My First 5K

So here's the chronology of how we got to Saturday...

August 2008: I turn 30 and my metabolism decides it no longer likes me.

September 2008: Morgan turns one and I quit nursing. Now where will all those extra calories go?

Holidays '08-09: I eat like a pig, counting on my turbo metabolism to even everything out for me post holidays.

Spring 2009: The rubber tire settles in around the ol' midsection and I get repulsed. My clothing starts to rebel.

Father's Day 2009: JD & I decide that it's time to do something and finally join a gym - something we haven't done in almost six years.

August 2009: All our friends (okay, at least a dozen of them) decide they want to run the San Antonio Half Marathon or Marathon. I ain't cut out for that. However, we decide to hop on this psychotic bandwagon and sign up for a 5K. We also drag along JD's sister Jen and their parents.

Aug-Oct 2009: Oh the training! Seriously people, I played softball growing up. My extent of running was around those four little bases and from the dugout out to my position and back. Running is not for me. I begin to question my mental sanity but continue to plod away - even in the hot, sticky S.A. weather.

This Friday: It rains much of the day and brings in a cold front. The 5K is scheduled in a park that can be known to flood out in portions. I call the event sponsor to find out if maybe I'll be getting a "free pass." No such luck.

This Saturday: The 5K arrives. I haven't yet been able to successfully run 3.1 miles (without at least some walking) in my training. My goal is to run the entire thing with no walking, but I have become resigned to the fact that that may not be possible. I also don't own running clothes for cold weather. Do I really want to do this?

JD & I start off. We run through several puddles from the rain. JD completely submerges one shoe. We are surrounded by a group of high school girls who find it amusing to sprint, then cold stop right in front of us, walk awhile, and start this routine all over again. I'm trudging along; JD is trying to talk with me, distract me from my suffering. Doesn't he get that I'm just trying to breath, not carry on a conversation?!? The course curves and swirls like the fall wind, going in no particular direction. The end seems nowhere in sight. I'm wondering at what point I should take a little "walk break". JD continues to stick with me even though he could be running faster. He's playing around, keeping me entertained, convincing me we are almost at the end. Each new turn and I think "yeah, this is it" but then I'm wrong. Getting more pissed off. Finding it harder to breath. My legs are barely doing the fatty shuffle.

Then we finally get to a portion of the park I recognize and I know that we are now getting near the end. But to ruin my joy, one of the participants (a white haired older man - grrr) who has already finished the race comes jogging back in the opposite direction, smiling gleefully saying, "You're almost there." I wanna punch him for being done, for smiling, for being old and not winded while I'm choking out each breath left in my deflating lungs. And then another twist and we're headed away from where I think "the end" is supposed to be. NOOO! However, I can hear the lady on the loud speaker calling people toward the finish so I know I'm getting close. Finally, we make it there. And my sweet husband graciously pushes me across the finish line to let me complete the race first.

I DID IT! I ran the whole thing. It took me about 34 minutes to complete it, but I did it. I couldn't have done it without my rockin' husband (thanks Babe!). I feel pretty darn good about myself too. However, I don't really want to do it again anytime soon. I just want to return to going to the gym and enjoying (as much as I can) my time on the elliptical and weight machines and not feeling the pressure to run all the time. But it is nice to know that running can be added to my repertoire if I feel so inclined (which I don't think I will be for a long time).

Now good luck to all my marathon and half-marathon running friends! You all are my heroes. Three miles is barely a warm up for you guys, but it was challenge for me.

Postscript: I wish I could say that tire around my midsection vanished in the course of my working out and training. Alas, no such luck. What's a girl gotta do?!? I'm sorry metabolism for ever taking you for granted; will you forgive me and please return?

Pre-race - You can tell b/c I'm smiling.

My awesome MIL and sis-in-law pre-race.
They graciously pushed Morgan in her stroller so JD & I could run.

Nearing the finish line.

Bored by her three mile stroller ride :P

The fam post-race.

NYC 09

Two weeks ago JD and I spent a long four day weekend in NYC to celebrate our five year anniversary. What made it especially great was that Morgan stayed behind with Grandpa and Grandma Schlueter (thanks Dad & Mom) and did wonderfully (so now we know we can do this again!). JD had visited NYC on a few previous occasions, but it was my inaugural trip. And choosing to visit in the spring was a good choice.

