5 states

What do you get when you have a 6 month old and one parent on a plane? Eleanor and Brandi!

Eleanor and I took our first plane ride alone last weekend. We flew to Mississippi to visit some old friends. It was a great trip, so good to see my friend Julie, Paul and baby Annie Grace. I had never been to Jackson, and was really impressed with how it was laided out. Now, I am not smarter than a 5th grader though.
As we were landing, I was engaged in conversation with a lady sitting next to me who was flying home, Jackson, that is. I asked, "what is the capital of Mississippi." She looked at me crazyly as if I didn't know how to even read. She replied "Jackson, sweetheart, where have you been (please re-read with a Southern accent). There was nothing I could do but laugh at myself.

Eleanor is 6 months old as of October 15th. She has been on two plane rides and 5 states. Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Mississippi, and Texas. I will say that she is a lot of fun. She loves to smile and drool, talk, and roll over. She will get up on her back legs and rock, as if ready to start crawling. It's only a matter of time I know. We are starting to baby proof the house now.

On top of taking our first trip solo, she also started eating rice. I will say this rice thing new for us, and so is putting the spoon in her mouth. The first feeding was comical, but everyday it gets better and she is getting use to it, but still loves her bottle.

As you can see from the video, she was very sleepy, it was like Thanksgiving for Eleanor. 



why ask why

This might be my most random blog to date. I failed to update last week, but let me bring it to you in a nut shell.

Some might not know, but I coach a running group in El Dorado. I have done this group training for the last three years, the group has grown every year by leaps and bounds. I am so proud of my group. It is such an awesome feeling to take people from "I can't do _ miles" to " Oh, it's only _ miles." I am lucky that the group trust me to get them across the finish line.

These same participants all completed their race! Most with smiles, all with friends/family waiting for them as they crossed the finish line. It was dynamic to witness the transformations over the last 12 weeks.

Which leads me to....why ask why.

I was running 16 miles last Friday morning, which left me with a lot of time on my hands, I had a thought cross my mind during the long 2 and half hours. Why do people ask the healthy people, "why are you eating that tofu, or just have one bite, it won't kill you." Well it just might. I rarely see the healthy people asking, " why are you eating that deep fried item or why don't you park farther away from the door and walk." I was one of those, "why are you running."

I was 193 pounds at one point of my adult life. I had many excuses to why I was OVERWEIGHT, none which were my fault of course. The clothing is made different in Minnesota. It must be muscle. I "really" don't eat that bad. etc.

All the reasons still lead to me be 5'2 and 193 pounds. Walking to the mailbox was a struggle. I so understand what a majority of the population suffers from. EXCUSES, I was once there too.

My friend Megan Murphy, was training for the Twin Cities Marathon. She invited me to come and watch. Really, how do you watch a Marathon? I told her, I would drive her the 26.2 miles so she didn't have to do that foolish running. She convinced me to come out and watch. I saw her along two point during the race, one of which was about the 24 mile marker. This moment was life changing for me. I witnessed people larger than me, some smaller than me, and some with physical limitations, regardless they were all running, run walking and even just shuffling. Megan finished, we laughed, hugged and cried as she completed her first marathon. What a great way to spend a Sunday, watching and cheering for your friend complete a race, that most people won't even try.

It was life changing because I decided to change my life for the better. I joined Weight Watchers and lost 65 pounds over a matter of a year and 5 months. Then I moved to Dallas, I decided to go big!!! and train for my first marathon. I have been running ever since. So now I challenge all my blog readers, why ask why.

Why ask those around you who are trying to eat healthy, why, join them. Why ask those around you, why do you exercise, join them. Why ask why, just do the right thing and stop the excuses. Instead of telling people what you can't do, tell them what you can do. I know lifestyles can be improved, one step at a time.

I run because I never thought I would be able to, I run for my patients of St. Jude who lost their battle with cancer, I run because I can.....why do you run? I run because I know I have a cheerleader in heaven, wanting me to give life my best and my all.  I run for my brother Greg who will never be able to run the streets as we see them. I do believe my big brother is in heaven being the captain of the football team, and looking down on me saying, "um, that's my little sister, go." 

Oh what a week

Hello, my name is Brandi and yes I am a first time mother. I say this because this last week, Eleanor rolled over in her sleep. GREAT, news....oh but yet how nerve racking for me. I don't think I slept much the first two nights because I was, yes that first time mom, and afraid she would get stuck in a corner. YIKES!!! Little did I know, our little girl would embrace sleeping on her stomach. She loves it, oh my how quickly she is growing up, yes growing up and she's only 5 1/2 months old.

Last week also provided for some pure comedy for mom. I am a runner, regardless of how I might huff and puff. I am a morning running no matter how I might look like a coal miner with my head light on my head. One morning running down the sidewalk, I don't have my headlight on my head, it's still dark out, I do the embarrassing deed of the day. FALL, TRIP, EAT ASPHALT, all those good words which describe my landing on my knee and hand. Not to be worried about, I quickly get up and keep running. OF COURSE I am fine. If you call my bleeding knee cap and scraped hand fine, I was not going to admit I was hurt, why, my PRIDE. So I just kept running and yes everything was fine.