Things I've learned thanks to running

• If a running trail can easily fit six runners across it will only accomodate one mom with a jogging stroller, talking on her cell phone while walking her dog 
• People that wear those five finger shoes are smug. The looks they give us regular shoe wearing people totally say "Ugh, you are so unevolved with your toes all smooshed together in one compartment." 
• Austin is hilly. What the hell? How have I never noticed these monster hills before? 
• Running up hills is hard.
• Running down hills is hard too. I nearly faceplanted down one the other day because I had more forward momentum than my legs could keep up with.
• Running on the treadmill is the work of Satan. Why can I run 3 miles outside but barely a half mile on the treadmill? Also, why does that half a mile take me 25 minutes on the treadmill when I can do 3 miles in 32 minutes outside? I suck at math but those numbers don't add up. 
• After running (outside or on the treadmill) I get red faced. I'm not taking a little flushed either. I'm full out cranberry red, looking like any second I'm going to pass out. Angry red face is gonna get'ya! 
• When faced with a race starting line, I have no idea how to position myself. Too close to the front and I'm in the way of the serious runners. Too far back and people are in my way and I have to bob and weave. Where is the sweet spot? Does the sweet spot even exist? 
• No matter how much I whine about it, I really like running. 

the clouds are parting

Well hello. 

I'm here, alive and mostly well. My hair is falling out in large post partum clumps and I'm still eating like a crazed fool who has never encountered a cookie before and therefore must eat all of them before they disappear. I'm still having trouble getting up in the morning to workout thanks to Pippa's new trick of 4:30am wakes up that require me and my boobs. But the crazy feels like it's becoming less of an issue and is now just a small cloud of gloom trailing behind me instead of a storm that's flooding me. 

I'm finding that things like this really help:

Truman would really like it if everyday he could go knock on the neighbors' doors and get candy. 

Pippa would like to wear a fleecy pumpkin outfit everyday because that shit is warm.

vee-log!

There's this meme going around right now where people talk so you can judge their accents. At first I was all "oh hell no" but then I watched a couple and was shocked by how wrong these people are. People that I know and love, but wrong! I decided it was my job to correct them.  

Things I've learned watching this: I do this thing with my bottom lip that is weird. I tend to look up a lot. I don't have the patience to record this more than once. 

Welcome to my underwater fish den:

Untitled from regan parks on Vimeo.

Tech types: I can't upload this to youtube because the site doesn't support this type of file. Anyone want to convert it for me?

and so it goes

Lately I've been feeling kind of like this:

Mouth open, eyes glazed, covered in food

It seems I am experiencing some sort of funk and I'm dealing with it by cramming whatever food is within arm's reach right into my mouth and crying. Basically I cry because I feel out of control and after doing that for a bit I am so upset that I end up cramming food in without thought. This mindless eating makes me feel even more fat and out of control which leads to more tears. It is lovely at my house.

I've found that working out helps keep me in check so I've been throwing myself at any physical activity that crosses my path including boot camps, bar method classes, and running. The problem is that the only time I have for these is 5:45am and this week I've managed to sleep through my alarm every damn day. So when I wake not only am I frazzled because I've got to get Truman dressed and out the door at lightening speed, but I'm also pissed at myself for missing my chance to control the crazy for the day. And when I'm pissed at myself I ease the pain by devouring almost a whole box of these:

That would be a mallomar heated so the chocolate melts and then sprinkled with sea salt. I've never loved and hated something so much all at the same time. 

I'm not mentioning this to get people worried about me, in fact I'm mentioning it so people know I'm fine. There's been a few times recently where I've mentioned crying uncontrollably (over a water cooler that Truman broke! The way I cried you would have thought he robbed a bank) and I think I might have worried people a bit. Really, I'm doing okay. Once we move Pippa out of our room I'll feel comfortable setting the alarm clock far enough away that I won't be able to sleep through it and I'll start working out with more regularity. I honestly think that's going to be the key to this. Sweat the fat off and curb the mindless emotional eating. I'm going to reclaim myself one carrot stick at a time. 

status: incomplete

We closed on our new house on March 18th, which was the same day we hired the interior designer to help us pick furniture and paint colors. That means we've been here six months and five days which might lead you to believe we are all settled into the house, happy with all our new furniture. Hell, I assumed we would be settled after two months. I mean, how long can it possibly take to get a house furnished? I thought at the very latest we would be wrapping everything up a few weeks before Pippa was born.

God, I was stupid.

This whole process has been one thing going wrong after another, leading to everything taking longer than anyone planned. The most recent errors include the window coverings installer realizing that only two of the four panels ordered arrived with my curtains. But damn those two look good.

Also, these windows are supposed to have roman shades on them but when he unpacked the boxes he couldn't find the hardware needed to hang them. Turns out the hardware was never ordered. Oh naked windows, some day you'll be dressed. Maybe in ten years.

Same to you, other set of naked windows, maybe you'll be dressed before that house behind us sells.

A few of the rooms are almost done, one of them being our bedroom. The only thing missing is our dresser, which has arrived damaged twice. Twice! I can't wait to get this corner done and the dvr off the damn floor.

Today the plumber came to install a couple of faucets and because nothing can go right, he installed one of the new faucets over the wrong sink in the kitchen. By the time I came home he was mostly done with the install and dripping with sweat. I almost didn't say anything because I felt so bad about it. Sorry plumber guy, you're not as close to being done as you thought.

Honestly I don't know why I'm so anxious to get the house done because once everything is in place this is just going to happen to it.

Somewhere under the clothes is a beautiful chair from Design Within Reach. I was able to sit in it for about 10 minutes before all the clothes migrated to it. We fail at living like adults.