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The Art of Running in the Rain

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Advent of Activities Part II – 2018

Is everyone else still feeling the post Christmas glow????? Dave and I got some alone time together and it was so wonderful and relaxing. I feel like we are definitely able to make deposits into our relationship regularly even with Mira around (I mean what’s better than seeing her do something cute and looking over at your partner and seeing them gush too), but it is always amazing when we get to spend time just the two of us.

We had a great holiday and were able to spend it with family and friends. I’m definitely sad it’s over, but I’m very much looking forward to next year. My cousin and I were chatting about how if Mira’s love for Santa, Jingle Bells, and Rudolph this year are any indication of how she’s going to feel next year then it will be off the hook!! She has a dance for ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ and she sings bits and pieces (‘ho ho ho’ and ‘hooray’).

I wanted to check in and share with you guys the second half of our advent of activities. We left off with the 13th (coffee date with mama and papa) and I have to say that one was so relaxing and it felt nice to make something that we do regularly into a special holiday event. Next up…

December 14th – Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton. These were something else! So much detail, the pictures don’t even do it justice!

December 15th – Make Christmas Crafts with friends. I have to just laugh about this one, because Mira was NOT into making crafts. We were going to put paint footprints on mugs and she was screaming not happy. This was literally all she wanted to paint. So I cooked the plate and now we will have it as a memory forever hahahaha. This kind of thing is so easy for me to let go of, it made me sad at first that she didn’t want to do it, but then I thought ‘hey we are spending time with friends, and at least she’s communicating to me what she wants/doesn’t want.’ So I think this day was more about time with friends than anything else.

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December 16th – Seattle City Center for the Christmas Village. We ended up seeing a few things when we went down there…ice sculptures, fire dancers, ice skaters, and the Christmas village. Here’s a little then and now comparison for you.

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December 17th – Decorate Christmas gifts. Mira was definitely in the mood to do a liiiitttle arts/crafts. I may have helped her a little bit, and there was a slight power struggle in the beginning. All’s well that ends well.

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December 18th – My parents arrived this day so our advent activity was to snuggle Nonna and Nonno. Well, not really, but it definitely was Mira’s highlight of the day. Our activity was to go look at Christmas lights, there were a lot of “Santa, Wow, Balls, Reindeer” coming from the back seat.

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December 19th – Seattle’s Enchanted Christmas. They definitely did a great job with the lights, and Mira had an amazing time running all around. I liked that they made it into a maze and you were suppose to try and find all the gigantic reindeer.

IMG_8238_2.jpgDecember 20th – Another Christmas treat for yours truly.

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December 21st – Bake cookies. This was done while Mira was at school and my family and I packed up to head out of town for the weekend. These balls are now a yearly tradition, and man are they amazing!

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December 22nd – Sleigh Ride. Definitely one of my favorite activities. We were in Leavenworth (which was a mad house of people), and we drove out a little ways to do a sleigh ride at Eagle Creek. They were so nice and the ride was awesome! Mira wanted to sing the whole time.

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December 23rd – Zoo lights. This one has been a favorite of ours.

IMG_8335.JPGDecember 24th – Christmas EVE!!!!! Our advent was to open our matching pajamas and watch a Christmas movie. Outside of Moana this was Mira’s second time with TV. She was honestly more interested in playing with her Zio’s key board, but on occasion she would look up at Frosty and sing/dance to the music. Another tradition we have on the 24th is to have the feast of seven fishes. This year it was the feast of three fishes and man were we stuffed after just three.

IMG_8372.JPGDecember 25th – Open presents on Christmas morning. Mira was a bit overwhelmed by the gifts and opening took a while because she wanted to stop and play with/explore each one, which made us super happy because we knew she loved them. Another activity we’ve been doing each year after dinner on Christmas day is to go for a walk around the neighborhood looking at the lights nearby, that one is becoming a favorite.

IMG_8087.jpgIt was a great holiday season, full of so many fun activities. I know that some of these will become regulars in our ‘advent of activities’ and others were definitely just a fun experience this year and won’t be repeated.

