speedwork," says Feerst. In very cold weather, look for "inversions," places that are elevated and where the air will be warmer. "Even 300 feet up, the air can be 20 degrees warmer, which makes a big difference," says Steve Bainbridge, the trails liaison for the Fairbanks, Alaska-based Running Club North, the northernmost running club in the United States. Bainbridge's coldest run took place in minus 50 degree weather. "My eyelashes were freezing together," he says. If you can't run in the middle of the day when the temperatures are warmest, run twice a day, says Stanton, three miles in the morning and three miles in the evening: "That's better than doing one long six-mile run where you might get very cold toward the end."

8. Change Quickly Postrun
Your core body temperature drops as soon as you stop running. To avoid a lingering case of the chills, change your clothes--head to toe--as soon as you can. Women need to get out of damp sports bras quickly. Put a dry hat on wet hair. And drink something hot. "We go to a coffee shop after our runs, and take turns using the bathroom to change," says Grandonico. "Then we all relax with coffee and bagels." Driving to a run? Bring a thermos of green tea or hot chocolate in your car.

9. Deal with Rain
Runners in Mobile, Alabama, the wettest city in the United States, are always prepared for rain--67 inches per year, in fact. "In my car, at all times, I have a spare pair of sneakers, a running outfit, and three beach towels," says Allyson Lamey, a member of the Port City Pacers club. "When it's raining, I slip my stocking feet into plastic baggies, then put on my running shoes," says Darryl Dalcerri of Lompoc, California. "The baggies keep my feet dry even when I run through puddles." Most Port City Pacers rotate pairs of shoes. If you have to dry shoes overnight, crumple up newspaper and cram it tightly into your shoes, with the insoles removed. The newspaper soaks up the moisture.

10. Go Someplace Warm
For runners in the South who want to race close to home, winter is the only time when temperatures are moderate enough to go after a personal record, which is why Florida alone offers seven marathons in February. Not up for 26.2 miles? Other popular races include the Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 5-K/10-K, the Hilton Head Half-Marathon and 10-K, and the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Del Sol in Arizona. Or go to the Race Finder to choose your own distance and destination. What more motivation do you need?

MY winter picks

.keep soft!.

.ambiance.

.perfection.
all you need is a candle and book

.warm and cozy.

.divine.

.hot chocolate.
delicioso

.sledding.year 1902.
classic

.quite lovely.
perfect winter dining

last year at this time

bringing some memories back of events that occurred around this time last year!

scrooge

blog!!! it's been ages sinces i have spoken to you! how have i gone so long.........i have no idea. well guys it is official........................i bought jay a wii for christmas. yes this is true. unfortunately after playing a strenuous game of sword fighting (which i lost) i was sore. this brought light on how not strong my arms really are. our next game purchase will most likely be a dancing one because dancing is amazing even if you are not good at it.

and secondly............i heard the most amazing quote from a regular that comes into the coffee shop the other day. her daughter was telling her about the different holidays they were learning about in school and she proceeded to tell her mom this:

"mom, i know we aren't native americans but happy hanukkah."

how amazing is that statement! kids really do say the funniest things.

family reunion!

last sunday we had a family reunion near duncan, ne. yes it was on my uncles farm and we had an absolutely wonderful time catching up with long lost family members. my mom has 8 siblings in her family total....so needless to say there was a lot of people who attended. our family reunions aren't about having competitions between individual families they are about eating, chatting, and having a good time, whatever that may be. norman, our dog, also attended because he is part of the family and he loved loved loved it. he wanted to attack the cows and almost got some kittens for his dinner. no worries! he wasn't quick enough for them!

P.S.

the flowers are gorgeous here!!! this post is dedicated to my father who loves gardening and planting.....

breckenridge!!!!

so we are back to our second home! after vacationing here fore 15 years of my life it sure feels like home! good ol' breck is still as awesome as ever and we even got the chance to visit chase and carolyn in denver on our way out here. maddox and jadon are as cute as ever and we wish we lived closer so we could see them more often. after leaving their house on monday afternoon we went to cherry creek mall (best mall ever!!!!) and went to fabulous stores.....restoration hardware, anthropologie, oakley..just to name a few. we also had cherry on top frozen yogurt because they will be opening in lincoln soon so we had to try it and it was amazing too! no fat and it tastes delicious!

after leaving the mall we decided to make our way back to I-70 without using directions and it was soooo fun. we drove through downtown and saw amazing condos and parks and lovely buildings...it just made me want to move there. successfully we got to I-70 and made our way to breck. as we drove out of the eisenhower tunnel we had a lovely light go on in our car....LOW FUEL! awwwww! i was paranoid but fortunately it is all downhill to silverthorne and we made it to a gas station and of course the outlet mall ;). we perused the stores and decided we would go back to make purchases a different day.

