About ME

ME

The Story Behind the Name…

MOM

I am a thirty-something married Mama to two boys (currently almost 4 and 6) searching to find the all illusive “balance” between mom, teacher, runner, crafter, daughter, wife, sister, auntie…

I wholeheartedly admit to be challenged in the kitchen, but am working on that. I hope to truly conquer the fear of the whole chicken this year and clean up our eating as a family.

I hope to read 50 books in 2013. Any and all recommendations are always appreciated.

Mostly, I hope to keep and preserve the “ME” in Mommy.

RUN

Shortly after the birth of my youngest, two girlfriends mentioned their interest in running a half marathon. It was something we all claimed to have on our “life bucket lists”. It was one of those goals that sounded super cool to say out loud; however, the reality of actually completing it remained a vague notion. None of us had ever run more than four or five miles. We signed up for a race, paying someone for the “honor” of running 13.1. We trained. We spent many hours behind our beasts of a double jogging stroller, nursing on the side of the trail, running with screaming children clearing our path. Seven months later, we ALL crossed the finish line. And I was hooked. 

Now, nearly four years later, I have several half marathons and races under my belt. I have seen the defeat of missing a PR by two seconds and the thrill of PR-ing by ten minutes. I am ALWAYS inspired by the racers that surround me, and often wonder about their story and path to the start line. Throughout it all, it has always been, and remains, the journey that is the most meaningful, the months spent training for race day. For some it’s the finish line that is the most emotional, for ME it’s the starting line. Getting to the start, finding the time to train, balancing the numerous hats I wear daily…THAT is the hardest part. Once I step up to the start, I KNOW I’ll finish. I may not get the time I want or run as fast as I’d like, but I am THERE. I am running. I am racing.

Last year, I ventured out of my running comfort zone into the world of triathlons. Slightly burnt out from the rim rigor of training for half marathons, I wanted a change of pace. And got it. And quickly learned that running is my happy place. You are NOT likely to ever come into direct contact with seaweed while running. Win.

This year, I hope to get back into PR shape with two half marathons. And Crossfit. My new happy place.

CRAFT

I have always loved all things fancy paper and pen related. For years, I collected scrapbooking goods, putting together a page here and there. And then, I discovered Project Life. The first year, it was about putting something in each pocket. Finding moments to photograph so that each layout would be “complete”. Over the last two years, Project Life has changed the way I look at our daily moments. The day-to-day things we do have now become an integral part of my documenting. It’s no longer about taking pictures to fill pockets for me. I see things differently. Now, the photos taken tell the story. I snap them as I remember, finding little scraps (receipts, drawings, ticket stubs) to fill in the blanks.

So, there you have it. The story behind “momruncraft” (and a little more because momrunreadcookcraft didn’t flow as well).