I think my favorite part about the advent is getting out in our city and seeing all the things Seattle has to offer. I’m reminded of the ‘Happier Podcast’ by Gretchen Rubin in an episode where she talks about an image she saw in the New York subway. The sign had a box of Chinese take out and a rented movie (I think Netflix would be more relevant now) and below it said ‘why even live in New York?’ When I don’t feel like getting out and exploring I remind myself of that image and think, ‘why am I living in Seattle if I’m not taking advantage of all that it has?’

Hope you all are enjoying this time between Christmas and New Years as much as we are!

Be well.

 

 

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Dave’s Guest Post – Running & Marching

My husband is a really good writer, and this morning he wrote something beautiful that he’s allowed me to share with the world. So here you go….

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Yesterday I ran.  It’s not unusual, I run most every day.  Running is cathartic, the strain mixed with the rhythm, it gives me quiet between the static.  Usually I think about work problems that I’ve been trying to figure out, sometimes I think about what life will be like for my wife and I in the future, but yesterday I thought about my daughter who’s soon coming into the world.

I ran for 11 miles, almost 2 hours of rhythmic tapping on the pavement with each foot, one after another.  In that time I pictured what she’ll be like.  I mulled over hopes and dreams superimposed on a tiny body that’s yet to feel the air of our world.  Part of the time I ran past the University of Washington and had an imaginary conversation in my head of driving my young daughter past it, her asking me “what’s that daddy?” me saying, “that’s a university!  You can go there one day if you want to.”  Then I thought about the incredible privilege that that statement implies.

I ran through the Washington Park Arboretum, I saw all the signs and markers explaining the greenery and the nature around me.  My mind drifted off to the Park Service, who is being silenced by our current government and I imagined a day that I’d be walking with my daughter through such a park, telling her that it exists because people stood up to bad people.  They refused to be silenced.

I ran through wealthy neighborhoods where I pictured my little girl pointing at the spectacles of these huge houses.  I mouthed a thought that the people in those houses, who have so much have a chance to give so much.  I told her in my mind that I hope that even if their lives are prosperous that they’re helping others who don’t have their same privileges.

I passed through a poor neighborhood, with tired houses and thought again about my daughter.  I told her that not everyone is born into privilege.  Some people have to fight and struggle purely because of their skin tone or religion.  I hoped that by the time she was born that wouldn’t be the case.

When I was done running yesterday, I got home, I changed into warm clothes and my wife and I picked up signs that said “The fact that humanity has to clarify that any lives matter, should be concern enough” and “when the whole world is silent even one voice becomes powerful.”  We went to Westlake Park in Seattle and stood with thousands of other people in protest.  A protest that I wish was unnecessary, but is so necessary.  I saw other children there with their parents and couldn’t help but think that our little girl was there with us, learning the importance of standing up to oppression.  The importance of making her voice heard for those less fortunate and those wrongly persecuted.

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Today I read the news, I hear people standing up, I swell with sadness and pride at the same time.  I don’t give up.  I put one foot in front of another.  I think about what to do next and how to one day help my daughter to do the same.  I hope to find the right words to make someone take pause and think just for a second that they might change their mind and respect the person next to them.  Our country is great because of our diversity, we will always be citizens of the Earth.

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2016…That’s a Wrap

Well, for many of us 2016 was complete shit! It definitely had it’s share of ups and downs for the Paolone-Webb household; however, I am going to use this post as a place to focus on my favorite things that happened this last year. Don’t worry, you know me I’ll share about the shit stuff in future posts 😉

1.) As many of you know for the last half of 2015 and the first half of 2016 we lived in Orange County. It was beautiful, sunny, and such an adventure!

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2.) There was that time we took a road trip to Arizona to visit uncle Jeff and his animal sanctuary.

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3.) Going to the Bahamas, and eating the yumminess that was in the below coconut!!!!

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4.) Kelley came to visit, and we went to Disneyland and the women’s spa and it was everything.

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5.) Kate, Em, Lauren, and mom came and we went to disneyland and explored Orange County.

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6.) Okay, let’s be honest, I went to Disneyland A LOT this year, and I am stoked AF about it!

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7.) We moved back to Seattle and it was perfect timing.

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8.) We broke nonna out of the hospital for Christmas Eve dinner and I’m sooo happy we did. I love this woman so hard!

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9.) Three amazing people in my life sealed the deal with their partners: Kelley & Russell, Lena & Josh, and Kate & Jon. Their weddings were definitely some of my favorite memories of 2016.

