Running Chatter

Remember a few weeks ago when I talked about Tony Horton and our daily adventures with him?  I was quite sarcastic about Mr. Horton and his piddly little workouts.  Prideful, might be a better word.  I’m a runner, I don’t need Muscle-Man Horton and his P90X. 

Turns out, I’ve grown quite fond of Mr. Horton and his breathing, push upping, pull upping, jumping, and stretching ways.  In fact, please don’t tell Chad this, I even kinda-sorta look forward to our workouts each evening.  Kind of sort of, I said. 

Anyway, Chad and I were driving home from the grocery on a chilly evening not long ago.  Meadow had fallen asleep in the backseat and Charlie and Chanelle were out with Chad’s dad.  It was quiet, so I posed my question, are we going to do the X-Factor tonight?  I immediately saw something in Chad’s eye.  A glimmer?  A twinkle?   A twitch?  I also noticed a very slight and subtle upturn of the corners of his mouth.  It took me a moment to realize what I said and honestly, Chad is too smart to say it himself.  He didn’t answer my question, but rather, he let the silence speak for itself. 

Did I just say X-Factor, I asked? 
Yes, Chad informed me finally letting out his laughter. 
I laughed, too, because really?  If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry.

Anyway, I just thought you should know that the Running Chatter household now refers to P90X as The X-Factor.    I’m sure Simon Cowell and Tony Horton would be proud. (And again, you’re welcome for that Tony Horton picture.) 

Seems like a good time for some simple Running Chatter. . .

1.  Birthday Dinner

My sister and I were bound and determined to redeem ourselves last years botched birthday dinner for my Dad.  I will spare you the details, but lets just say that the dinner that was supposed to be served at 5:30 was served many, many, many hours later. 

The goal this year?  Eat before midnight.  (We made sure to set the bar high.)

Of course going “home” is always wonderful.  A winter storm made it even more cozy as big white fluffy flakes fell to the ground outside.  During the day we braved the cold for short periods before stealing away to the warmth and comfort of the orange fire the runs nonstop while we are home.

My rock star of a sister had sent me an excel sheet with the meal completely organized in DECEMBER. 

(We were not going to screw up this year.) 

I’m happy to report, appetizers were served promptly at 5:30 p.m. and we have redeemed ourselves. . .

Meadow was not impressed. . .

Until, that is, she smelled chocolate. . .

And there you have it.  Dinner was served. . .

. . . before midnight.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

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2.  Snow Storm Adventures

When we left my Dad’s house to take the 2.5 hour drive home, it was snowing.  We considered staying another day to avoid, you know, dying, but being the responsible parents we are–we chanced it.  Chad drove smart, despite the many un-smart drivers on the road. 

Four hours later we arrived .2 miles away from home.  That is  two TENTHS of a mile away from our house.  That’s when we got stuck.  One, two, three, four, five, six attempts to make it up a hill proved fruitless.  We had to call for help.  While we waited, I did what I do. . .

I took pictures. 

Until help arrived. . . aka my FIL in his plow truck.

Yep, he’s a hero.

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3.  Writing on the Wall

That’s a saying, right?  Well, in our house, it was more than a saying. 

It was real.  Really real. 

Big, bold strokes from the top of the staircase to the bottom.  Fourteen steps with art work to view every step of the way. 

Maybe she thought she was doing us a favor?  Maybe she’s just being a two year old.  But really?  It is not easy to remain angry at this face. . .

It’s not easy at all.

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4.  Lanterns

I don’t really do Pintrest.  Really, I don’t.  Not because I don’t want to, but rather, it makes me feel like the most uncreative, unskilled person in the universe.

However, the other day I accidentally hit the Pintrest app and came across these Easy Paper Lanterns.  I thought they were super cute and they had me at the word “Easy”.

I’ll vouch for the validity of the word “easy”.  If I can do it, anyone can.  Need a snow day activity? 

Give ’em a try.

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5.  A Box

That’s all they needed.  An entire day of entertainment was had. . .

Robots were made. . .

Canvas’ were created. . .

Houses were rested in. . .

The Box. 

Best. Invention. Ever.

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6.  Meadow

When Daddy comes home. . .

When she dresses herself. . .

When she just can’t go one more step. . .

At Target. . .

Getting the mail. . .

. . . she keeps life fun.

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7.  Flowers

Bought by us, for us. . .

. . . just because they make us happy.

Sometimes, that is reason enough.

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8.  Office Space

I’ve been dreaming about this space for well over a year.  It’s coming together.  The office of SummerK Photography.

I’ll share more when it’s done.

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Have a great day.

Chatter, out. . . .