arriving in breckenridge was wonderful as usual. the crisp brisk mountain air that always smells amazing...literally. our condo is FANTASTICALLY AMAZING! we want it to be our apartment for reals...granite, stone, loveliness, mountains....what more could a girl and boy ask for? that night we stuffed ourselves at mi casa (mexican food) and sipped some good coffee. and yes we were in bed at 8 because we were soooooo tired! unfortunately we both woke up at 3 in the morning wide awake ahahahaha! serves us right for being old farts and going to bed ridiculously early.

tuesday we did the infamous mcculah gulch (butchered the spelling) hike and it was gorgeous! god is so beautiful! many photos were taken and will be posted soon. tired and refreshed at the same time we got home, rested, and then went to Eric's pizza which is the best pizza in the world. if you have never been here you should come for that reason.

now it is wednesday. our morning looked a little like this: woke up slowly, got coffee, read the paper, gazed at god's creation for a long time, went on a walk, and now we are going shopping. jay is more excited for shopping than i have ever seen him which is really exciting for me! so we are off! pictures to come and more updates.

YAY for celebrating GRADUATION AND HONEYMOONS!!!! WOOOHOOOO! but we wish family was here too :( miss all of you being with us. we wanted to play cards last night but it wouldn't have been much fun without you all!

Last week of nannying!

i cannot believe it is my last week of being a nanny! summer has absolutely flown by. this summer has been so fun compared to the last couple because i am not in summer school and jay and i have been much more active in visiting family and friends on the weekends. i have averaged sitting by the pool 3 days a week and have finished 3 books! that is REALLY good for me. in school i really didn't do much "fun" reading.

usually the kiddos i watch have golf and swimming in the mornings but this week they do not! with this being said i am in much need of some suggestions to occupy the children. they definitely are not the "stay at home and occupy yourself" types of kids so.........cheap fun things are needed. here is what i have thus far:

monday: Henry Doorly Zoo (weather permitting, fingers crossed!)

tuesday: park in the morning and pool in the afternoon

wednesday: driving range in the morning and pool in the afternoon

thursday: HAVE NO IDEA!

thursday is my last day so it is a must that it be fantastic and fun! i do not know what to do on this day and am in need of some other ideas. it is sad that summer is coming to an end and i will miss seeing these kids everyday! but i guess all good things come to an end at some point, however, this only means that a new good thing is about to begin! exciting!

new computer!

well we have a new computer! my brother and sister-in-law- were gracious enough to sell us their macbook that is in great condition! so now we have 4 computers....ahhh! time to sell 2. so if you are interested let us know. here are some new photobooth pictures of us taken with our lovely computer...it is my favorite application now.

Norman and I!

We really aren't hippies

Apparently loving the peace sign

that's us!

bright eyes

Update on Life

Well it is official Justin James Burt will be graduating on August 14, 2010 with his Bachelors in Economics. I am so proud of him along with all of his friends and family. It is pretty honorable to have worked full time, managing a business, getting married, getting a dog (practically a child), and going to school full time. He has accomplished much and is about to close a chapter of his life and embark on a new journey. All of his family will be here for his ceremony except his brother Ryan and his wife and kids. They will be missed a lot! Grandma from Albuquerque will be here too! After the ceremony it is off to party in Fremont with grilling and fun! What a fantastic way to end this story of his life.......food, laughter, family, and fun!

I only have 6 more days nannying this summer too! Wow it has gone by so fast but it has been so fun! They are always on the move and always saying the funniest things. Even though I have gotten my degree in elementary education I have chosen a different career path for the moment. I will be managing a Scooters coffeehouse....random.....sort of yes. I am so excited for it and know that God has led me exactly where he wants me! I just hope my cousin Bethany and Allen move here so she can work with me and we both can attend some more school for graphic design! Life is so great! I am such a dreamer and will always be one.

So there you go. That is the update from the Burt household! I haven't been doing so well on one of my summer goals.....taking more photos. I have on my phone but that is all! Lame!! Soooooooooo I will take some everyday from now on!!! Fingers Crossed! I have uploaded a picture of a camera for inspiration....hahaha

Home for the weekend!

miss Lily sitting pretty
Helping Garden!
Jaden was going down all by himself! Poopy diaper and all!
Maddox is everywhere!
Jaden likes to hide even when you can see him
Classic little Chase!

What a great weekend we had! The whole family was there...Chase, Carolyn, Maddox, Jaden, Matt, Abbie, Lily, Baby #2, Mom, Dad, Jay, Me, and of course Barb! What is with my family being able to laugh and have a good time with everything!

