The Downers Are Really Getting to Me....

I haven't posted in a few days because I found out we are expecting baby #2.  Don't get me wrong, I am THRILLED!  DBF is thrilled and so is my daughter.  Even my mom seemed genuinely happy for us.  However, my sister and my grandma were both not supportive.  My grandmother seems to have come around (I understand her worries about finances and my job, etc.) but my sister has cut herself from our lives completely and taken my nephew with her.  It makes me really sad and angry that she can be so petty just because she doesn't like my boyfriend and now I can't drink with her on her 21st birthday.  I think it's just jealousy and I hope she'll get over it but I can't help but be hurt that she'd be jealous.  I'm the older sister!  I had Gemma and she had Damien two years later.  Now two years after that I'm pregnant.  She could very well be ready to have another in two years and I wouldn't judge or be angry.  Even when it looked like she would have another before me (diagnosed with secondary infertility) I felt happy for her.  I just wish she could respect me enough to be happy for my miracle baby!

Then there is a whole nother group of people that are downers.  I belong to a discussion board for women who are waiting to try to conceive.  They are all very supportive and lovely women.  Some of us have been together on that board for over 3 years!  I had my moments of pain and jealousy when women graduated to trying to conceive and then pregnancy.  All in all though, I never let it show.  I always posted a nice comment and supported them when they worried about their pregnancy.  I waited almost 2.5 years to get my baby!  I had an IUD after my daughter and I got it removed in September of 2007.  I never went back on birthcontrol after that and I didn't get pregnant until Nov./Dec. 2009!  Now one of these women has expressed her disappointment with my miracle because she has been trying over a year and has had a loss while waiting.  I understand the pain of a loss.  I had one myself before my daughter.  However, I don't understand how she can be upset with me when I was praying to get pregnant for most of the last four years!  It's just so hurtful and it sucks.  I know she might actually need medicine to get pregnant but I thought I would too!  I just hope she comes around and sees that her miracle may just be waiting in the wings too!

On a good note my doctor sent me for bloodwork and the results came back great!  The amount of hCG in your blood in early pregnancy should double every 48-72 hours.  My numbers came back as 2,231 and 5,319!!!  So my numbers are doubling every 34 hours!  This is either one REALLY sticky bean or TWO sticky beans!!!  I can't wait until my ultrasound on December 29!!

I also went for my first run since finding out we are expecting!  It was only 2 miles but I'm glad to say I think I will be able to continue running, at least for now!  If we find out it is twins I most likely will not be allowed to continue.  So until then I'll be making happy trails (as long as I keep escaping the morning sickness!)!!!

Christmas came early in my house!

I guess DBF will just have to get over my recent weight gain.  It looks like it can be attritubted to Santa dropping off a brand new baby!  Baby B. is due 8/14/2010!  Merry Christmas to us!

I'm in shape! Round is a shape!

My ever-blundering boyfriend pointed out to me that I'm definitely gaining some weight.  I wasn't so sure but a quick trip to the scale showed that I now weigh more than he does (although that's not hard!).  To avoid any more ribbing and to gain back a little smidgen of my self-esteem, I put our entire household on a healthy eating plan.  I'm taking my notes from the Body for Life program and low-carb diets.  As a runner I know I can't really do low-carb but I can eat healthier carbs!  A quick trip to the grocery store produced a bill that was actually cheaper than normal!  Well, well... Healthy for the body and for the wallet! 

My first adventure into healthy cooking is simmering as I type... Turkey Chili.  After Thanksgiving most people have had enough turkey to last until the next one comes around but not my family!  Oh no!  We raise 50lb mammoth turkeys that fill our freezers for months!  So I've been searching for ways to use up some of the massive supply of ground turkey I have frozen and this seemed like the answer!

First I put 2 cups of water, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 1 can of kidney beans, 2 cloves of minced garlic, diced green bell pepper and seasonings in the pot.  Meanwhile, I browned 1 lb of ground turkey in a skillet.  Once the turkey was totally brown I added diced onion and kept it over low-medium heat for another 3-4 minutes.

