Remembering Drew: The LA Half-Marathon

This week was a pretty big deal. It was the grand finale of my weight loss journey – the half marathon in Los Angeles. This was the race that my little brother Drew was training for when his heart failed and he collapsed and died four years ago this month – an event that contributed greatly to my obesity/emotional eating issue. Thus, I had made this event the final goal following my weight loss milestones.

We piled in the car on Wednesday and took off for Holly’s sister’s house in North Hollywood. The drive in our “new” car made the trip 43 times better than our usual trips in the cramped Corolla ... especially when Holly is due in 7 weeks and needs some extra sprawl-space. 

We had an awesome time with Mandy (Holly’s sister) and Bryan. Check out the pics below. Mandy took us to Griffith Park and the girls got to take a mini train ride and enjoy the biggest park they’ve ever experienced. 

The next day we drove up to Laura (my sister) and Sugata’s place just 45 minutes north. Drew was living with them when he died and Sugata and Drew were training for the half-marathon together when he died. So they’ve both ran the race every year since he died – in his memory. I’m planning on making this a tradition for the rest of my life. We ran down to the race headquarters to get our bibs and registration swag. There were tons of vendors selling race gear and Sugata convinced me to get some compression pants/tights to run in. They allegedly help delay muscle fatigue and help with blood flow. Oh, and they’re tights ... something I NEVER thought I’d ever put on my body, let alone go out in PUBLIC wearing them. Nonetheless, I did and there are pics to prove it below. Keep the comments to yourself :)

We carbo-loaded on an awesome dinner of pasta and bread and hummus. We woke up at 5am to get to the race in time. There were 10 minutes before it started, so I ran over to the bathroom for a final ... emptying. As I was jogging up the steep hill to the starting line, suddenly the race started and the 1000+ people starting pouring down the hill in my direction. I had to sprint up to the top and turn around quickly to join Sugata and Laura. What a tiring start to a 13 mile race!

The race has a reputation for being a very difficult half-marathon as it climbs way up a pretty steep mountain and then comes down the other side. Fortunately, my training included a lot of inclines. And since, thanks to me, got a late start in the crowd, Sugata and I  spent most of the race passing people. It may be a good confidence builder ... to start at the back of the line so you’re constantly passing people by. I managed really well up the mountain, passing by other runners all the way up. But then came the downhill. The tiny bird-like runners did really well downhill. The taller/bigger people struggled more. I was the latter. And to add to the pain, that monster carb dinner from the night before came back with a vengeance! I was suddenly praying for a bathroom stop very soon. I ran in pretty severe stomach pain for several miles before finally deciding it was me and the field or me and my pants (TMI!). I chose the field. The rest of the race was much less painful and I finished pretty strong. 

Approximately one mile before the finish line, I started thinking about Drew and started crying ... but quickly realized that crying and running in exhaustion REALLY don’t mix. I was choking for breath. I had to delay the tears until the finish line. But once I crossed that line, the tears returned uncontrollably. It was four years of delayed grief combined with the elation and absolute relief that I was finally not the fat, self-conscious person that I had been for 22 years of my life. I hugged Holly for a long time in tears as all these feelings flooded my being and then flowed out of me in pure liberation. My long journey of healing and health had been realized and a new odyssey was beginning – as a new person who now knows that anything is possible with sufficient perseverance and patience. 

Sugata had finished a few minutes before I had ... thanks to my encounter with the field. Laura had told us to go ahead early in the race. At about mile 6 she fell and gashed her knee open. But she’s one uber-tough cookie and got a quick bandage on it and ran the rest of the race. Sam (my brother) and his family were there waiting and we celebrated the race with a great lunch together. It was a fantastic weekend with the people we love, remembering a brother we love and miss greatly.

Recipe of the Week | Honey Granola 

• 8 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup assorted nuts (your choice)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup whole millet
• 3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 cup -hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla

Recipe from this site. View the complete recipe.

Happy St. Patrick's Day... and a bunch of other stuff!