Saturday we enjoyed a game of apples to apples.....hilarious!!!! I think some of the words to describe me were: short and stout, long and lean, big and tall......hahaha. This is true! The one card to describe Jay was "wild and wooly". We all erupted in laughter over that card because Jay is kind of hairy! Perfecto! Then whenever Chase drew any card he decided to sing and repeat everything his card said just as if he were a broken record gone wrong. Annoying? Maybe to others but to us....hilarious! If you are bored all you have to do is go to the Meyer house!

My parents have a baby pool set up in their backyard and the nieces and nephews loved splashing in the water, especially little Lily! She is a water bug. Being only 1 year old, she loves to dunk her head and hold the hose up to her face! She is "fearless" as my mom says and is most definitely a fish! Then ther was Jaden who cried everytime his feet got put in!

As we were getting ready to leave the boys decided to inspect Chase and Carolyn's car because it turns out they have new friends who have moved in it! Mice! YUCK! It gives me the creeps. So after vacuuming up the mice poop they set up some mice traps in the car.....hahaha it is kind of funny. So we will have to keep you updated on the status of the new rodent family.

day at the zoo

so over the fourth of july we had jay's brother and his wife and kids come stay with us. it was fun and busy! jay experienced his first visit to the henry doorly zoo. he was amazed at how spectacular it was. i mean it is one of the best right? our niece and nephew loved it too! savannah is 3 and jameson is 1. they were great troopers and loved hanging out with uncle jay. because jay chose to be the "fun one", he had the opportunity to be savannah and jameson's source of entertainment througout the weekend....meaning being a human jungle gym. after they left on monday and jay woke up on tuesday he was sore if that says anything. i think it says he is older than he thinks he is and maybe he should lift some weights or something ;).....just kidding for reals. anyhow the weekend was fun with them. lots of really bad food was eaten and good wine was drank. the only bummer was lincoln post poned their firework show to the 5th and we were unable to shoot off any fireworks on the fourth. very depressing for me. i am used to a day in columbus, nebraska where all we do is sit around shooting off fireworks, eating homemade ice cream and drinking lemonade. fireworks or not it was a great weekend......henry doorly zoo need i say more? haha

provoked thoughts

so have you ever put God in a box? i certainly have. as i have grown older in years and spiritually i have come to a point where i felt stagnant. so little did i know a book i would pick up to read by the pool would be so inspiring. this book is called THE SHACK. yes this is well known in the christian realm and controversial. the story is fictional but inspiring. it has truly opened up my mind as to what a relationship with God is and looks like. sometimes i think i still put my faith in performance mode and try to do everything right, forgetting what a relationship is. i recommend this book entirely. it is inspiring, intriguing, funny, sad, happy.....all the emotions. give it a try! i never finish books and i almost finished this in 2 days. you will love it!

so day 3 and 4 completed a week ago

after all that hype about running 5 days a couple weeks ago.....i only ran 4. well the goal is closer to being completed. this week i have run 2 days so far so 3 to go! not bad! i am going to complete this goal. fingers crossed! determination

amazing summer recipe

if you like thai this is for you! i got this from a website called eatbetteramerica.com. it is great for when you don't know what to cook and want a healthy simple solution!

makes:8 servings (3/4 cup each)

1	package (7 oz) vermicelli, broken in half
1	medium carrot, shredded
1	cup sliced quartered cucumber
1	cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper
1/3	cup sliced green onions
1/4	cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2	cup Thai peanut stir-fry and dipping sauce

1.	Cook vermicelli as directed on package. Drain in colander or strainer; rinse with cold water until cold. Drain well.
2.	In large bowl, toss drained cold vermicelli and all remaining ingredients to coat evenly with sauce.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.

Nutritional Information

1 Serving: Calories 150 (Calories from Fat 40); Total Fat 4 1/2g (Saturated Fat 1g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 0mg;Sodium 135mg; Total Carbohydrate 23g (Dietary Fiber 3g, Sugars 3g); Protein 6g Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A30%; Vitamin C 60%; Calcium 0%; Iron 8% Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1/2Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1 1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

perfect morning

i am having a perfect morning today and here is what it consists of:

*getting up at 6:45

*blue skies and sunshine

*driving with my adorable husband to work

*sitting and drinking coffee at scooters

*blogging of course!

