a life beyond running shoes.

yesterday was my birthday!!! we played at the park.....man, am i cute! i got lots of help with my candle and discovered i LOVE chocolate angel food cupcakes! my brother even helped mom cook. it was a GREAT day.

now while i sometimes feel i need to be institutionalized (especially after long days with these two crazies)..... this is in fact our apartment hallway. while it looks sterile..... it kind of is, but homey nonetheless. i think the wreath on our door helps here are the boys.....

from everyone. i notice it from my children.... BUT it flows from me on my morning runs. there is something about cold weather that just makes it run freely... more freely than my legs. i finally broke through the drudgery of running. november was a wash....i hardly count it... painful, discouraging, and slow. december has been much better. it was 6:45 and the sky was lightening... but the sun had not quite popped out. the snow from last night did not stick, and very little ice was left on the sidewalks. it was 35 degrees.... and i still broke a sweat. my legs finally felt good moving; my mind was able to think through the holidays; i finally found my rhythm. it was quite; i felt quite. (the cars are just white noise) four and half miles later i felt like a runner.

our first snow.... how they got to church.... (in the snow) nursing colds..... practicing indoor soccer.... decorating xmas tree.... killing time...... our first vegan rice krispie treats......

my book club met last night to discuss our reading of jhumpa lahiri's book the namesake . we ate samosa, rasgula (milk balls that are sweet & a dessert), and burfi. it was all very yummy & our discussion was interesting, diverse, and engaging. we all liked the book with mixed reviews of specific characters. we all found her to be a captivating writer with vivid descriptions of culture, food, and traditions. i think i enjoyed it so much because it was a different culture than i have read much about. i was captivated by this story of immigrant parents and their first born children particularly the main character, gogal, and his assimilation between two world. our october book was howard's end , which i did not finish, but has been a crowd favorite. i loved being in old england with ladies and gentlemen, but also the delicate topics of class & money, land & family. we also briefly discussed how on beauty echoes part of howard's end , yet with much dis...