Spring PLEASE come

Dearest Spring,
   While I have loved your predecessor Winter, I am more than ready for you to make your appearance. I know you have lots of work to do by melting the tracks of Winter, she conveniently just dropped about six inches on us last night and continues to drop snow on us today. I am sick of running on a treadmill and spending hours on the elliptical machine. I want to leave my car parked in the garage as much as I can and ride my bike to work, go for good long runs OUTSIDE without fear of falling flat on my face (twice last week when I attempted to run outside - note to self: still WAY icy outside don't be deceive). I want to go walk my dog and not have to put on my snow pants, boots, hats, mittens, long underwear, and my winter coat. I want to be able to go sit outside and throw the ball with her and enjoy it without my fingers falling off or losing Dakota's beloved orange ball in a snow bank somewhere.
    Let me not forget that my dog is nearly going nuts, she sits in the bathtub almost nightly and BEGS for me to fill it with water so she can play in the water. Seriously, my dog is begging for baths just so she can play in the water. Please come, melt the snow and ice so we can be outside again for long periods of time. Push, shove, be mean if you have to, it would be great to see you around here.
    Also please note that Winter's continual presence is having an effect on people around here, everyone is just a bit crabbier, a bit more cranky due to serious vitamin d inefficiencies, we need you to come and make your appearance. In fact, I am crabbier, I am more short tempered, I am frustrated by you, I am over you. 100% done with you and I would more than welcome spring.  I do love winter, I do love snow, I don't love ice that causes me to fall flat on my face, I do love you too spring, PLEASE COME HERE.
    My fitness level is not improving by you sticking around, I am trying to get in shape and I am trying to go for long runs but I can't lie to you and say that Winter is helping at all, in all reality the idea of another quarter mile on the treadmill makes me want to nearly cut my legs off. Please come and remedy my problems. I am over Winter, Spring please arrive now.

Love,
   Dakota and Me

Antsy

I am thankful for the cold weather, I am anxious to get out on the lakes snowshoeing. I am definitely not one who pushes the envelop of getting out on the ice before I should. People a little further north have already put out their ice houses and are driving trucks on the ice. Around my area it is a catch 22 there are ice houses starting to go out on the lakes and people are beginning to get out there, however I am a little bit cautious as I think about getting out there. Until I hear there is a solid 10 to 12 inches on the ice I won't be going out. There have been several people who have fallen through the ice in years past and I am just not that much of a dare devil.

In the meantime I find myself at the poor farm and other wonderful places. The Arb is out due to the vast number of cross country ski trails (which are beautiful and wonderful however they are not dog or snow shoeing friendly). So I wait, impatiently for the ice to thicken so I can snow shoe.

It is hard to be up north at times. I love it most of the time, but some of the time it drives me nuts. I suppose it is like most places. Never the less, I shall walk my dog around the poor farm and my neighborhood and get my good workouts in at the gym and dream of skiing in the Rocky Mountains and snow shoeing on the lakes in days to come.

I really do love the snow. I enjoy being outside in it. I even don't mind shoveling it. I welcome winter and the chance to curl up on the couch with a good cup of coffee and a wonderful book.

Full House

Or almost full house. I am certain we still have room for dad to arrive tomorrow. I love having my house full of people. My house is wonderfully sized, not too big and not too small. I have three bedrooms and only one bathroom (which is the downfall) and a story and a half (strange concept to me to have a half story). I found the house almost too big with just Dakota and I living there. I am certain when Marc moves in this June we will still find that we have plenty of space. I am thankful that I have a house that is large enough to be able to accommodate a few extra guests. We can figure out how to share the bathroom and not run out of hot water. I love having family around and totally can deal with the mess and other things that come with having extra people in the house.

I love having the noise in the house, I love the way Dakota knows that people are sleeping upstairs and begs to be let upstairs (I have her baby gated out) in order to wish them a good morning and get in a few morning snuggles. I love having a full kitchen table and sharing a meal with those I love. It will be great to have dad here on Monday. YAY for family.

Off to the YMCA for a run. Tinkerbell is around the corner, I am getting more and more excited each and every day, darn ice keeping me from running outside. I suppose since Christmas is now only two days away it is more than time to finish that last Christmas present looming over my head.



