a life beyond running shoes.

i will finish the year with my last books read.... over the last month or so.  i have not even sat down to write my xmas letter and yet i post about my final reads....  happy 2013! global girlfriends: how one mom made it her business to help women poverty by stacey edgar what a fun and amazing story about a woman who started with a vision to do something about poverty among women around the world. check our her website: www.globalgirlfriends.com  making peace with the land by fred bahnson and norman wirzba a scholor and a practision discussing the biblical merits of working for the good and steward of the land. adoption without debt. by julie gumm. practical and inspiring of how it can be done. for reals. eat and run. by scott jurek carnivore turned vegan while pursing the dream of being/becoming an ultra runner. the hobbit . by jrr tolkien i re-read it so i could go see the movie.... i opted to spend my one movie date a year on les mis .  g...

i have not hid my love for YA (young adult) literature. in fact, i am re-reading all the harry potter books before the last and final movie comes out this summer. and i really did read all the twilight books. (i don't claim that i always read good books, wink, wink). but i loved the hunger games . and of course, the movie is being made. it is all over the blogisphere. and here is the cool part: brooke, who is a babysitter for a kid at the boys' school, just got cast. here is the post from one of the fan websites. (perhaps, i have seen this blog before... cough, cough). brooke is going to be octavia. (small but really cool part) i think i was the only mom on the schoolyard the literally yelped when she was talking about her audition..... then i really did scream when she said she got the part. perhaps it is because i was the only one that knew what she was auditioning for and HOW S TINKIN' COOL IT IS!!! and i just hang with her on the park bench while the kids ru...

good hair . by chris rock. how does america define beauty mostly among african-american women? his three-year old daughter asked him why she didn't have good hair. he looks into the industry, the ideals, the money, and the need. it is fascinating. i almost don't know how to discuss it because on one hand, it seems like an amazing amount of money for relaxer and weaves. on the other hand, don't i get my roots done every six weeks to maintain this mane of blond hair that is only about ten shades lighter than my natural hair? and what do i believe about the extent a woman should go to in order to feel beautiful? i guess i am torn. it seems like a lot. it seems like we have created a culture where white, flowing, wavy (not nappy) hair is what is beautiful. that makes me sad to think of the little girls in my neighborhood, on my street not thinking that their hair is beautiful. god did make her hair different than my daughter's....and just because my daughter...

can't believe how much i loved it! i read the book julie & julia in 2006. i read the other book the movie is based on last summer, my life in france . it was so fun to see meryl as julia. what a delight. i highly recommend.... i almost went and saw it again but got the times wrong... so i got my toes painted. that hasn't happend since before sweet pea was born. our time in florida is almost to a close but we will soon be at a lake house with daddy for a week. the boys have REALLY missed their dad..... i do too but if i have to battle one more bedtime without him it will be too soon.

hubbie and i got to get away for the afternoon while his mom was here and opted to see a movie. while i stood for half of it to keep sweet pea quiet, it was nice to be out with him and have conversation over a cup of coffee. it was slightly reminiscent of when we only had one child and would tool around town and see movies and talk over coffee...... ah, the days. now, we steal away when we can. the last movie we saw was over xmas in flordia.... and before that september when kind friends took our boys for the afternoon. BUT, i can remember the three movies that we saw during the first few months of peanut's life - fever pitch, cinderella man, and star wars.... all with baby in tow. anyway, onto this movie. i'm so glad i saw it. it is not an easy movie to see though, even though it has such a delightfully good ending. it is a rough reality of the slums in india. but the boys were endearing and the story compelling. worth my time & money! and we actually made it for the ...

considering our life of recent, we have not seen many movies. but the two that we have seen have been worth a comment. lars and the real girl. premise is strange and somewhat intimidating to risk renting.... but really quite worth it. lars orders a life-size doll off the internet. shockingly, there is nothing sexual about it in the movie. i found the film to be touching and sweet as the community surrounds him as he works through his delusion of her being real. once . a modern day musical. really! the movie is about 60% music. i loved it. my romantic fantasy of being sung to on a street corner by a brooding heart broken song writer. beautiful songs, sparse script but engaging story that houses the music perfectly. i absolutely loved the music.... like one long music video that doesn't drive you mad because it sucks. we watched some of the extras on the dvd and learned that the actors had written the songs. it made me like it more because they were musicians that tried to act in...

