our life lately // my P365 & other random bits

hey look, it's my semi-monthly post!  the last few weeks have been full of sun, work & more sun.  it needs to never go away, ever.  we've gotten outside every chance we can & we're all working on some legit tan lines.  so far, so good.

i shot my first wedding of the season a couple weeks ago (check it out here!) & am pretty excited that it's all business pretty much every weekend from here on out til the fall.  i mean, it's good & bad.  when i'm busy with work there's this whole big part of me that gets filled up.  i still get butterflies before every shoot but when i walk away with a couple memory cards full of awesome images i practically float my way back to the car & then it's like a junkie needing their fix until i get on the computer to start editing.  weird?  maybe.  but photography is a huge outlet for me & creating awesome images is my fix.

my half marathon training is stalled.  let's be honest, i lost motivation.  thirteen miles is no joke, you guys.  the training requires you to run a lot & it just wasn't happening.  i'm running a five mile race this weekend & am pretty excited to test myself on this shorter distance rather than freaking out about my body lasting for thirteen.  but seriously, where has my motivation gone?  clean eating, cutting junk out of my diet & getting in shape have all been low on my priority list for months now & i gotta figure out why.  how do you get back on the wagon when being off is so comfortable?  aside from all that feeling a bit uncomfortable in your own skin thing, it's pretty easy to just eat junk & be lazy.  in fact, it's nice every now & then.  but ugh, it's gotta stop.  so here goes nothin.  today was clean eating day one & it was less than perfect but practice makes perfect, right?  that's what tomorrow's for.

and with that i'm off to bed!  i'm meeting my bestie/running partner/life partner for four miles tomorrow morning at 5:30.  aaaand that's gonna come early.  here's a little photo dump from the last few weeks of our goings-ons.  you can follow along in real time (aka: i update much more frequently) on both flickr & instagram.

enjoy!

run run run! // my love hate relationship.

well, you guys asked for it!  so here it is.  a photo dumpy post all about my second favorite past-time, running (number one is my love affair with my camera, of course!).

gah, running.  i love it, i hate it.  i feel like my greatest joy from running is the sense of accomplishment i feel afterwards which means i like it the most when it's over.  as you can see below, i'm the post-run selfie queen because after a run i feel SO GOOD.  but during?  sometimes it's awful.  sometimes it hurts & i wonder how much longer til it's over.  every now & then i hit my stride a few miles in, the right song comes on & i get that feeling like i could run f.o.r.e.v.e.r... i picture sam & my kiddos cheering for me at the end of a finish line & i run a bit faster.  the "runner's high."  that's the best.

running is addicting because it doesn't take long to see improvement.  you go longer & faster with each run & it becomes super rewarding to see your progress.  but that in itself can be dangerous because then each run has pressure to be better than the last & you're not just running anymore to run.

right now i'm training for my second half marathon.  i'm using a training plan by hal higdon & trying to run this one under two hours (13 nine minute miles) but no big deal if i don't.  i love the structure that comes with training for a race because it forces me out the door when i would otherwise probably find a reason not to go.  it's raining, i'm tired, i'm having a good hair day, i already showered, i don't wanna push the stroller... all reasons that keep me from stepping out that door.  oh & of course, it's gonna be hard.  it's always hard.

things that help me on my runs: good music.  a running buddy.  knowing that i can slow down or walk if i need to.  good shoes.  compression tights.  food in my belly.  an empty bladder.  a hat (i hate running with sunglasses & i hate running with the sun in my eyes).  a new route.  energy chews.  a sunny day.  a goal.

and that's that!  seeing all these pictures & writing all this out has made me excited for tomorrow's run.  i'm just doing three miles but i'll have the stroller & getting through any sort of run with those two in front of me is a feat.  i'd love to know how many miles those two have ridden with me!

and i'd love to know about your relationship with running.  why do you or don't you run?  do you genuinely love every mile?  am i the only one that pushes through just for the feeling at the end?  or are there people out there that love every step of each run?  i'm sure they exist but it sure isn't me.  running is work.  each time i run it hurts & it's hard.  but for some weird reason i love it & i've ran too far to quite now.

