Girl on the Run (Away from the Cheese)
There's a really effective way to distract yourself from realizing your baby is about to turn three years old, which is totally not baby territory, and that's to think about the fact that your other baby is on the verge of being a middle schooler.
It's true.
If you've been around here since the beginning, you've been around over a decade. The baby that started it all is just about to become a mother truckin' MIDDLE SCHOOLER.
As crazy as that is, middle schoolers do cool things. Crazy things, too. For example, Alexis on purpose ran a 5k this weekend, even though there were no bears chasing her. Weird, I know. But also cool.
So a while back, Alexis talked me into letting her participate in Girls on the Run. For those who are in happier place called "oblivious to this phenomenon," it's a program for girls where they train for and then run a 5k. It's all very obvious from the name, of course, but the part that isn't mentioned is the heavy dose of "let's build our self-esteem with cheesy activities!"
Alexis wasn't expecting the cheesy.
Alexis was not a fan of the cheesy. AT ALL.
Each and every practice session left her annoyed at the warm fuzzy stuff. As she said, "It's right there in the name - run. Girls on the Run. I WANT TO RUN NOT SIT AROUND AND TALK ABOUT MY FEELINGS."
I was so proud every time she complained. Normally I am anti-complainer, but I so get it. Sitting around and talking about feelings is the worst. I would have been annoyed too. The only thing I don't get is to WANT to go run instead. Given the choice between running and sitting around talking about feelings, I think my head would explode. That's exactly what hell is going to be like for me. Just endlessly trying to make that choice.
Anyway, Alexis has a fantastic story about how she ended up with her running partner. You should ask her if you see her. She also has a solid story about finishing in just over 34 minutes, which is pretty fantastic since she had to stop and wait for her running partner a bunch of times.
Just don't ask her how she feels about it all. If you do, her eyes might roll so hard they'll knock you unconscious.
Monday, May 22, 2017