Do you have much left to prep for Christmas?
Do you enjoy hosting?
Did you finish all your Christmas projects?
Did you make many Christmas presents? Did you make any Christmas presents?

Running up north

I am over the top jazzed to be running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in Disneyland this January. I am feeling fairly well trained and am super super super super excited to run it. In my heart of hearts I would like a medal from all of the runDisney Half Marathons (not the full and never the goofy). While I can't wait there is a piece of me that is jealous of everyone further down south. I have been reading blogs of folks who are training down south and a piece of me is jealous. Last Friday I put in ten miles on the treadmill due to the massive amounts of ice. (It is a fine science to actually get to run 10 consecutive miles on the treadmill at the ymca here in town because they have rules about only signing up for a half hour slot on the treadmill, I do feel a little guilty but I have some what figured out how to cheat the system so I get more than a half hour at a time. I know they have a purpose for these rules, but I need to be training for January, and I only cheat the system when I need to do my long runs.)

I think it is time I invest in a pair of yaktracks or some other type of outdoor grippy dealy for my shoes. Saturday I went for a run with Dakota with the intent of going only five or six mile run. Somewhere about mile two, I feel, hard, and fast. The ice had won. I thought I was on solid ground but in reality it was a sheet of ice. It sucked. My knees were bleeding and my hand was cut up. Dakota sat very nicely next to me and looked at me wondering what in the world happened. She was sweet and licked my face (she means well). I got up and she walked like a perfect little puppy, we walked back to my house so I could clean up. I hate running on ice but I hate running on a treadmill even more.

I guess I need to check the roads a little better before heading out to run, I  need to be careful. I can't won't get hurt now, I AM RUNNING IN JANUARY. I WILL earn my coast to coast medal in 2013.


Anyone else running on snow and ice?
Any tips for running on snow and ice?
How do you keep yourself from getting bored on the treadmill?

Welcome Winter

Dear Winter-
       I think you have finally arrived. I think you are here in Northern Minnesota, about time, I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. In my opinion you arrived late this year. I always start to get a bit anxious for you come October. Seriously, it seems only a week or so ago it was great running, biking, and dog walking weather, today we register a solid zero degrees, good work. Oh the changes, not to mention we have a solid foot of snow on the ground with a thin sheet of ice below. Truth be told, I LOVE IT! I love having everything covered in that beautiful white layer of snow that just screams to children (and me) come sledding, the ice is getting thick (anticipating the good ice skating and snow shoeing on the lakes), enjoy the snow, play in me.
     You do add a challenge to working out and getting in the appropriate amount of steps. I can do the snow but the ice is the complicating factor. Yes, I know I just go to the ymca and that fixes my problem, however it doesn't help my crazy dog. She needs to be playing outside and when your temperatures drop below zero she doesn't like to stay outside too long nor do I to take her for a walk. Please be kind in terms of ice, it makes it challenging not only for me but also for the older folks who desperately want to get out as well. They like to come to church and go to bingo, be kind to them, their hips can't handle it, a broken bone in their world is quite the tragedy.
     If I can put in a request for the beautiful snow globe looking snow on Christmas Eve that would be fabulous. I love coming out from the candle light serve and to see that you are laying down a new fresh sheet of snow. There is something magical about it. It seems all too appropriate that you would lay down a beautiful light layer of snow for Christmas. If you want the particulars I would prefer that you don't give us a full blizzard that day it seems far too many people travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I would hate for them to not be able to get to family. Be kind.
    While I am being demanding and putting in my requests, I would love one massive massive blizzard, the kind that makes it impossible for anyone to get anywhere, school is cancelled for the kids, and I get to work from home (or maybe just stay in my pjs or change into sweatpants) and sip on hot chocolate, curl up on the couch and watch a good movie and read some amazing books, all while napping intermittently and crocheting. Thanks for at least hearing my requests, I know you were deeply concerned about my feelings towards you.
     Keep bringing down the snow, I really don't mind shoveling, seriously. I generally even shovel a few houses down because I just love being outside in the snow. So bring it on. Let's see how much you can dump this year. You are already on the right track with that last snow fall, I hear you brought half as much this past weekend as you did all of last winter. Props to you.
    Don't overstay your welcome, please feel free to start your leaving process about mid-March. I appreciate you, but also welcome your cousin Spring about mid-March early April. Have a wonderful day. I love you being around.

Peace-
   Sarah