run like somebody's watching

wash park- obviously, the plants aren't blooming like this yet... oh yeah, and you can't see the hoards of people running and walking and frisbeeing and tai chi-ing, but they're there, trust me

You know that phrase, "dance like nobody's watching"? I'd like to add a new nugget of truth to the wide world of phrases. It goes a little something like this: "Run like somebody's watching."

My reasoning is purely anecdotal and not very scientific, but I would argue that runners (myself included) pick up the pace when there are lots of people around. I mean, who wants to look like they're slacking as they jog themselves around Wash Park (or insert your park of choice here). As I ran through a rather full park today (the blizzard is over, the snow is melting at a rapid rate, the temperature was in the mid-60s and my fellow denver-ites just love the great outdoors!), I wondered a little about the 'run-faster-when-there-are-lots-of-people-around' phenomenon. Afterall, it's not like any of these people are paying the smallest ounce of attention to whether I'm running a 12-minute mile or a 10-minute mile. However, I think that sometimes trying to live up to what you'd like to be (in my case, a legit 10-minute mile runner [by the way, I know that's not actually fast... I'm working on it]) makes you closer to that goal.

I think that this idea extends beyond running, actually. If somebody was watching a minute-by-minute play by play of my life, I'm pretty sure my days would look different. There'd be more healthy homemade meals, less time surfing the internet, more quality time with burke, more actual, intentional conversation with my husband, more time spent reading God's word. Part of that is the people pleaser in me. But part of it is that I know what I should do and just don't do it. Sometimes I need someone else to kick me in the rear in order to start heading in the right direction.

All of this to say, if you want to knock a few minutes off your run, head out to a full park on a sunny day... the mere presence of crowds of people will take your workout up a notch. You could also try running along a busy street, though the uneven sidewalks, crazy drivers, safety hazards and potential of having to jog in place at the corner while you're waiting to cross a busy street (I don't know why that drives me nuts, but it does) might offset the benefits of your quicker pace. ;) Happy running!

oooh, fun!

don't worry, he's not a pedophile, it's just the mustache

My baby brother (who is 25 years old and has been taller than me for the last 10 years, so I guess not such a baby anymore) started a blog! He's funny. And cute. Should make for some good reads...

Check it out: up and adam blog.

Oh, and if you want to keep up with the rest of the fam, jordi has a blog, mama has a blog, trish has a blog, evette has a blog and leslie has a blog. Kiji, does this make you feel like you need to hop on this train???

the cell phone black hole

This picture was taken because it is a miracle of sorts for Jordi to know where both of her phones are. I believe that one of these phones that she's holding in this picture is even charged. This picture would be even better if both cell phones were charged or if both of her cell phone chargers made their way into the picture. Actually, I don't know if those events (two charged cell phones/knowing where both phones and both chargers are) have ever occurred, or will ever occur in our lifetime. Her house... or her life... or something... are one great black hole of cellular communication.

Case in point- while Jordan was halfway around the world, in the middleeast, with an 11 hour time difference, I talked to her almost every day. Now that she's back in the US, a mere 8 hour drive away, I cannot get ahold of her for the life of me... on either of her cell phones. What the heck???

Ok, to be fair, she only called from the middleeast because I had keadryn at my house. But still.

boy is it quiet around here

Between 'camp keeks & lita' and adam's spring break (oh yeah, and did I mention the youth group that stayed with us last week on their way to utah? the wreckage... err, sleeping mats, are still strewn about the basement like an army barrack or college dorm), things have been more than a little upside down around here the last couple weeks... besides some invites and onesie orders and the occasional basic house maintenance, our regular schedule has been totally out the window. It's been fun. And funny. And a little nuts.

Yesterday, Jordi and Drew got back from the middleeast bearing amazing gifts, pictures and stories from their trip. And this morning, they swooped up keadryn and were on their way home to lubbock, thus ending 'camp keeks & lita'.