i'd rather be making cookie dough // a random post.

i've had a stick of butter out on my counter acclimating to room temp since sunday while i have an internal battle over whether or not i should make a batch of cookies.  actually let's be honest, it's really not the cookies i'm after but the dough.  cookie dough is my kryptonite.  along with ice cream & brownies & buttery bread & well, about a million other things (don't even get me started on all things peanut butter).  so instead of whipping up cookies, i decided to play with photos & write this blog post.  but what i'm thinking will happen is i will write this blog post & then make the dough.  let's face it, it's inevitable.

the last few days have been good to us.  sunny & spring-like, full of lots of good food & family time.  i ran seven miles on sunday & ate my weight in ice cream... it all evens out.  when the days start getting longer & the sun starts shining a little brighter, it always hits me how much i've missed this.  it's amazing what a little sunshine does for the soul.  this is definitely one of my top four favorite times of year (rivaling fall & summer & the holidays).  i've been getting the boys outside a whole lot more lately & it's been taking slightly fewer layers to do so.  wellll, enough about the weather.

i think i need to take more selfies.  does anyone say that?  i've been shooting a whole lotta pictures of the boys & things i like & what-ever-else-have-you but i haven't been getting in front of the camera much myself.  i used to be waaaay better at getting pictures of me with the boys when i just used my iphone all the time.  a selfie is a lot harder to grab with a dslr!  maybe tomorrow is the day i get out a tripod & a remote & make this happen.  we'll see.

and that's that.  that batch of dough isn't gonna make itself so i better wrap this little diddy up if i wanna get to bed at a reasonable hour.

ps: one of these days i might blog about goals i have for myself... goals with this half marathon, clean eating & getting more sleep to name just a few.  actually, i think a post about my training is up next because i'm suddenly feeling a big wave of motivation towards this race due to a few really good runs recently, whereas before i was totally dreading each run.  i have such a love/hate relationship with running, it's so weird!  sometimes i just want to give it up but we've lasted this long together so i keep on heading out that door each day.  then when it's over i feel amazing & unbeatable & can't wait to do it again.  until the next day when i hate it again & don't wanna go.  am i the only one?

anywho, those cookies.  er, i mean that dough.  peace out!

our week in iPhotos | 23 of 52

there's a definite theme in this week's pictures... early morning runs, my kiddos, repeat.  and that was pretty much our week!  just a routine week to get back into the swing of things.

i started week one of my 14 weeks of half marathon training by getting up at 5:45 am to run before Sam leaves for work three out of the five weekdays.  there's something awesome about getting up and going running while everyone else sleeps & then going about the rest of your day having had that quiet hour to yourself.  that being said, i am sooooo not a morning person and by the third day was forcing myself out the door to run.  i know the only way this half marathon is gonna become a reality is if i run in the morning before sam goes to work, which means getting to bed at a decent hour.  and there enlies the challenge.  wish me luck.

in other news, we had some awesome weather & got to spend a lot of time with friends outside enjoying it.  decent weather is supposed to stick around for the weekend and we're gonna go on an adventure!  we just don't know what yet.  but i'm sure it'll be awesome.

have a great weekend friends!

deep {or not so deep} thoughts

p-ray & i ventured out for a run today since it was freakishly warm & sunny here in the pnw.

one of the things i love most about a good run is that i can use the time to clear my head & think.  cause ya know, parker & i don't get into too many deep, contemplative conversations on our outings just yet.

however, my thoughts aren't always super deep or contemplative either.  for example, today i was thinking about how i always run faster & with better form past creepy looking dudes.  why?  because if they're looking for someone to abduct, they'll pick a slower & more tired looking victim.  you gotta think of this stuff.

so, since i run faster & harder when surrounded by creepy looking dudes maybe i should start running down dark alleys or through dark parks.  seems logical.

i'll let ya know how that goes for me.



in the meantime, how about a vote?  click, click.  you're done.  thanks!