This and That

I have 8 more runs before the big race. Last week I ran 12 miles in the rain around Burke Lake. It was actually pretty fun. There were hardly any people there so it was very peaceful. There were even some pelicans on the lake. It was the first time I've seen pelicans, outside the zoo, except for in Finding Nemo and I don't think that counts. The half-marathon is 13.1 miles so now that I've accomplished 12 I feel like the pressure is off.

I got my hair cut last week. Here are the results. Nothing too dramatic just some bangs and layers.

Keith's second season on the Grumpy Old Men (that's the name of his basketball team) has ended. He is not signing up to play full time for another season. He plans to play as a substitute if they need him which is fine for me. He doesn't have to pay anything to be a sub.

Here's a picture of Noah jumping off the bed. He'll jump off of just about every peice of furniture in our house.



The kids are doing well. Allison really wants to crawl but she's not quite there yet. I think she has inherited my impatience. She can only be on her tummy for a little while before she gets really frustrated. Noah is becoming more willful and independent every day. His latest pastime is opening the fridge and standing there saying "ummmmmm" for a very long time. I find myself constantly telling him to close the door because he's letting all the cold air out. Nothing gets done around the house unless Noah's involved. Today he helped unload the dishwasher. His idea of helping fold laundry involves putting all the clean clothes in the dirty clothes hamper. It seems he doesn't understand the distinction.

I love this picture of Allison because it really shows her pretty blue eyes. Not to mention her smile. :-)



We had dinner with my former college roomate/close friend and her husband. It's been years since we've seen eachother so it was great to catch up. Here we are at California Pizza Kitchen.



My piano teaching business is dwindling. I've just lost 2 more students. I must admit it's a blow to my confidence when I lose a student. As a private teacher-slash-stay-at-home-mom there are many challenges to overcome. Firstly, I have 2 kids to tend to neither of which seem very interested in letting me teach. Second, I live in a condo so there is a noise issue. I have to be careful not to teach too late eliminating the option of teaching when the kids are in bed. Thirdly, I spend all day dealing with my own kids and have little patience left for my students. It is becoming harder and harder for me. Half of my students are adults and I enjoy teaching adults LOADS more than kids. I am considering changing my studio to an adult studio. I just wonder if there is as much of a market out there for adults who want to learn. Where would I even start to market to adults? Sigh.

It seems I need to find another way to earn income for our family. So, I've applied for a job as a subsitute teacher for the Fairfax County Public Schools. I'm thinking of just doing one or two days a week and trying to do a babysitting exchange with another mom who maybe wants to do the same thing. So any moms out there who are reading this and are interested in swapping kids a few days a week you let me know! Enough of my ramblings already. 2 weeks til marathon day!