This week, burkey babes and I are on a mission to regain some semblance of order. The to-do lists include grocery shopping, menu planning, lots of cleaning, and some kojo order mailing. I am hoping that I might get to some of the decorating that I mentioned a few weeks ago, but we'll see.

the start of something wonderful...

Since Adam and I both love to ski, we're already eagerly anticipating the "gentry family ski days" of the future. Yesterday Burke got his first taste of the gondola and the ski lodge at breck... we hope this is just the beginning of many such days (perhaps we'll have him on skis next year? :).

lately

science museum... playgroup... a new patio... dear, sweet friends... young life club (mark was speaking)... spring break... family time... working in the yard and the garden... warm days... the zoo (again!)... cousin time...

the many crafty adventures of keadryn and burke

"I dump it"

"c'mon burkey"

don't they look like a kevin henkes commercial?

picking up 'pebbo's' for our drums

adding beans and popcorn to our drums

the finishing touch for our drums- felt!

burke getting the yarn ready for us

woohoo! drum playin'!

dancin' to the zambian accapella and making good use of those drums!

I told you there were more adventures to be had while kead is at "camp keeks & lita," and I was right! The messier the better, it seems... there has been cookin' and slidin' and readin' (I know... it doesn't sound messy... it is though) and dancin' and drum makin' and drum playin' and bath tub paintin' and lots of mess makin'. Since the days have been fairly cold (kead says, "oooh, windy," each time we leave the house), the craft blog the crafty crow has been invaluable (yay kimiko! thanks for the referral!). It has craft projects separated by age group, so clicking on 18 months-2 years has provided hours of fun I could not have come up with on my own. Next week you'll see the "camp keeks & lita" outdoors edition... for now, we're loving our quality time inside!

cousin love

She's taken to calling him "burkey," which I can't get enough of. And you should see his face light up when she ambles into a room... pure delight!

"camp keeks & lita" part 1

We are so lucky to have Baby K stay with us while Jord, Drew and Sayla are in the Middleeast. We're calling her time here, "Camp Keeks & Lita" and let me tell you- we are having a blast!

Keadryn's highlights of our first few days: reading with papa, playing drums with joanie, seeing the buffalo statue at church (the whole car ride home, she repeated, "oh hello 'lo" over and over again), talking to mama and daddy on skype and being able to see them on uncle 'om's' computer!, hanging out with burke, her protegee and partner in crime (they can destroy the contents of auntie keeks purse in seconds flat), seeing the fish ("big") and turtles ("big") at the denver zoo...

More adventures await... I'll share them as we have 'em!

danger

This is a picture of the chaos that ensues when your little one starts crawling... people kept telling me, "Don't wish for him to be mobile," but did I listen? Nope. Since burke's already conquered my purse, his bookshelf, and my box of pedicure goodies, the word I keep hearing in my head is, "danger." My new life is going to be far more interesting (and far more precarious) than my old one...

giddy

Today, I opened my mailbox to find a Martha Stewart Living magazine (I signed up for a free subscription, but didn't think it'd work), a "just cause" note from Kiji (with a forever 21 gift card no less), and some fabulous fabric courtesy of etsy and my decorating budget. I feel like any one of these delights would make my day, so to find them all at once was cause for giddiness. I love days like this!

glorious glorious garden

We spent several days in the garden this week... it's finally ready to till (when the ground is warm and dry enough). We've also been buying seeds for the plants we need to start indoors in the next few weeks, researching gardening online and even graphing out which veggies we're going to plant where. I've stumbled upon several fabulous gardening resources online and thought I'd pass them along to y'all.

vegetable gardening 101 at martha stewart (a good intro article with some helpful links)
the landscape design site (featuring all sorts of sample garden layouts)
plan garden (this is where we plotted out our plans... they also have a 'when to plant' schedule based on your geographical area)
better homes and gardens (several helpful articles about vegetable gardens... check out "top five clicks")