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10.) We are pregnant with a little girl! She is due June 18th 2017, and we are so ecstatic I can’t even express it. I mean I guess this one is probably my biggest highlight of 2016, and I think Dave would say the same!

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The forecast for 2017 calls for more blog posts from this girl! Here’s wishing you all a brilliant year!

Be well.

 

 

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New adventures

Well, you know it’s been awhile when you go to type in your web address and it doesn’t automatically fill in with ‘theartofrunningintherain.’  I’m just hoping I still remember how to do this….oh yes, I type about my life (running, injuries, clothing, etc.) and tell myself that you all are very interested in what I’m doing ;P

A lot has changed for the Paolone-Webb clan; we are now officially California residents, I’m three shades darker, and I’ve purchased lattes from far fewer coffee shops (don’t get me wrong this isn’t financial restraint, this is purely because nothing compares to Herkimer and Voxx….just saying those names makes me miss their creamy delicious soy lattes).  Not to fret, one of the Herkimer dudes told me I can order online, and Dave makes a pretty mean latte.  In fact, funny diddy, that same guy said, “I don’t think it’s coffee you’ll have to worry about in Cali, I think it’s water.”  I responded to that with, “Let’s consider two things here, firstly I’ve been living on an island in Washington that has had poop in their water for the last 1.5 years, secondly, Washington is in a draught as well and yet the calves of my pants are soaked for over half the year, so let’s not throw stones when our house is made of beautiful, foresty, yummy coffee filled, PNW love.”  It’s hard to say anything negative about the Northwest, I mean, it’s my home base (yeah, I also joined a softball team so I use terms like home base now).  Well, I guess Canada is my true home, but I digress.

Yesterday my cousin asked how I was liking California (Orange County to be exact), and my response was this, “I’m very happy, I mean you know I have some critiques for California, but I’m also enjoying it quite a bit.”  After saying that I thought a great return post would be to share some of my favorites and some of my not favorites (there really could be a better word for that) of my new home.  So here goes…..

FAVORITE:

Sprouts Farmers Market

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I was so worried to leave Seattle and all it’s granola goodness, to not have a place like PCC.  Places like this can be over priced, but this one is actually pretty good price-wise and you can tell they love the environment and have lot’s of organic and meat free options.  On that note, is it weird that I felt judged for being a pescatarian when living in Seattle? But down here, where there actually are less of us, I don’t feel judged?  Maybe the sunshine really does make people happy.  On to my next favorite….

FAVORITE:

The Sun

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Seriously it’s shining all the time (well except in the morning which is the best time to get any vigorous outdoor activity done (e.g., running), but then every other time of the day is great for the pool.  I’m very excited to get to know the climate and can only hope for year round relative sunshinyness.

NOT-SO FAVORITE:

Lack of recycling.

source: http://www.yareah.com/2012/10/14/recycling-or-mocking-0051/:
source: http://www.yareah.com/2012/10/14/recycling-or-mocking-0051/:

It’s crazy because I’ve heard a lot of people talk about how California is very into recycling, they must be speaking of the Northern half or perchance SanDiego, because not so much in LA or the OC.  It would appear that very few have compost.  We have a recycle bin at our apt complex, but wayyyyy too often I see cardboard boxes, aluminum cans, etc. in the garbage!!! GAHHHHH It kills me, I want to dive in and save our world.  My thought is this: If you’re worried about the fact that the earth isn’t giving you enough water, then why the F@&# aren’t you taking care of your earth???????? But don’t worry, I’ll spread the word.  I actually prefer to be one of few, it makes me feel more powerful when change occurs 🙂

FAVORITE:

THE PRODUCE!!!!

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I have to yell this one because the produce native to California is da’bomb!  Seriously, avocado, figs, grapefruit, oh my! Omnomnomnom #ALLthefigs

NOT-SO FAVORITE:

Peeps

All I can say is that I miss seeing my PNW friends with the frequency with which we were afforded when I lived in Sea-town.  But hey, “it’s not goodbye, it’s see you later.”

Well there’s definitely more to say, but I’ll leave it there for now.  Oh wait, I wanted to tell you that I do plan on updating my capsule wardrobe to be more appropriate for the climate; I’ll keep you posted and I’ll definitely post some outfits.

Be well.

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