Before adding the turkey and onions:

After adding the turkey and onions:

While that was simmering, I prepped food for meals and snacks for the remainder of the week.  Below is the rest of the diced green bell pepper, diced onion, tuna salad (made with fat free Miracle Whip), and hard boiled eggs (I am only going to put the whites in the tuna salad).  I also cleaned and cut-up celery stalks and sorted them into ziplock baggies for healthy snacks (great with low fat cream cheese or peanut butter).

Finally, all the cooking and prepping made me hungry so I made a quick and healthy lunch!  A Flatout Whole Grain Flatbread tortilla with leftover turkey.  Topped with a slice of fat free American cheese and 2 Tbsp of medium salsa! Yum!

I can't wait to try out tomorrow's recipe, hamburger soup!  But I'm substituting ground turkey (of, course!) for the ground meat.  Plus I will be adding whole wheat pasta instead of the refined white kind.  Check back tomorrow for a follow up to the turkey chili and the entire recipe for the turkey burger soup!

To Run or Not to Run... That is the question!

My right calf is still tender after my way-to-fast run with Patch on Sunday.  I planned on starting marathon training this week with yesterday as a rest day and today as my first training day.  I'm not sure exactly what the problem is right now but I hope some ibuprofen will kill the pain enough for me to run!  I might be losing my mind but I even think I will take Patch along again today!  Be back in a few hours with the results.

Twilight Fans... Your deepest question is answered!

Now Bella is safe even when Aunt Flo is visiting!

Twilight Cycles from Brandon Routh

Youghiogheny River Trail

I do most of my outdoor runs on the YRT and I've been dying to do a race on it.  After much research and contacting the trail council, however, I have learned that they do not condone organized races on the trail.  That led to a few more emails in which the consensus was finally reached that an organized running CLUB would be okay with the trail council!  I'm hoping that I can get enough runners to make the trail council change their mind on organized races in the future.  At the very least it would be great to have some other dedicated runners to motivate eachother to get out there all winter!  If anyone is interested please email me at sabuyny@hotmail.com . 

Pictures of the YRT if that helps pique your interest:

I was thinking we could meet on Sundays (time to be determined by majority).  Please let me know if you are interested or if another day might work better for you!  Thanks in advance!

First Run with my Puppy!

I took my Aussie pup for his first run today and he absolutely loved it!  Having him there to drag me along (at a much faster pace than normal!) really helped me to relax and enjoy it!  The weather was beautfiul (I'm guessing about 50*F) and the trail was busy with other people and dogs!  We ended up doing 6 miles in just over an hour and it felt great!  Just one more thing I am blessed for this holiday season!

On another note, I've been trying to figure out gift ideas for our Secret Santa on Runners World.  I don't have any wonderful ideas yet but I did find something that would make most runners' Christmas' merry! 

Without further ado, The 12 Days of Christmas for Runners!

On the 12th day of Christmas, my running buddy gave to me:




12 Packs of Energy Gels

11 Massage Sessions (Consult your local sports-massage therapists)

10 Race Entries

9 Inspiring Cards

8 Pairs of Socks

7 Nutritional Supplements

6 Running DVDs

5 Golden Medals (These can't be bought of course, but motivation and support will help)

4 Books on Running

3 Pairs of Running Shoes

2 Hand-Warming Gloves

... and a trip to a far-away marathon.



If only Santa would leave all that in MY stocking!

Fur-Babies

Nothing means more to me than my family.  My boyfriend, my daughter, my ever-patient mother, my loyal-to-the-death sister...  I'm surrounded by so much love it's hard to imagine life without sharing that love.  My chance to give back some of what I've been given came over the summer when I found a fuzzy bundle of love on the side of the road.  He quickly became known as Patch for his funny pirate-like eye patch.  This Australian Shepherd puppy has been the highlight of my day many times.  Never ending antics, a fierce loyalty and an intelligence that seems to rival that of my four year old make him more like a child than a pet.  I can't wait until he is fully grown so that I can make him my running partner as well!

