Race morning dawned with perfect running weather: temps in the 40s at the start and it warmed up at least 10 degrees by the finish. Gorgeous. I had a surprising lack of nerves race morning. I put on my gear. I pinned on my bib. I started smiling (and I haven’t stopped yet). I decided to run this race with my aunt. She’d never run a race alongside someone and since she’s coming back from an injury I thought she might need the boost. That meant my pace was slower than normal but I didn’t care one bit. This twisty-turny course with its many photo opportunities was meant to enjoy, not race thru.

We started in the dark, and the Disney people didn’t disappoint. The most exciting start of a race – flashing lights, Disney characters and fireworks (yes, fireworks at 5:45am). I had goose bumps as we crossed the start line.

Mile 1 was around the edge of the parks. There were two hills over the Interstate in this first mile that looked a little intimidating when we drove the course earlier in the weekend. However, adrenaline or something kicked in and I barely noticed the hills.

Mile 2-3ish: In Disneyland! We entered a back lot and were greeted by the night shift workers cheering us on. They pulled out parade floats from storage for us to see. And of course there were characters… princesses, Tarzan, Hercules, Pocahontas, Captain Hook & Mr. Smee… lots of characters. Most of my character pictures were like this:

Or this self-portrait:

because I was only willing to wait in the long lines for one of my favorite characters (none of whom were on the course, bummer). We did however stop to take a picture before running beneath Sleeping Beauty’s castle. And I took action shots as I ran thru, but I’ll bore my family with those on my slideshow.

Miles 4-11: Around mile 4 we left the park thru Downtown Disney and headed out on the streets of Anaheim. For the next 7 miles the race felt much like any other road race with the Disney twist of plenty of water stops and some great crowd support with large high school bands & cheer squads every couple miles. We were rarely without something to see or someone to high five. One of my favorite support groups came along the end of this stretch. You could hear the great rock music down the street and once in sight realized it was a live band made up of military men & women. I made sure I scooted over to give those soldiers some high fives.

I spent a lot of this time people watching. You should have seen the wings and costumes and sparkly tu-tus (on guys even). I was bopped in the head more than once by wings as I passed running fairies. There were the usual funny running shirts but also a good number with a Disney twist to them: “second star to the right and 13.1 miles to the finish!” Or “I Tink I can! I Tink I can!” Or “That’s not sweat, that’s pixie dust.” My aunt got quite a lot of cheers for her shirt: Tink’s Grandma. Then there was the girl who ran with a cowbell tied to her shirt…. ANNOYING. And just when we thought we’d gotten away from her, she’d catch up to us. If I wasn’t in such a magical Disney mood, I would have “accidentally” stumbled against her and ripped it off.

But when all you have to complain about is a little cowbell – you don’t have much to complain about.

I think the first time I really looked at my watch and thought about the time was at mile 7. I’ve honestly never had a 13 mile run feel so easy and fun – with the exception of some sharp knee pain that I think was caused from all the dodging and weaving the first four miles. There were lots of walkers who didn’t have the courtesy to scoot to one side and were walking four abreast. I don’t mind if people walk a race, I just wish they’d stay out of the way of runners. My shin splints didn’t bother me. My feet felt good. My hips felt good. The sun felt fantastic. It was a great race.

Around mile 11 we entered California Adventure for most of the last two miles: more character viewing fun here – Toy Story, Monsters Inc and views of all the rides I had so much fun on the day before. We left the park, made a quick turn to Mile 13…

and then dashed to the Finish Line!

My medal is sooooo sparkly and the Tinker Bell in the middle spins. Seriously, if you live by me, you should stop by to see it. It’s the coolest medal I’ve ever seen. I even wore it when I walked J to school on Tuesday. The kids loved it.

My official time: 2:38
Overall place: 3568 / 9386
Age group place: 558 / 1428
Place in my heart: #1

I saw a comment that sums this race up nicely: I had the worst time for a race while having my best time running. This really was the best way I could possibly kick off my new decade.

Yes, I need to create a photo slideshow from my super fun getaway weekend but I haven’t downloaded pictures yet.

Yes, I need to catch up on the emails upon emails that are asking (demanding) for things but I can barely handle looking at my inbox yet.

Yes, I need to jump back on the laundry / housework train but I’m not ready yet.

I got home from lovely, sunny Southern California last night at 5pm. The hour also known as super-demanding-time. I was bombarded with hugs and requests for food and needs to plan for the evening’s activities. I made dinner in shifts. I monitored homework. I gave rides to & from swim practice. I went to the grocery store. I foam rolled my sore legs that were just a little extra stiff from being stuck in a plane all day. I put on biofreeze and crashed in my bed.

I need a day to focus and get a lot done. A day to stretch my muscles. A day to still have the lingering memory of warm sunshine on my skin.