this blog is for one person.... my brother. deployed sunday for his third tour with the marine corps.... second to the middle east. let us talk for a moment about our favorite movie characters. this happens to be one of mine: val kilmer as doc holliday in the movie tombstone . full of the best quotable quotes, sexy as all get out, and full of heart. we tivo'd the movie last weekend and watched it last night. i laughed out loud at some scenes because they are so familiar (having seen this movie a bazillion times) and new because it has been a while since viewing. it made me think of my brother almost the whole movie. perhaps the only other movies that might make me think of him as much are: navy seals , k2 , or dirty dancing . dirty dancing is the only movie on this list that does not include actor michael biehn..... hum?! we won't really comment on the nature of this movie, but it is hard being the baby of the family with two older sisters.... huh, bud?! anyway..... to my br...

apparently we have become cultured in the viewing of a modern indie film noir on sunday night. i had to ask exactly what that meant which might indicate that i am in fact not cultured in the least. film noir: a motion picture with an often grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair. titled brick . starring the kid from third rock (many moons ago - ha, ha, ha). it was very intriguing and we both really enjoyed it. i was not so optimistic considering i was in the mood for a few episodes of scrubs . it was a grim movie that took place in a high school with bogart-esque dialogue and crime scene intrigue - think china town meets a literal brat pack of teenage actors. i did miss some of the script because they talk so pickin' fast....but overall, not a bad pick for a movie night. and it had some really cool filming. a good recommendation from the sweet household.

in light of having re-watched high fidelity last weekend, i thought i would re-visit my top 5 favorite bands/artists from college: 1. toad the wet sprocket 2. the violet burning 3. sarah mclachlan 4. radiohead 5. counting crows honorable mention goes to james taylor , the catherine wheel, candlebox , dada , pennywise (snowboarding phase) and mary's danish (pink hair phase). of course there were a slew of christian bands that i followed due to the accessibility of seeing them play in southern california ( dakota motor company & the prayer chain were my top 2 favs). as my husband would have me clarify to my reading audience, i do have emotional connections to bands that have nothing to do with their talent & ability. WHATEVER!!!! they all rock. toad the wet sprocket's lead man, glen phillips , is coming to NYC at the end of february to play joe's pub. i am trying to figure out if a babysitter could actually swing a toddler & an infant at bedtime i...

okay, i have to complain about one more thing related to the zach braff movie from friday night. casey affleck - who i have loved in many a movie - played a character who expressed what i think may be a common fallacy regarding parenthood. he and his wife, in the movie, were struggling in their relationship and decided to have a child in the hopes that it would draw them closer. BAH!!! of course the whole movie bugged me, but this really bugged me cuz i think it is a misconception about why people have kids. i didn't have kids because it was going to draw me closer to my husband - which i think the couple in the movie found out - because in between dirty diapers, disciplining, playdates, and baby food what you find it that it takes a lot of work to stay connected. i had a total melt down about 8 months into my pregnancy with micah because i realized how much of our marriage was going to change and i felt like we had just hit a really good rhythm of communication & life. i...

major: my marine brother is home safe from japan!!! YEAH. this is him & his cute wife. it is a treat to have him on american soil again. i can't wait to introduce him to his two nephews.... micah he has already met, but the change in a year is unreal and almost makes him a new person... and to introduce him asher. we are going to visit in april... i just got our tix yesterday - frequent flyers miles are the curse and blessing of all things. it took me almost three hours to get our tix....but they were free. i guess i should not complain, but i want too!!!! it gave me a headache and almost drove me to drink...oh wait - it did. i enjoyed a white russian after dinner. nice! minor: the next think i want to wax on about is the movie we saw last night the last kiss . ARGH!!!! i had issues with almost everything in this movie except the soundtrack...which rocked: from snow patrol, amos lee, imogen heap, josh radin, cary brothers, etc. but back to the movie... one of the ch...

unfortunately, i am still having trouble posting pictures...any help out there why? friday night: junebug saturday: devil wears prada sunday night: kiss, kiss, bang, bang monday: children of men all very different...all very enjoyable. junebug was a bit strange; very little resolution. amy adams did do a superb job and was very worthy of that oscar nomination last year. devil wears prada ...no i did not make john sit through this with me. i read the book & found it to be a bit annoying....the movie was more enjoyable - less of a time commitment. kiss, kiss, bang, bang ....loved it. found it funny, intelligent & entertaining. robert downey, jr was a riot.... and john did not figure it out - which is a huge thing for him cuz he usually has the "whodunit" part of the movie before the opening credits are done. children of men ....we actually saw a movie in the theater!!! we have not done that together sine may. for us, that is a long time without seein...