Playing Catch Up

I feel like I have been playing this game called "catch up", but its winning and I don't like that. I have so much stuff going on; school, 2 part time jobs, volunteer work, and still trying to be a good wife. That means doing household chores, running errands, taking Cam to work when my schedule permits, and taking care of our little family. I guess our family isn't so little anymore now that we have our new baby!

Maisy Malcolm

Cam has been just as busy. He is always taking on some new project for somebody. Maybe someday he can finish my projects? He just got his uncle's house rented out so that was a relief. He put a lot of time and effort into getting it into great rental shape. He might have another rental project coming up, but it hasn't been finalized yet. He is learning how to fix stuff that he never has had to work with before so I think that he is enjoying his new "projects".

I am work 2 part time jobs at the moment, but its not that bad. I am working front desk at a massage studio and working at Thomas Hammer. After next week, I will only work at the massage studio on Sunday so it isn't a lot of hours; only 12-15 per week. Its fun, because its relaxing and I get free massages...woohoo! I haven't used one yet, but I am hoping to be able to get one in this next week. I could sure use one. :)

Back to Miss Maisy. We weren't really expecting to get a puppy at this exact moment, but it was just one of those "meant to be" moments. A former co-worker of mine and his wife rescued her from an animal shelter in town. She was an owner release and is only about 5 1/2 months old. We took her for a couple of visits to see how her and Tia got a long and everything went great. Tia just loves her to pieces. They get along really good. Maisy watches what Tia does and then tries to mimick her. At first she didn't really know what toys were and she didn't know how to play with them, but after watching big sissy she goes nuts. Tia just taught her how to play tug a war with the rope. She is pretty darn strong for just being a baby, but Tia is the pro so she usually wins. Tia still rules the house though. I think Maisy has an understanding of that. :)

 

The girls watching the Olympics with momma

Yesterday, Lindsay came over and groomed Tia. She looks so pretty! Lindsay did an awesome job. Now if Cam will actually help me groom Tia every 6 weeks we should be good. :) So far Maisy doesn't need grooming, but eventually she will probably be needing it.

A couple of weeks ago, the USA cross country championships were here in Spokane. I was so excited to be able to go and watch it. I was originally going to compete, but decided to be a spectator instead. My running hasn't been going so swell and I also had a 20 mile run the next day for Boston so it was probably best I didn't race. I figured a 5 mile race wouldn't be as beneficial in Boston as my 20 mile run would be. Shalane Flanagan one of the most decorated and talented US distance runners won the 5 mile race by 53 seconds. She was so impressive to watch. I think Cam has a big crush on Shalane now....her picture is now on our computer desktop and his cell phone.

 

Shalane leading from the start

Pretty impressive!

 

Demolishing the competitors

 

Her finishing kick

Paul and Cam cooking pizza for the volunteers

On a side note, our team photographer, Jed Conklin, is in Vancouver shooting pictures for the Olympics. Check out his blog on his website to see some of his Olympic photos. They are really impressive!

www.jedconklin.blogspot.com

Partner's in Pain

I forgot to mention about Cam's HUGE 5k PR this last weekend. We ran the BRRC Partner's in Pain fun run and he ran a 27:45 which is a PR by about 1min and 15 sec! Woop!!!!! They combine your ages and times. We were 52 and our combined time was 55:29. I ran it with him since I had previously ran 18 miles that morning. I was a bit tired and not used to not racing, but it was fun. Cam might have a different take on the "fun" part because I think he was annoyed with my chattering. :) Hehe.

Our results:

13. MALCOLM
27:44 27:45 = 55:29

TASHA MALCOLM, CAMERON MALCOLM

Time sure flies when you are having fun....

Cam and I have both been incredibly busy. Between his work schedule and special projects and my study time and part time job, we have no life! I feel like I am always on the go, but yet I still have no time to get anything done. Cam begins his day around 5AM, and mine starts shortly after his. School from 8-12, Boston training, walk Tia, household chores, work, cook dinner, study for 2-3 hours every night.....the list could go on. I am exhausted! I know that in less than 3 years, everything should be back to normal, but right now this life change thing is hard!

I am looking forward to a nice and relaxing 3 day weekend. Cross country nationals is on Saturday, Valentine's Day on Sunday (plus a 20 mile run!), and Monday is chores and study time. Cam and I decided to do an "untraditional" Valentines this year. We are going to breakfast!!! Yum! Then we are going to Egger's meats and get some steaks for dinner. Very low key, but at this point I think that it is what we need. :)

We are still alive!