There is just SO much to see in this city. We tried to scratch the surface by hitting the "must-see's", but even still we know there is so much more we would've liked to do. Our feet definitely told us each evening that we had seen a lot -- we did a ton of walking! I won't go through all the places we visited. Like I said if it's on your "must-see" list, we probably saw it. One exception: The Met. We're not big museum folk, and we couldn't justify the expense of time it would've taken away from other things we wanted to see.

We did see the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island Ferry (which is free and also offers great views of the lower Manhattan skyline). Next trip I think we'd add a boat trip out to the island to see Lady Liberty up close and personal ... and take the side tour to Ellis Island as well.

And, of course, I had the obligatory slab of New York style pizza and a Gray's Papaya hotdog (Ness, remember those from "Fools Rush In"?) :)

One of our favorite experiences was seeing "Wicked" on Broadway - a truly fun twist on the story of the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. However, it was in purchasing our tickets for this show that we learned our credit card information had been stolen and used with out our permission. This was a definite downer. Thankfully, our bank caught it and cancelled our cards to protect us from further theft.

We experienced a few other disappointments along the way as well. One included not being able to see into the construction site where the WTCs once stood. Obviously the construction is due to erection of the 9/11 Memorial. We were just bummed it was completely walled off from view.

Deficient customer service was another bruise on the Big Apple. With very limited exceptions, we were treated poorly. It often seemed that servers at restaurants existed merely to take your order and bring you your initial drink -- and then they expected a good tip for this! Even our hotel management when told that someone on their staff may have stolen our credit card information seemed to act like "So? What do you want us to do about it?" Honestly, I've been treated better in France -- and they are openly rude to Americans -- than I was by New Yorkers. For real.

So all in all, it was a good trip with a few blemishes. Jonathan and I really enjoyed our chance to get away as a couple. Even after having Morgan in our lives for just 19 months, we realize how much we need to get away and just be us. And I'm glad to have checked NYC off my list of "Places to Go." To all my Midwestern friends, don't worry - Chicago is still my favorive U.S. city :)

Central Park

Strawberry Fields, Tribute to John Lennon.
I wouldn't be a good Beatles fan if I didn't include this.
But no, I didn't leave the flowers ... I'm not that weird.

A view of the cement jungle (as Jonathan called it)
from Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center).
The depth to the layers upon layers of buildings is amazing.

One of only three pictures taken of us together on this trip.

View of Central Park (all 5o blocks of it) from Top of the Rock.

Atlas

The hub-bub of Grand Central Station.

One of Jonathan's favorite pics taken at Grand Central Station.
He was the cameraman for the majority of the trip.

View of Our Lady from the Staten Island Ferry.

Like I said, JD had the camera most of the time
so there are a lot of shots of me.

Brooklyn Bridge

Yep, it's still New Year's Eve 2009 in Times Square.

My recent favorite pic

We just got some of the digital images from Kel & Jess' wedding, and so far, this is one of my favorites. The photographer, a friend of Jess', snagged this shot of Morgan and JD as they arrived. And here's a pic of the happy couple for good measure...

The Golf Pro

But which one is it?

I do love this man...

Family Pic from Kel's wedding last weekend.

Five years. Today Jonathan and I celebrate a half decade of marital bliss. It's so hard to believe because it has gone so fast! We've been blessed with many great times together over these past years ... and what's even better is that I feel equally blessed for just having his partnership and presence through the everyday mundane times.

Here are a few things I love about my man:

• The boy has enough A&M t-shirts that he could wear a new one every day for two weeks straight - often though, it is limited to about five days a week.
• He loves to eat my baked confections even though he is (mostly) committed to his no-carb diet.
• He makes a mad homemade pizza and is the grill master.
• He likes things clean - even cleaner than I like them.
• He hasn't given up the military crew cut that was mandated in the Corps of Cadets, even though it's been ten years since he was part of the Corps.
• He loves to spend money like I love to horde it; it makes us a good pair ... and lends to some nice "discussions".
• We both place a high importance on family - our's individually as well as our parents, siblings, and grandparents. And we each genuinely love each other's family.
• He's a great dad who enjoys making Morgan laugh and smile.
  
