Days with the Dorans

Well~ I'm going to keep writing it down because I don't want to stop. I'm all about logging miles and I'm pretty happy with January. It was a tough month with knee injuries and weather (which resulted in me getting a brace and a treadmill). I also got some new shoes. Dan and Steph gave me a nice gift certificate to running fit where I tried different shoes and settled on the Hoka (felt like running on air). They were so comfy- until I noticed my arches were sore. I looked one day (after about a week of running including two outdoor runs- one my 7) and I had BLISTER on my arches! I was so bummed!!! I went back to running fit and, without question, the guy working grabbed me my second choice (the Ghost) and I was out (with 2 pair of socks since the Hokas were more so why not...). I've been running a few weeks in these babies but still have some knee issues. It hurts (pretty bad) for about two minutes but then goes away. I'm crossing my fingers and goin...

Ali has been part of a Religious Diversity group that has been outstanding! It's been fun to hear what she is learning about other religions. I wish I could go and learn with her and hoping Z will choose to apply for this experience so I can attend a field trip (I can't right now because I'm out of the classroom a bit learning about Cultures of Thinking. I posted this picture on Twitter (thanking WL for the great experience) and there was a woman on there who was not happy about my post (which was retweeted by my district which is probably how she saw it...) She wrote (and I'm not editing typing- just copying and pasting): Shameful Good thing my children are not in this http:// class.By   wearing head gear,that is Not a good way to push Diversity.Are all the kids going to hold the Bible next,to make it fair? Another person replied to her saying:  Wearing the scarf was meant to show respect in a house of worship. Again, teaching diversity include...

Well this dance season got off to a crazy start. We originally had Al in 4 numbers but there was another dancer that quit so we said she could go ahead and add a 5th (since she was already cast as the understudy for it and actually being in the piece wasn't that much more since we already had to pay tuition). Showcase was very long but we loved watching our girl dance! Dad, Nana, Papa, Auntie Jodi, Aunt Barb, Gary and Mrs. Connell all came to cheer her on. We let the brothers stay home since it was a long night and they'll be at recital!  Here are some pictures that were taken at the show. The professional photographer didn't shoot it this year but they did have someone snapping pics. I may have to get some at the competitions... Hmmm... Matter of Luck (Jazz) The Climb (Tap) She's on the top step. Queen of Swords (Lyrical) Those swords are seriously heavy!! Jet Set (Tap) Boogie Woogie Bugle Bog (Open)  ...

Al has loved her Com Arts class again this year. It's fun to watch a shy girl like Ali become so comfortable on a stage! She's been talking about going out for next year's musical which will be such fun! For class, she and her friends had to do a record mime. Al had the girls over to our house to practice and they had a good time. I think Al helped with most of the choreography. When they asked me to watch I told them they were thinking too much and to just remember to lip sync! For showtime, I had to get Al from dance. The show started at 7 and I learned that Al's group was the FIRST group which meant I had to tell Jeff to get Joe from piano early so he wouldn't miss it (we were hoping she was nearer the middle or the end).  The boys made it just in time and the girls had a blast. One of the girls Al is friends with is the sister of a former student of mine. Such a nice family! HERE is a video of their dance and thanks to Nana and Papa for coming...

Nothing is more heartbreaking when one of your loves is sick... On Sunday, Sean was complaining that his cheek hurt. I kind of thought perhaps he had a canker sore or something but when he started crying pretty hard later in the evening, I knew it had to be something more. I went out and got some pain reliever (our kids are rarely sick so we didn't have anything on hand) and after he took it, he felt a little better. We were looking at this blog together (specifically his birthdays) and we came across THIS video that I made of his 3rd birthday. We were watching it and I noticed he was crying. When I asked him if he was hurting again he said, "No mom. I just love you so much. I just love this whole family so so much." My heart was so full and I felt like crying too. He's such a sensitive, sweet kid. When we prayed that night for God to help him feel better, he added at the end a thank you for his brothers and sister and his family and how he's the luckiest ...

Well~ I survived another stoning day! Stoning day is when all the moms at TDS (or a couple dads if moms can't make it) spend a day stoning costumes with stinky E6000 glue. It's a long day~ cold (because you need fresh air) and back breaking (because you're hunched over costumes for 8 hours). I think I did 5 costumes (which equalled a bit longer than 8 hours). This year, Julia and I had to do the samples too so we met at our house to do two costumes (Jet Set and The Climb- Al happens to be in both) prior to stoning day. I think they turned out great and after seeing all of Ali's costumes I'm really excited to watch her dance next week at her FREE Showcase! One thing I do know is those girls will SPARKLE! We stoned 60,768 stones (yes... someone counted). 

Since the beginning of the year I have been addicted (still) to running and logging my miles in a journal that I got. This last week has not been a good week for running and that has been insanely frustrating! Last Sunday I ran five miles and felt great but hanging later (just watching a movie) with the Cosmans, my knee buckled and really started to hurt. I took off Monday (running) and then Tuesday. It hurt just walking and I thought maybe I should get a brace or something... So I got a brace on Wednesday on my way home from school, strapped them on and went for a run. My knee wasn't too bad but I was leaping over ice, sludge, crusty snow and big puddles. It was a mess. I knew the next day my knees would hurt again and they did. And that's when we got serious about the thought of a treadmill. So Friday after work (roads were AWFUL) Jeff put the seats down in the van and we were off. We ended up getting a treadmill (half off) from Dick's. We were able to take...

Last week got to go out with some of my coworkers for our annual Caps Club lunch. I don't remember who coined that term but we are all Capricorns and Matt just turned 40 so it was extra special. Love these three!!