I have just realized that it has been weeks since I have updated our blog. It hasn't been intentionally, we both have just been super busy.

School is incredibly hard. Much harder than I really had anticipated. I am in front office right now and I will be glad when this module is done. I really don't like dealing with insurance; it gives me a headache! I don't mind coding, even though it is boring, it actually came pretty easy to me.

Cam is working on a big project for Brady right now. He is now in charge of Brady's rental property in Spokane. The renters just moved out so now he has to clean the house, fix it up, and find new renters by the 1st of February. The house is literally disgusting right now. The people that lived in it left most of their furniture behind as well as a huge mess. I can't believe that people live like that! I was scared to touch anything and it smelled super bad.

Boston training is going awesome. I am into my 4th week now, only 12 more left! I am running really strong and faster than I thought I would be able to. Yay!

We just went to Oregon for my parents 50th Anniversary party. It was a lot of fun; just wished that we could have stayed longer. :(

Here are some pictures from our trip:

The Anniversary Cake- It was DELICIOUS!

My parents arriving @ the party

In front of the cakes

My family <3

The "Surprise"

Dad playing Wii Sports

Mom playing Wii Sports

Tia hanging out @ Gramma & Grampa's house

Motivational Quotes

I get a daily email from Runner's World with a "quote of the day". Some of them are great and I think that even if you aren't a runner you can implement them into your daily life or a sport that you enjoy. These quotes are from a book called 101 Kicks in the Butt which can be found on http://runnersworld.com/


Nothing hurts more, but is so rewarding at the same time.
-Runner Sandy Zanchi on the Marathon


As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are.
-Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic marathon gold-medal winner
 
I can't imagine living and not running.
-Paula Radcliffe
 
When you have the enthusiasm and the passion, you end up figuring how to excel.
-Deena Kastor, U.S. Olympic Marathoner


Experience has taught me how important it is to just keep going, focusing on running fast and relaxed. Eventually pain passes and the flow returns. It's part of racing.
-Frank Shorter


Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running.
-Sarah Condor


We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort.
-Jesse Owens


Anything is possible, but you have to believe and you have to fight.
-Lance Armstrong


Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision.
-Muhammad Ali

Some more fun quotes I found online:

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."
-Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon winner


"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."
-Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder
(MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!!!!)


"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."
-Oprah Winfrey


"Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"
- Peter Maher, Canadian marathon runner


"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement."
- Steve Prefontaine


"There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people."
-Bill Bowerman
(I might need to work on the "running in bad weather" thing....)

Here are some great Crossfit quotes for Cam:

Size Doesn't Matter ... Time Does

"Fitness is Earned"

There's fit ... and then there's CrossFit.

Forging Elite Fitness

I'd run away ... if I could use my legs.

"Your Workout is Our Warmup"

CrossFit – it’s like a cult without the creepy leader. (MY FAVORITE!)


You know you are a crossfitter when.....
-You own tractor tires, but no tractor
-Every time you go to Lowe's/Home Depot, you are looking for the exercise potential of equipment rather than stuff for your home
-When you readily admit that one of the Girls kicked your a*#

It's a great start to 2010!

It's Sunday evening and I am still chilled from my morning run this morning. I am drinking white hot chocolate while attempting to organize our freshly bought groceries and get ready for school to resume tomorrow. Break was good- it couldn't have been any better. Well, it would have been better if I were able to spend Christmas with my family in Oregon, but I will see them in a few short weeks.


Christmas with Cam's family was fun. We had dinner Christmas eve with Cam's mom, Brian, sister, and brother in law. The food was good, it couldn't have been bad with the honeybaked ham. Yum! Christmas afternoon we had Cam's dad, step mom, Lindsay, and Jeffrey over to our house for dinner. I cooked up a storm! We had so much food and I couldn't stop eating. Both Cam and I were stuffed for at least the whole week!


Cam got me a Wii for Christmas so I was pretty excited. Wasn't so thrilled that my first "wii age" was 63, but I am working on that. I got Cam a custom Red Sox tee for the big game in April. Tia, of course, got spoiled. Santa was very good to her this year. She does already have a naughty knick on Santa's list for next year because the little turkey jumped up into my chair at the table and was eating my salad when I had left to step into the kitchen. Payback got her because about 30 minutes later on her walk she threw everything up. Made quite a mess in the middle of the road, but I didn't have to clean it up for once. :)

Tia got a pink snuggie!