• He is an awesome provider for our family and has supported me unconditionally in my role as a stay at home mom.
• He asks for my opinion and advice because he honestly wants to know. And he even tolerates my unsolicited opinions (often tirades)!
• He laughs at my goofy jokes and sense of humor. Praise God for that.
• We can talk "legalese" and enjoy ourselves.
• We both love his parents' ranch and my family's farmland.
• He still thinks I'm beautiful and tells me so.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I tell you I am a darn lucky lady ... though sometimes I need to be reminded of it!

Love you Babe! Here's to another five years of "bliss"!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Camo Kid

Anyone who knows JD & I knows that at this time of year we can often be found out at the ranch due to hunting season (all Jonathan, not me :). This year we've been so busy that this weekend was the first time we made it up. Unfortunately, Jonathan didn't get a deer. However, we were able to finally put Morgan in the John Deere camo t-shirt Aunt Kaye gave her. I decided to accent it with a bit of pink though...

The three trees - you almost couldn't see them, could you?

One of Jonathan and Morgan's favorite pastimes - "wiggle seat"
*Oh yes, the finger/thumb sucking is a recent habit. Boo.

Thankful for...

1. A little relief from the busyness.
I finally had two days last week with absolutely NO commitments or obligations! One of those days I didn't even leave the house just to enjoy it :)

2. Time to catch up with friends.
Morgan and I were able to resume our playdate with Kristi and Audrey after a several week hiatus, and Amanda and I enjoyed an extremely tasty breakfast at Magnolia Pancake Haus. I had the most wonderful apple cinnamon waffle ever ... and they even gave free pancakes to Annabelle and Morgan! Could I love MPH anymore?

3. A small group babysitter.
The Newcoms have two new family members so we now have six kiddos in our small group. Kelly brought Christina, one of her pharmacy employees/all-around hardworker/superstar, to watch the clan. She is incredible with kids; I could seriously use a lesson :) AND I was able to secure a full-time sitter for future meetings.

Anyway, why is this super you may ask? It meant all the adults/parents were able to participate in small group without anyone having to miss out in order to watch the kids.

4. A LONG overdue date night with my husband.
Ian and Kara graciously watched Morgan so we could enjoy this privilege. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner and then saw Wall E. We tried to brainstorm the last time we had been to a movie just the two of us, and we couldn't even remember! It was so nice... I'm ready to do it again :)

5. Three mornings of prayer time with Jonathan.
We've fallen out of this habit of late and are trying to get back on track. After only three days, I can already see an improvement - we both find we feel a lot better and relate better with one another when we make this investment in our relationship with God and each other.

6. Time to see THREE movies: Sweeney Todd, Singin' in the Rain, and Wall E.
This never happens - maybe one movie but not three! (For those of you who are curious, Wall E is just okay. I say wait until it comes to DVD. And for those of you who saw it, do you agree with me that the underlying message is "Recycle or you'll get fat"?)

7. Morgan has started standing all on her own.
Though not for very long ... which is why I don't have any pictures to post of it.

8. The Fourth of July coming up.
I don't know why I like this holiday so much; I just do. We live in such a fantasticly blessed country, and my heart always swells with pride when we celebrate the Fourth. I think it's all the patriotic music :)

So what are you thankful for?

Dear Ol' Dads...

Happy Father's Day Dad W & Dad S! JD, Morgan & I are so blessed to have such wonderful dads who care for us. You've been through a lot with us, and you have supported, encouraged, and guided us all along the way. You provided for us physically, emotionally, and spiritually until we became the strong, independent adults you taught us to be. And you continue to be there for us! Thanks for EVERYTHING; we love you both,

Barb, Jonathan & Morgan

Dad, Steph & I sharing some cuddle time on the couch

One of my favorite recent photos of Dad & I
...and one of my favorites from our wedding

Jonathan and his dad share some father-son bonding over the duck tank

Happy First Father's Day Babe! You are a great Dad to Morgan.
You can tell how much she loves you by the way her eyes light up everytime she sees you anew - I love seeing it!

Five Generations

This past weekend the Schlueter family ventured to Los Angeles. My mother-in-law grew up there, and her family still lives there. Ordinarily, we pay a visit to that side of the family early each December for Granny's birthday; however, because we had a 2 1/2 month old this past December, we opted out.