Every year my family does a special St. Patrick's Day dinner with a few friends. This year I was asked to make the "Trifle" dessert - which I had never done before. Luckily, Olivia was around to help out! It turned out well and the evening was a lot of fun, as always. It's a great tradition.

This week Adam has been working a TON to prepare to leave on Thursday to L.A. where he will run the ½ marathon that his brother Drew was training for when he suddenly died of a heart attack four years ago. It will be a monumental occasion for our family. He has been training for this culminating event to his weight loss goal for quite some time. I’m so excited to go and witness it. The drive will be long with a 2 and a 4 year old, but I’m sure we’ll survive!

The great news this week is that the Multicultural Center has agreed to accept our donation of Union Preschool and will take over management of it as soon as the current session is over (at the end of May). This is a big relief for me with a new baby on the way, and with my sister, Kristen (who has been running the school with me) moving in the fall.

In other exciting news, the snow is melting and it finally feels like spring!! There is still some snow on the ground, but that didn’t stop us from heading to the park the other day. And Adam even put up the trampoline. There is new life in us as the weather turns, and my girls are loving every minute of it – as am I! Also Olivia started a tumbling class this week and LOVED it! It was so fun to watch her.

Also, our Toyota Corolla sold (woo-hoo!), so we scrambled to buy a replacement for it so that we'd actually have a vehicle in which to drive to CA. We didn't have much time, but there happened to be the car we were hoping for - a 7 passenger Volvo XC 70 (2 rear-facing seats) in a used car lot. We purchased it and are SOOO excited to take it to CA. I'm excited to be able to recline a little! My favorite feature (I'm a mom of young children) is the fact that the center row of seats has two built-in booster seats! Woo-hoo! Is that pathetic? Oh well. Here is how it looks, but ours is not black, it's a dark bluish-green color. We love it.

Recipe of the Week:

I LOVE these chocolates! They honestly taste better than a lot of the junk you get in the stores. I recommend omitting the hemp seed protein for a more sweet, milk chocolate flavor. The hemp seed tends to make them more bitter, dark-tasting.

Superfood Chocolate Candy
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-food-recipes/desserts/superfood-chocolate-candy.html

1 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup organic raw almond butter
1/4 cup almond meal
4 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 cup organic unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup hemp seed protein (OPTIONAL)
½ tsp liquid Stevia or 3 tsp powdered Stevia (6 packets)
1 tbsp organic vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup raw chocolate cacao powder (may substitute Chatfield's roasted carob powder)
1/3 cup goji berries *optional

Directions:

1. Spray an ice cube tray with nonstick spray and set aside or use mini cup cake tins and papers.
   
2. Melt coconut oil under hot water or spoon into saucepan and melt over low flame. When coconut
   oil turns to a liquid, pour oil into medium bowl.
   
3. Slowly whisk in almond butter, cinnamon, Stevia, and agave nectar one at a time.
   
4. Next, whisk in vanilla.
   
5. Then slowly stir in cacao (or carob), almond meal, coconut, and hemp seed protein one at a time,
   sprinkling evenly as you go.
   
6. Batter should run off of spoon. Spoon into ice cube tray, or cup cake papers and chill in freezer for
   15 minutes.
   
7. Sprinkle goji berries of the top. *optional

Kindergarten & Everything for Sale

One of the girls' favorite things: dress-ups (with cousins this time)


Ruby at preschool playing "house"


Olivia feeling beautiful with new curlers and dress-ups.

This week was a big one for Olivia. She registered for kindergarten and got kindergarten shots. The whole process was a bit traumatic for her. She is full of nervous energy about it, even though it won’t start until the fall. She doesn’t really want to go to kindergarten, but then again, that’s where big kids go, and she wants to be a big kid… so her brain is having a tough time working out where she wants to be. I’m still in denial that she is old enough to go, but then again, she’s been in preschool for a while, so I guess it’s time. We are still hoping that she gets put into one of the charter schools in the valley (she’s on waiting lists), but if not, then we’ll see where she ends up going, because our house is back up for sale!