Patch, dozing on his bed:

"Mom, I don't wanna go to school":

The best face to see after a rough day:

A few years ago my dear boyfriend rescued a stray from the local pound.  She came to be named Scoops (after the chips) and she's been his little buddy ever since.  She's the most laid back dog ever.  A soft place to sleep and a belly rub are all she needs out of life, kind of like my boyfriend in that way! 

Commandering the couch:

She always takes DBF's spot, not mine:

Life wouldn't be complete without fur-babies and I'm so blessed that mine have such lovely characters!

Thanksgiving Decorating

What's Thanksgiving without planning, preparation and a little perspiration?  Staying up late trying to put all the last minute details into place is pretty much the best followed tradition in my family!  Luckily, with a 4 year old daughter the decorations are easy to come by.  All I have to do is try not to screw up the food!   Easier said than done but at least the baked goods are in order for today!

Red velvet cupcakes with buttercream filling and icing:

Red velvet cake (I need to work on my cake writing!):

Some of DD's artwork:

One of our favorite Thanksgiving decorations:

Even our Build-A-Bears get in on the action:

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Catch you again on Black Friday!

Thanksgiving Eve

My family happens to run a horse farm a few hours north of me.  Recently we've added a few other creatures to the menagerie as well.  Our turkeys, sadly, have reached the end of the line this month.  However, they did turn out quite delicious!  In preparation for the Thanksgiving gluttony, I offered up a taste of our wonderful turkey as turkey burgers.  It's a simple recipe and turned out much better than I expected!  So here's the how-to:

1 lb ground turkey

1 Tbsp. bread crumbs

1 Tbsp. finely diced onion

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 clove garlic, peeled and minced

Dash of salt

Dash of ground black pepper

Combine in a large bowl.

Form into patties.

Cook over medium heat in a skillet, turning once.

ENJOY!

And cooling now for our enjoyment tomorrow....  red velvet cupcakes!  These were even easier than the turkey burgers.  I just followed the instructions on the box!  And my daughter and I will be icing them in the morning with ready-made icing!  So simple and yet so yummy!

The Evolution of the Home Gym

I've always been one to enjoy exploring but since I moved in with DBF I just haven't had the wanderlust I once had. It's not such a bad thing to enjoy being close to home more often but my running was suffering as a consequence. After a lot of talking and planning, Shane and I finally decided to put together a home gym in the corner of our basement. It was a big undertaking but so worth it! I've used it everyday except today and that's because I'm too sore from all the workouts I've been doing!

Before:
Primer:
Paint:

TV Shelf and treadmill and mats:

Finished product:



I'll have to take some more pictures because we added another layer of mats around the edge plus some mirrors and posters. I <3 my home gym (and my wonderful boyfriend for being so handy)!

Run to Eat, Eat to Run

I'm not the most domesticated woman runner ever, that's for sure. In an effort not to starve my poor boyfriend I've embarked on a journey into, dare I say it? Cooking!

Cooking has always been one of those things that I figured I would do someday. Someday as in when I was old, boring, or at least ready to 'settle down'. Cooking was something every woman but me seemed born with the ability (and the inclination) to do. I figured I just wasn't that lucky.

Well along came dear boyfriend and I've found that he is a wonderful cook but very limited in his menu. As a runner I yearn for healthier fare and a little variety. My adventures into the land of domesticity started with macaroni and cheese and hamburger helper. I slowly expanded into scrambled eggs and a few 'harder' meals, like soup.

Now that I have a (little, very little) confidence in my cooking, I'm expanding into full meals. Tonights menu will consist of lemon chicken, deviled eggs and a pasta side (the little packet kind). I'm thrilled with the possibilities and terrified of the outcome. I guess if this blog continues then I haven't poisoned us all! Yet....