its been a long time

well where do we even start. it has been a year and boy a lot of things have happened, mainly getting pregnant and having a baby. so yes. we got pregnant and found out last february 12 and 10 months 2 weeks later we had porter! he has rocked our world and we are so blessed. he is already 3 months old and is so happy. always talking (especially in the mornings), giving us giggles, drooling, chewing his fist, and watching his hands. hands are an amazing discovery in a 3 month olds life. everyday he is doing new things and i just want time to slow down! stop growing up already porter! anyway, since i didn't post any pictures of him or the birth or ANYTHING at that matter, here we go. (these are all for you mindi!)

oh weather

today: 4 degrees

tomorrow: 18 degrees

thursday: 28 degrees

friday: 38 degrees

saturday: 42 degrees

sunday: 49 degrees

there is hope people!

encouragement for my restless heart

why i love texting

.lily.

.maddox.

it wasn't until about a year ago that i finally entered into the texting world. i never had it before then. now i love it. anyway, i was at work today doing what i do best....make coffee.....and got a most delightful text from my sister-in-law about what my niece and nephew were talking about. Maddox (3) and Lily (1 1/2) were talking about me, our dog norman, and peeing in the snow. this is what the text said:

"lily and maddox are talking about norm peeing on the snow it sounds like this: may may..norm...here? norm pee snow! hahahahaha"

thanks to technology my day became a little brighter just thinking about how they were talking about norman peeing in the snow. so completely random...i love it!

ps

the nieces and nephews call me "may may"

grown up

what should i be when i grow up? life is too short not to enjoy what you do and live in your passion. soooo...the question is what is my passion and what should i be? i want to "work to live" not "live to work". that's all. simple enough. in the mean time (while i am still investigating my career options) i think i will TRY to live each day with a POSITIVE attitude and with a PURPOSE.

hmmm

ponder this

.so.true.

love

our new quilt! heaven

woop woop

today...yes today! i am here to tell you that i am officially addicted to coffee and tea. what do i do at work when i am bored? pour myself a cup of joe. what do i do when i need a snack? i drink some tea. what do i do when i need an afternoon jolt? drink coffee. wow....this is my life guys. what do i do when i am bored again at work and am the boss? i blog because i can't get in trouble :). is this ethical? am i holding my employees to a higher standard because i do not let them blog at work and i let myself? who knows....all i know is that i can only organize and clean so much at this coffee shop. so right now as i am sitting on my not-so-comfortable stool (no back support) i have decided to think of some fun things that will help pass the time.....what does maggie think is cool today? i think:

this table is amazing...jay is going to build us one and i think this will be the style!

i love our style: rustic modern=perfect

breves are amazing. espresso and steamed half and half=my new favorite

my new breakfast! green smoothies are delicious. seriously try one

i love black bean hummus on whole grain pita bread or tortillas

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