As a result, that made this the first trip for 106 year old Granny to meet her great great granddaughter! That's right, Morgan makes FIVE generations for the Boston family :) Granny was so thrilled with Morgan (and I was thrilled Morgan behaved for her!). The two had a great time studying and smiling at one another.

Saturday we enjoyed a Mother's Day luncheon at Granny's Armenian church with several of the other members of the Boston family. In fact, the family was honored for having five generations by the emcee of the event (though she mistakenly counted me instead of Jonathan as generation #4). As you can imagine, with such a momentous occasion comes a lot of pictures! I've included a few for your enjoyment.

I feel blessed to be part of such a wonderful family! Granny is a truly amazing woman; she exemplifies what it is to be a matriarch. She is the pillar of her family and cares for each member of it in the way they need it most. Her loving smile and gentle care for us is so admirable. I see so many of these same qualities in my mother-in-law Linda and sister-in-law Jen - it obvious what a heritage Granny has passed down! We are eager to see her again this December for her 107th birthday :)

Five Generations - I'm the honorary fourth generation member

Five Generations of Boston Women
Clockwise from the top: Grandma "Red", Jen, Morgan, Me, Linda, Granny
Check out the inspiration for this picture here

Granny chatting with Morgan

Morgan studying Granny's face while holding her hands

Morgan's First Glimpse of the Ocean at Venice Beach

We're One Fruity Couple

...better than a flowery, silky or nylon-y couple (the other traditional gifts for four years of marriage).

Four years ago today I made the best decision of my life - I married Jonathan and made "my" life into "our" life. And in that time our lives have grown, developed, and intertwined in such a fashion that I can now hardly imagine what life would be like without Jonathan. Truly God knew he would be a perfect match for me. He is a wonderfully caring, thoughtful and protective husband!

I love memories of our wedding day as much as memories of our dating. March 27, 2004 was a dreary, cold day up in Illinois where we were married. However, the excitement of uniting our lives and sharing that excitement with all our family and wonderful friends was sufficient to brighten our attitudes.

Our ceremony was a little backwards ... in that we had Jonathan's Uncle Tom who married us stand at the bottom of the altar with his back to the congregation. This resulted in us looking down at him and the audience as the ceremony was preformed. We also had both sets of our parents pronounce a blessing over us. This was meaningful and significant to us because we so value our parents' loving guidance and example and intercession to the Heavenly Father on our behalf.

The reception was a whirlwind of faces - all offering their congratulations and well-wishes. On the way up to Chicago afterwards, I began to cry (probably from exhaustion) and commented how many of our wonderful friends had gone to such effort to attend our wedding and how little time we were able to spend with each of them. Jonathan still teases me saying I was crying because it had set in that I had married him!

We then honeymooned in Maui and had a fabulous time. It was my first time in Hawaii, and we've gone back twice since. I guess you could say I/we like it!

Thanks for letting me reminisce! And thank you Babe for being the best husband I could ever ask for and giving me the best four years of my life!

Today is Your Birthday...

Today is (or was) Jonathan's birthday. We didn't celebrate in any over-the-top way though we spent the afternoon with his parents and had dinner last night with his Aggie buddies. Both events were a lot of fun! Here's a pic of 'the buds' and all our kids:


I love the way Morgan and Anthony (Mike and Christi's son born a week after Morgan) are checking each other out. There are four families of Aggie kids represented here (Melony is behind the camera taking this picture). I had to chuckle as we all corralled our kids while trying to eat our dinners and catch up on each other's lives. It was such a stark contrast to our child-free buddy gatherings of a few years ago. I think we would all agree it's a good change though!

Also, what do you think of my new hair cut? It's basically the same style just shorter. I liked it at first, but now I think it may make me look my age (almost 30) and be a mom cut ... both things I am trying hard to avoid.

Anyway, I digress.

Happy Birthday Babe! I'm still as crazy in love with you as the day I met you. You are the best husband I've ever had :) Everyday I have with you is a gift. I pray God's blessings and protections over your life each day ... but especially today as we celebrate the years God has given you and look forward to many upcoming years together!

My Funny Valentine

One our of first dates in the fall of 2002

(Yes, to an A&M football game :)

Happy Valentine's Day to my wonderful husband! It's hard to believe but this is our fifth Valentine's Day together ... and I love him more now than I did then. However, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you all about our first Valentine's Day (I'm sure JD is cringing right now).