*spending some qt with jesus doing an amazing bible study (beth moore: breaking free)

fabulous, amazing, awesome, relaxing, refreshing, lovely

mason city

this weekend we are on the road to good ol' mason city, iowa. home of the music man and the mason city mohawks. jay's grandparents from albuquerque will be there and can't wait to see them! we haven't seen them since our wedding a year and a half ago. we love being able to spend time with family because truly they are what matter in life. this may sound cheesy but friends come and go throughout your life but your family is always there.

mason city is only a town with about 30,000 people so needless to say there isn't many activities to participate in. their local coffee shop, jitters, is fun to go to and hang out in after a good run on the path by the river that runs through town. also clear lake is a nearby town with a huge lake people can boat in and swim. they have a two decker boat that gives tours of the lake called "lady of the lake" and i really want to go on a ride sometime. i think it sounds like fun! maybe this weekend will be my lucky break and we can all go.

with grilling, laughter, and relaxation i am so excited for this weekend!

quote of the day

here is a quote from 7 yr. old bryce, one of the kids i nanny:

"let the female do what she wants to do!"

hahahaha i loved it. had to share it!

day 2

so day 2 of running is done. 4 miles. so i have only run 2 days thus far and need 3 more.....today (friday), tomorrow (saturday), and sunday. my running weeks always start on mondays for some reason. i plan on doing 4 today, 6 tomorrow, and 3 on sunday. wish me luck all! after this week i will have run 5 days for the first time in a month or so. yay! i love having goals!

easy dessert!

these are the best brownies ever! they take no time at all to make. put them with some vanilla icecream and you have a perfect summer treat. i made these yesterday and 3/4 the pan is gone from family and friends enjoying them!

friend time with jeremy & kayla and andy & brittany

today after a day full of swimming we had the chance to go to JAZZ IN JUNE and TOY STORY 3! with our bellies full from mr. goodscents we had an amazing night full of fun, laughter, and friends. we went to jazz in june thinking how wonderful it was going to be however when we got there and sat we quickly realized how steamy hot it really was outside. we enjoyed a few wonderful songs as we all sat and chatted and then spontaneously decided that we needed to see toy story 3. we all got up and anxiously walked to the theater hoping there would be a showing close to 7:30pm and score! there was one at 8. the tickets were bought and the seats were found and we all sat with smiles waiting for the show of our childhood. upon sitting there for about 5 minutes we noticed an oddly huge amount of high school aged kids with tags around their necks in the theater. it turns out that there was a thesbian convention in town with thousands of teenagers and they ALL got free movie passes and i think half of them came to the movie we were at. needless to say there were many out spoken dramatic people to entertain us before and during the movie and to make jay feel uncomfortable :). it was an experience to say the least. the movie was fantastic and i may have shed a tear at the end. it was pretty intense not even kidding!

to top the evening off as we left it started to rain and storm so there we were laughing at jeremy running like a maniac in front and kayla's inside out umbrella in back. we literally had sand in our teeth after from smiling and laughing as the wind was blowing. jeremy and andy then put on a rendition of singing in the rain and twirling around lightpoles for us. ahhhhh it was so fun. thanks friends for your friendship and spontanaity!

storms

so yesterday lincoln generated 6 inches of rain. wow! every single day it has been raining and in the evening we have had several awesome thunderstorms. the skies we have seen lately are crazy sick! i have never witnessed such majestic skies painted from the fingertips of God. it amazes me the colors he weaves together and the patterns he creates. SO AWESOME I CAN'T GET OVER IT! JESUS YOU ARE AMAZING!

fact:
a lightning bolt generates temperatures five times hotter than those found at the sun's surface

ps
yes i did take these pictures


ok no i didn't....i like to think i did :)

day 1

so my goal is to run 5 days this week and CHECK, day 1 is done. HOORAY for me! it always feels good after i get out there and sweat my brains out because of the humidity. anyway....i am taking the munchkins to a water park tomorrow (the kids i nanny for). it should be interestingly fun!

dog update:
norman has had an irritable stomach today. we came home and he had thrown up some string or something. poor little guy! needless to say he is back to chasing flies and acting normal.

husband

jay just asked me if i realized i only have three followers of my blog. wow that cut deep. i told him "i don't even care" and then i started laughing. i mean i am only doing this for fun because i like it. also tonight i started taking pictures of some of my new decorating things and jay made fun of me the whole time. it was hilarious i have to admit. then he noticed that i had to take the batteries from the remote and put them in the camera in order to take pictures and document my life and he said, "NEVER take the batteries from my dinger again!". hahahaha. yet again he made me laugh. this blog was his idea and guess who is doing it now. me! so to all of you followers out there, these blogs are for you!

p.s.

jay just informed me that if i gain 180 lbs. he will buy me a garmin :)

running

after doing two half marathons this year i believe i want to do more. lately i have gotten out of the habit of running five days a week and have been running two-three. sooo this week my goal is FIVE DAYS. i can do this. to get me pumped i have put some black eyed peas, brittany spears, and beyonce on my ipod. yes i did mention brittany. the beats get my legs moving! hahaha also i have been dreaming of my dream running gear. here are a few inspirations to get me moving:

a garmin watch so i can run without going to mapmyrun.com

a patagonia running skirt...soo cute. i didn't like the skirt thing at first but i am catching on

sweet patagonia running hat

patagonia socks..blister proof....i like patagonia can you tell?

ok....so five days this week. i will keep you posted about my progress