Tomorrow I will post the full report, I promise. (it involves lots of fairy wings, smiles, an annoying cow-bell girl and of course 13.1 miles of fun). Oh and here’s the quote off my favorite shirt:

I am a running princess.
My running shoe is my glass slipper.
The finish line is my prince charming.
The accomplishment is my happily ever after.

Followed closely by my 2nd favorite shirt that said: I thought they said RUM!

Once upon a time, I had a dream that I could kick off my 4th decade with a high energy, bucket list activity. This weekend, at the Tinker Bell Half Marathon, that dream came true. Full race report later this week. It was awesome!

These are serious problems when you are 10.

Yesterday, I too had a stressed look on my face. I needed to get a few pieces of my projects to some sense of closure. Finish up a ridiculous mountain of laundry. Oh, and pack before my flight this morning.

These are serious problems when you are 40.

But what my daughter and I realized at the end of the day is that neither of our problems were really that big. She got to pick “one of the three boys who washes their hands.” I was able to get things wrapped up enough to not feel guilty for the next four days. Sometimes you start the day thinking things are just going to be awful. Then you take the day one piece at a time and by the end you realize that it wasn’t so bad after all. (at least most days)

Now you’ll have to excuse me because I’m leaving in less than two hours and I’m not finished packing. Plus I have to paint my toe nails so I can wear sandals

1. A lot of cookbooks, recipes and comfort messing around with favorite food items to create something new.
2. Reliable resources for new recipes and ideas.

I’m going to share with you one of my favorite online resources for new recipes and ideas: Tasty Kitchen. For those of you who are fans of Pioneer Woman you probably already know about this spin off that she created. It’s a repository of recipes from people all over the Internet. And it’s a great place to go for inspiration and recipes – many of which are focused on feeding a family.

This week I needed one more meal for my weekly plan. I had a craving for some sort of chicken, cheesy, casserole type dish. I have some recipes for that but I wanted something new. Off to Tasty Kitchen I went where I came across this yummy concoction: Chicken Tamale Casserole

A tweak here and there and we had a dinner plan! Here’s my minor revision to the original:

Chicken Tamale Casserole

3-4 chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa
1 bag Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend, Divided
1/3 cup Milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoons Ground Red Pepper
1 box Corn Muffin Mix (such As Jiffy)
15 oz can Cream Style Corn
4 oz can Chopped Green Chilies
1 red bell pepper, diced
10 oz can Red Enchilada Sauce
Sour Cream

- Early in the day: Put chicken in crock pot and cover with salsa. Cook 4 hours on low. (Can cook all day if needed, just add a little water.)

- Dinner time: Preheat oven to 400F.

- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn muffin mix, corn, green chilies and bell pepper; stir until moist. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20 minutes. While it’s baking, take your chicken out of the crock pot and shred it.

- Pierce surface liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with chicken and remaining cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

I can’t explain it. Usually I obsess about the weather and check it approx 22 times a day to see if the forecast has shifted. I checked the forecast once this week. It’s going to be gorgeous in Southern California. 40s and 50s for running. Upper 70s for playing the rest of the day. Not a cloud in the sky. There’s nothing to obsess about.

Usually I obsess about what I’m wearing. I planned that out a couple weeks ago and tested out my outfit on a ridiculously warm (for January) 40 degree day when I ran my second 12 miler. I might shift from long sleeves to arm sleeves and a short sleeve t-shirt but those are both small and easy to pack so I can decide later.

Usually I obsess about the distance. I was a little crazy this weekend because I didn’t do my last long taper run. Then I remembered that I’ve run two 12 mile runs this month. I should be just fine adding one more mile. Even if this silly shin splint of mine decides to complain, my training has been very strong. I haven’t had the time to bump my weekly mileage as high as I was hoping too but I’ve had 20 mile weeks for almost two months so I know I’ve got the race distance in my legs.

I might or might not be wearing this on the flight home.

Second star to the right and straight on to the finish line!

And on went life with all its many loads of laundry.

In recent weeks I’ve had a few times where the dryer smelled hot when I took the clothes out. I chalked it up to the size of my loads or the number I was doing each day. I took my dry clothes out of the dryer, folded them (eventually), put them away and repeated the cycle. (every day, I do laundry every. day.) This weekend the occasional hot smell turned into something different.

As I walked past the laundry room on Saturday it didn’t smell hot, it smelled burnt. I went in and checked the load in the dryer. It was a load of towels and it most definitely smelled burnt. They were at the end of the cycle so I went ahead and took them out and decided the dryer must need a break. I went about my merry day, occasionally walking into the laundry room to see how it smelled. It smelled burnt. I decided to unplug the dryer and call a repair person Monday morning.

Little did I know that a small fire was smoldering away that whole time. Did I mention I have a gas dryer?

Monday morning I pull the dryer out. The smell is greatly diminished. I begin to wonder if this has something to do with that part that fell out so many weeks ago. I call the repair person. He comes at 3pm, opens the dryer and calls me in.