It was Valentine's Day 2003 and we had only been dating about four months at the time. However, because we knew graduation was coming in May of that year (with the potential of my leaving the state of Texas for good), our relationship had been fast-tracked to see if it was in fact "something". This put only a little pressure on making this all-important holiday (please don't miss the sarcasm) count.

We had just finished second semester law school exams and the ever-dreaded Practice Court program so we were breathing a HUGE sigh of relief. Regrettably, my body decided that it had no more adrenaline to sustain me after six months of red-lining it and I got sick. I was SO upset; I really wanted to make our Valentine's Day special. I remember just crying on Jonathan's couch and telling him as much. He was so sweet and reassuring - telling me that we would still celebrate once I felt better, that it was okay that I was sick, that his feelings weren't changed in anyway. He even had me at his apartment for the day and cared for me there despite my illness.

Okay, here's the twist ... until this time, neither one of us had ever been sick around each other. And while Jonathan did everything with the most loving care, he had one little habit that caught my attention and stood almost above all the good things he did. He lysol-ed everything I touched and everywhere I went. Talk about making me feel like a leper! I finally started crying about this too and let him know how his continuous disinfecting was actually making me feel worse (at least emotionally). Needless to say, he let up after that ... and has been MUCH better with successive illness :)

All that to say, I have the BEST husband ever. I feel so fortunate that God chose us for each other. Jonathan is strong, affectionate, intelligent, fun (and funny) ... the list could go on and on! I love you Babe and I look forward to all our future Valentine's Days together (sick or not!)

Happy Valentine's to all my family and friends as well. Know you are loved and cared for by ME :) I hope you each find a great way to celebrate today by showing others how much they mean to you!

Finally, as I was writing this post and titling it after Frank Sinatra's song, I had to look up the lyrics. This particular verse made me laugh (and no Babe, I'm not insinuating it applies to you):

Your looks are laughable

Unphotographable

Yet you're my favorite work of art

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be anyone's Valentine who said that about me!

Bling: (noun) expensive, ostentatious clothing or jewelry

Jonathan and I have an annual tradition of having a Christmas date. And just when we thought Morgan or the busyness of holiday season threatened to end that this year, our super friends Ian and Kara came to the rescue. Because of their generous offer to babysit, we were able to go downtown and have a great dinner at Biga on the Banks. The food was excellent and the company wonderful :)

This was the first date Jonathan and I had been on since Morgan was born. Accordingly, I was happy just to be wearing clothes that didn't have any baby slobber, spit up, urine or poop anywhere on them. And I forgot how nice it is to carry a small purse rather than a loaded diaper bag!

However, what made the night the most special was "a little something" from Jonathan...


That's right, I'm one lucky girl, and I have a fabulous husband!

How do YOU define "Delayed Gratification"?

Jonathan defines it as a 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Truck.

If you know my husband at all, you know he loves toys, and when he sees one he wants, he wants it NOW. And if you know me at all, you know I am a cheapskate and a rational thinker (not that JD's not - that skill just diminishes somewhat when it comes to something he wants). So as you might guess, we sometimes conflict in this area.

Well, we've been in the market for a new truck. In our discussions, the date to buy kept getting moved forward; however, it seemed we had settled on a pretty firm deadline of sometime after the start of the year. We created a caveat to that deadline when we decided to see if we could get an end of the season deal on a '07. Unfortunately, we were too late because most dealerships were out. But going to dealerships gave Jonathan the hunger to start shopping in earnest regardless of any previously set deadlines. While I did not agree to change our deadline, I did agree we could start researching and shopping in preparation to buy.

We contacted and went to several dealerships and got several quotes. We even walked out of two dealerships when we couldn't get them to agree on a price we were happy with. (This nearly KILLED Jonathan). Finally, one of the dealerships called us back yesterday and agreed to sell us the truck we wanted at the price we asked for. Jonathan was like a kid on Christmas morning he was so happy!

I have to give it to JD - he did a great job dealing with his thrifty wife. He did the research I asked, shopped around, haggled, walked away when it was necessary, and was patient with me even when he realized he might have to wait on getting his truck. I know this wasn't easy for him! We prayed together for the right truck at the right price at the right time and that God would help us to be united in our decision. Thankfully, God answered our prayers!

Jonathan and his "babies"