Yes, our house is for sale – again (www.lundstrom1.com). Hopefully we’ll have better luck selling it this time. It’s by owner for now, but we’ll probably list it officially soon. We’ve worked hard this week to de-clutter and organize to help it look more appealing (assuming anyone comes to look). Either way, it always feels good to de-clutter. We are selling because we really want to downsize (we are successfully living in half of our house right now - about 1200 of the 2400 square feet). We'd like to move somewhere in Logan that has potential to rent should we move abroad again - which we hope is in the near-ish future.

While we’re at it, our cars are for sale! The truth is we need a larger vehicle to make room for baby #3, so we are on the look-out for our latest dream car: a CNG SUV. We are generally opposed to gas guzzlers, so the CNG (compressed natural gas) option is really appealing – not to mention more affordable at the pump!

I met with the board of the Multicultural Center of Cache Valley (http://www.mccutah.org/) this week to present them with the gift of our preschool (www.unionpreschool.com). My sister Kristen and I have been running if for the last couple of years, but have decided it’s time to hand off the ropes to a more appropriate group. Kristen and her husband are moving to go to law school this fall, and I’m about to have another baby (in May), so I’m in no position to run the school on my own. We’d hate to see it fizzle away, so we hope they accept the gift (it would entail some work on their part). We’ll find out tomorrow what the final decision is – keep your fingers crossed!



Recipe of the week: Quinoa stuffed peppers

2 green peppers, halved through the stem ends
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 small bunch spinach, leaves torn into small pieces
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2 Tbsp (or more) parmesan cheese

Place peppers cut side down in a small baking dish. Bake at 400 until tender (about 40 min). While peppers are cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, saute garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, and red pepper for a minute or two, until they're very fragrant. Then add spinach, toss well, and cook until spinach is tender (about 5 min). Add tomatoes and salt and cook for another minute or so. Stir the cooked quinoa into the spinach and tomatoes, and then flip the squash over and stuff it with this mixture. Top each half with 1 Tbsp cheese and then bake at 350 until the cheese melts (5-10 min). Serves 2-3.

*Modified from the original recipe found here: http://fortunavirilis.blogspot.com/2009/10/quinoa-tomato-kale-and-garlic-stuffed.html

Cabo Paradiso

If you read the previous post, you’ll understand why my 31st birthday was the most important one of my life. Well, I suppose my very first one was pretty critical to making sure I could have any future birthdays ... but we’ll ignore that little point and move on.

To recap, my 31st birthday was the day of my final weight loss goal that I had been working toward for that past 14 months. A day I thought about every single day as I stepped onto that scale. And when I stepped on on that fateful birthday of mine last week, I had done it. I stepped off the scale and (no, not literally) stepped off of a place in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. My older brother and his wife knew how important that day/goal was to me and secretly bought Holly and me a surprise trip to Mexico to celebrate! Wow, what great family. 

Cabo is a very fun and cool destination. I’m sure the experience is always heightened when you have kids and get to go somewhere without them. They’re missed, but the ability to relax and not worry about feeding the incessant needs of young children every moment is quite a beautiful thing.

Holly was a beautiful little pregnant lady, and fortunately is past the morning sickness period, so all she had to worry about was how she looked in a maternity bathing suit. P.S.: She looked great.

The hotels that were booked for us are partly what made the experience so amazingly blissful. They were stellar! They were right on the beach and way beyond our income bracket – so we were livin’ it up as posers :)

The food was fantastic and it was whale migration season, so we saw countless whales right off the shore every single day while we were down there. And to try and get a better view, we went on a whale watching tour ... but to be honest, it really wasn’t much better than watching them from the beach.

We did some snorkeling and street market shopping, but mostly just unwound by the ocean and at some countless amazing hotel pools and just soaked up some golden, euphoric, childless relaxation.

A few photos below. 

Recipe of the Week 

This is very simple one we had on our trip and really enjoyed. Since we didn’t make it, we don’t know proportions, but look at the photo below for an idea.

Todos Santos Fruit Salad

Shredded Lettuce (as a base)

Almonds Whole

Raisins Large

Peanuts Whole

Pineapple Chopped

Banana Chopped

Orange Chopped

Apple Chopped

Honey

Curry Yellow

The Recipe Dish.