Taking a photo of herself :)

I started training for Boston on the 28th and so far so good! Knees are a little sore, but I mainly think that its from doing nothing to doing something all of a sudden. I was pretty sedentary for a couple of weeks. Being lazy feels so good at the time, but it doesn't feel good when you are working it off. I have been doing my long runs with my saviors, Paul & Brenda, up by their house. Talk about some killer hills for 5 miles! I about died last week when we did 12 miles, today was a cake walk- only 10. :) I appreciate them letting me run with them because it really helps and motivates me. I dislike marathon training so any help, words of wisdom, or encouragement for the next 15 weeks would be greatly appreciated.

After Christmas Cam's Uncle Brady came over for a few days and installed some new lighting in our living room and kitchen. It looks amazing! It transformed our house into a drab home to a fab home. He taught Cam some tricks of the trade when it comes to doing electrical work. Slightly frightening, but I know Cam is excited and had waited for a long time for Brady to teach him some stuff. Right after Christmas I helped Cam demo the office room in the basement. It was totally stuck in the 70s. We ripped off the wood paneling and tore down the tiled ceiling. The winter project will be dry walling the room and installing new lighting. It will be the test run for when we decide to demo the rest of the basement- which is much needed! The wood paneling is hideous!

New Year's eve was fun, but the weather was really icky. It started snowing earlier in the afternoon which turned to rain by time we left to head downtown the snow turned to rain. The streets were a complete slushy mess. We did our "usual" NYE activities and enjoyed a nice dinner at PF Changs followed by watching the ball drop at the Davenport. I was exhuasted and could barely stay awake till midnight- must mean that I am getting old!

Happy New Year's!

Believe it or not, I am looking forward to school starting and getting back into my routine again. I picked up some additional hours at Thomas Hammer so I will need to do some schedule adjusting, but I am excited to be so busy again. I love being busy and always having something to do. Keeps me outta trouble. ;)


Cameron, Tia, and I are heading down to Oregon here in a couple of weeks for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. Yep, that's right, they will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary on January 16th. Pretty exciting and what great role models my parents are. I am thrilled to be helping throw them a fancy shin dig and celebrating with them. :)


PS- Did I mention that I am VERY EXCITED that the new season of Biggest Loser starts on January 5th. Yay! If you haven't watched it, try it. It's so inspiring!

2010 New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year from our family to yours! The Malcolms hope that you have a safe, healthy, and a very happy 2010!!!!!

Cam's New Year's Resolutions:

Well, Cameron is a party pooper and won't tell me what his New Year's Resolutions are- so I guess he will have a bad start to the year. Boo to him!

Tasha's New Year's Resolutions:

I usually have the same resolutions every year- work out, eat healthy, watch less tv, try new things, etc. This year I have oodles of 2010 resolutions.
Here we go!


1. Get a job!

2. Finish CMA school- with an "A".

3. Save money once I have a job.

4. Continue to stick to our "new" budget (spending less on what we don't really need-not having a job has really helped with this and made Cam and I both realize what we essentially need and what isn't really that necessary).

5. Get all of my photos organized into albums! I have a huge rubbermaid container full of photos from the last 10-15 years that need to get organized in albums of some type. I am thinking that this would be a good winter project :-)

6. Train successfully for Boston.

7. PR in Boston- Hopefully it won't be too hard since it will only be my 2nd marathon. It will also probably be my last marathon.

8. Improve my Wii fit age- 63 is a bit ridiculous considering how much I workout everyday.

9. Try new and more healthy foods by shopping at Huck's more often and being more aware of what I am consuming.

10. Help Cameron with more home improvement projects. Lets hope we can finish soon so that there won't be anymore extensive demos, messes to clean up, tools & power cords to step over, and shuffling of furniture.

11. De-junk our house and donate what we don't want to Goodwill.

12. Stick to my 2010 New Year's Resolutions!!!!!!

Tia's New Year's Resolutions:

1. Eat healthy so I am not so chubby and so that I can be bikini ready in time for this summer.

2. Not wake my mommy & daddy up so much in the middle of the night.

3. Be nicer to my brothers.

4. Go for a walkie everyday (unless its raining or snowing-that's no fun!).

5. Pick up my toys more so my mommy doesn't have to.

6. Listen to my mommy & daddy more- they really do know what's best.

7. To not steal my mommy's pillow in the middle of the night AND to not push her off of the bed.

8. Use my big girl bed more often.

If 2009 is any indication of what 2010 will bring, I don't think anything could get much worse. There are only positive and exciting adventures that are awaiting our little family. :)