Running Today

This morning I ran 16 miles.  I was attempting 20, but I experienced two running firsts that made me call it early.

1. A bird pooped on me - right on my forehead and on my sunglasses (thankfully, not in my eye). I'm kind of surprised with all my trail running that it has never happened before and I hope it never happens again. 
2. I started to feel very sicky (I don't think it had anything to do with the bird poo).  I felt so badly that I texted Buttin to come pick me up.  He didn't get the text, so I walked/slow jogged the two miles home.

Here's a picture of Cub today being a goof-ball. 

Filanthropy Friday

First - a couple programming notes:

• I still haven't completed my review of last year's donations - I'm hoping to have that done soon.
• If you're looking for some counter-programming to "giving", please visit my friend Liz's wonderful blog - The Year of Taking.  It's pretty much guaranteed to never make you cry (unless it's with laughter) and to always make you feel like a better person (unless you take more than she does).

OK, now for some giving.

Last week, I mentioned that I wanted to focus on ways to give time (not just money).  Well, I didn't really find a way to donate my time this week, but I did join the National Marrow Donor Program - Be The Match.  This means that one day I could potential donate marrow and I figure that would probably take some time.  

It was very easy to register and I should be receiving a kit in the mail shortly for collecting my sample. I'll get to swab the inside of my cheek (like a real CSI).  It'll be very exciting and I'll take pictures.  There is no cost to join the registry, but I did donate $25 to help off set costs of collecting samples and to help pay for the uninsured costs of bone marrow transplants.

 
There are thousands of people with life-threatening blood cancers waiting for bone marrow transplants.  The chances of me being a potential donor are slim, but maybe one day I can help. 

P.S. (For Liz) I don't think you're allowed to register as a bone marrow recipient just so that you can take someone's marrow. 

Little Fender Bender

Yesterday Cub and I got into our first car accident together (pretty crappy first).

We were rear-ended by a girl in her early 20s.  It was one of those rush-hour traffic things were everyone suddenly stops, except she didn't stop. I jumped out of the car to check on Cub and he was just sitting in his car seat, smiling at me.  I don't think he even realized anything had happened (except that we stopped and his music stopped). 

The poor girl's front hood was pretty dented, but my little swamp wagon of a SUV just had a couple bumper scratches.  No harm, no foul.  I got her information, but she was just so scared.  She told me she had just got her car fixed after she hit a deer.  

Cub just wanted to get back on the road and listen to his music (speaking of which, I really need to find him some new music). 

Cub spent this afternoon trying to make me more nervous at the park than I was driving. 

Here is "little nervous". 

Here is "very nervous".

Wordless Wednesday

Mini-Post

I had dinner with Liz tonight.  I spent much of the evening giving her a pep talk on her awesome new business venture/blog (the year of taking - more on that in another post) and she spent much of the evening trying to convince me not to buy the purse organizer thingy I saw on an infomercial (the one that comes with a free set of Ginsu knives - sounds like a good deal to me). 

Graby is having a slightly rough time of it this week.  He's in a great mood at home, but school drop off has become a little more dramatic. I think a combination of being back at school PLUS being in a new classroom is a little stressful.  When I picked him up from school today, one of his friends (whose mom I know well) was and Cash were both crying (Cash was crying because he had just woken up and saw me), so I spent about five minutes on the floor hugging both of them. 

Here is Cash today (at home) having fun opening and closing the door. This picture cracks me up because Scratch looks so menacing - that or really dumb.  You decide. 

Misfit Monday

It's New Year's Resolutions time for the misfits.

In all seriousness, we have been setting some aggressive goals for our small business.  I'll share some in the near future.

Yesterday I wrote down some of my goals for 2012, so I thought today I would share some of the misfits' goals. 

1. Wear pants (or shorts) with complete pant (or shorts) legs.
2. Be kind to (or at least don't hit with a hard object) other misfits.
3. Be kind to (or at least don't curse at) customers.
4. Scowl less at suppliers/vendors.
5. Flush the toilet and no leaving poo-streaks (I'd add "in the toilet", but then some misfit would leave a poo-streak on the wall just to be a smart-ass). 
6. Don't blame Riggs for every fart.
7. Give each day 110% (or at least 10%).
8. Support other small businesses (by ordering take out for lunch).
9. No tattling.
10. Throw away old stuff in the fridge.

I know - it's a list of extremely high expectations, but I think the misfits are up to the challenge.

Here is little misfit Cub today - it looks like he's trying to attack a duck and it cracks me up. 

New Year, New Goals

2011 was a fantastic year.  

I returned to running and completed three half-marathons and one marathon.  Buttin and I bought a house.  We kept most of the misfits out of prison.  Cub learned how to poo next to his potty chair (still working on in the potty chair). Plus there was some other good stuff happened.

Time to set some goals for 2012.

• Set and maintain a family budget - Buttin and I don't have extravagant tastes, but we tend to buy whatever we want (within reason) whenever we want it.  My goal is to set a budget with aggressive saving goals.
• Organize, simplify and unclutter - Moving into the new house has really motivated me to throw and give stuff away.  I really don't need the box from a pair of earrings I bought in 1997.   
• Eat healthier and eat fewer processed food.
• Make a healthy dinner (something Buttin will eat) at least one night a week.  
• Become more educated about the products I buy and where they are made - This fall I learned (but was in semi-denial) that some of my favorite Nestle and Hershey Halloween treats come from cacao harvested using child labor.  The Harry Potter Alliance (one of my Filanthropy Friday recipients) has asked Warner Brothers to only make Harry Potter candy with fair trade ingredients.  I can't be perfect and I'm positive I'll still be eating Hershey's chocolate, but I want to be better educated. 
• Buy local when possible - Buttin and I own a small, local business.  I think it's important to support other local businesses.  
• Visit and purchase food from the local farmers market - This also helps some of my other goals.
• Keep in better touch with family and friends.
• Stay in good enough running shape to be able to run a half-marathon without any training. 
• Continue Filanthropy Friday and find at least four opportunities to donate my time - preferably with Cub or as a family. 

OK, those are good enough for now.

In running news, I ran 19 miles yesterday 3:45 - and that included two poo stops (it is not a goal to share less on my blog).

Here is Cub being cute this morning.