“Ma’am, there’s been a fire in here.”
“Really? You mean some lint got stuck because that seal fell out?”
“No I mean some lint caught fire. You are really lucky it burned it self out.”

I look inside the dryer, it is filled with ashes and scorch marks. Turns out that felt ring seal is a pretty important part of the dryer. He said he could try to fix it but that he wasn’t sure how well the motor would do after being on fire. There was also the issue of how bad it smelled. My husband & I decided to get a new dryer – the thought of using one that had been ON FIRE is not so appealing.

And now all I can think about is… what if I hadn’t been home to smell the burning smell? I am notorious for putting a load in the dryer as I leave the house. Or what if it had been at night, when my entire family was sleeping? I’m even more notorious for doing one last load of laundry by putting it in the dryer before I go to bed.

Sure, it’s a funny story. A friend of mine made me laugh when she said “That’s it! No more laundry! I’m telling my husband it’s just too dangerous.” And it’s totally the sort of thing I’m good at – denying there’s a problem and assuming the world will go along with my denial. But it could have turned out much differently.

Stupid laundry.

The 13yo came home from a babysitting gig about 20 minutes into the movie so we let her stay up and watch it with us. Yesterday as we were driving to her swim meet she asked me if I liked the movie. I told her I did and asked her what she thought. She thought it was great and very funny. I told her it had funny parts but I don’t think it’s a funny movie. Why? Well…. let me tell you a few similarities that made it not so funny (I promise I won’t ruin the movie if you haven’t seen it.)

The basic premise of the movie, as you might guess from the title, is love. The story line around which all the minor plots revolve is the marriage of Steve Carrel’s & Julianne Moore’s characters.

• They started dating in high school. My husband and I started dating in high school.
• Miniature golf was one of their “things” early in their relationship. Our first date was miniature golfing.
• The husband buying his wife ice cream was another one of their shared moments, her favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip. Mint chocolate chip is MY favorite ice cream flavor.

Are you kidding me?!?! I’m sitting there expecting a light, romantic comedy. Instead, I get a relationship that is breaking up before my eyes with eerie similarities to mine. You know – except that I didn’t sleep with a co-worker. And I don’t think there’s a bar in our tiny town with a Hitch wannabe waiting to magically transform my husband. And my life is not filled with grand romantic gestures.

I won’t say anymore in case you want to watch the movie. I found the whole thing a little weird. Cute movie. Probably far cuter if you’re not me watching it while eating mint chocolate chip ice cream that your husband surprised you by bringing home earlier in the day (yes, really).

In the meantime, I’ll grab my moments of serenity on the fly. And that’s where this quick reflection of grace in small things comes from. In this crazy-hectic-non-stop moment, I find grace:

• In vacuum tracks on my carpet – even if the shelves are dusty and the kitchen sink is full of dishes, I feel a sense of relief when my carpet looks clean.
• In story time – no matter what else is going on, the 15 minutes I spend snuggled in bed with J at night are golden.
• In the strength of my legs – even when I cut the workout short, those runs/bike rides/laps in the pool reduce my stress, help me breathe and replenish my energy.
• In yellow roses – still blooming from last week’s birthday gift, in front of the window looking out on sparkling snow. Those flowers are instant cheer-givers.
• In warm socks – it’s cold, so cold I have seriously considered working at my laptop in fingerless mittens. Warm socks and slippers give grace.

You can make this meal spicy or tame. My husband & I like it on the spicy side but I’ll give you instructions at the end if you want to tone it down. But come on… who doesn’t want a little spice in their life this year??

Shrimp & Bok Choy Noodle Bowl
Courtesy of Rachael Ray’s 365 No Repeats Cookbook with minor modifications by yours truly

2 TB cooking oil
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or less to taste)
4 tsp minced garlic
1 small piece of ginger (approx 2 inches long) peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks
1 package (8 oz) of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3 inch matchsticks
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup clam juice (in the soup aisle)*
1 lb peeled shrimp
1 box thin spaghetti
4 green onions, cut into 3 inch matchsticks

1. In a soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add crushed red pepper, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and bok choy. Season with a bit of salt & pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock and clam juice. Cover and bring to a boil.

2. Add shrimp and noodles and cook at a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Add green onions and turn off the heat. Let sit for another five minutes so all the flavors come together.

Serve it in big bowls. My kids love to use chop sticks to eat this dinner – another fun way to work in the Chinese New Year theme. I alternate between using a fork and a spoon (I’m terrible with chop sticks) and I’ve been known to slurp up the broth at the bottom of the bowl.

Don’t want it spicy? Omit the crushed red pepper. Some of you want it spicy? Divide and conquer – get two pots and make half with the spice and half without.

Oh and that * by the clam juice… in a pinch I’ve used a can of vegetable stock with a splash of Thai fish sauce. Seafood stock would be great if you can find it instead. The added seafood taste adds a very nice layer to this dish. You could just add another cup of chicken stock if you can’t find any fish-related substitution.

Happy Chinese New Year!