Scrapbook Challenge

The other night I watched the movie Julie & Julia for the first time.
I loved it!
I found myself wanting to go out and buy Julia Childs' cookbook and cook my way through it too. I like the idea of a challenge and pushing myself just to see if I can do the thing (whatever the "thing" may be). The amusing thing was that while I was watching the movie I was trying out a new recipe. A beef soup recipe that had cilantro and lime as ingredients. I have to admit that I am a sucker for any recipe that has cilantro and lime in it. Mmmmmmm!!! I'm getting hungry just remembering how wonderful that soup was..... but I digress.

Where was I?
Oh yes! A cooking challenge!

But that's not me. Me? I like to run. AND scrapbook.
So I got to thinking. I'm waaaaaaaaaaaay behind on our family scrapbooks. I mean I still haven't finished Julianna's baby years! That means I'm like 10 years behind. That's a lot!

Last night I sat down and completed a 2 page spread/layout in our family's 2001 photo album. While I was doing this little Jake came up to see what I was doing. "Look at baby Julianna!" I said to him. He looks up at me with those big brown eyes and asks, "Where is baby Jakey?" My heart twisted inside my chest. I quickly found some pictures of him as a baby for him to Ooooh and Ahhhh over and he skipped off to play oblivious to the guilty Mommy he had left behind. I looked down at the pages I had just completed in my album and I thought to myself, "That was fast and easy! If I could do that each and every night then I bet I could get caught up in one year's time! Then there would be a whole album of baby Jakey for him to look at!"

My scrapbook challenge was born!

Here are the facts:
2 pages a day for a year means 730 pages completed!!
If each of my albums holds 45 pages then that is 16.2222222222.... albums!!
I'm figuring on trying to keep it to one year per album but that might be too conservative considering how many pictures I have. So that extra 6.22222... albums gives me a little "wiggle" room.

So, is scrapbooking your thing too? Do you, like me, need to "get cooking" on your album projects? Care to join me in a little scrapbook challenge?

I am accepting my own challenge to complete 730 pages on or before January 25th of 2012. With 2 pages down that's 728 pages to go!

If you do decide to join me and find yourself needing supplies... well you can go to my website www.mycmsite.com/michellebumgardner and take a look around!

Excuse me while I go scrapbook!

Happy Scrapping!
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***UPDATE***
I have decided to name my challenge "Let's Get Cookin' on our Albums" in honor of the movie Julie & Julia that inspired me.

Do you care?

I'm a geek I know!
Today I have spent a few hours organizing my scrapbook station and am almost done with my 2 pages for today. I might even have time to do some more!

Again, Happy Scrappin'!!

So, I'm angry

This morning I was running on my treadmill as Todd was getting ready to leave for work. We are, as you know, in the midst of basketball season. Last night he had a game which means he got home late and we really didn't have time to talk before we went to sleep. His team won in overtime by the way!! Pretty cool!!

So, like I said, I'm on the treadmill and he is getting ready to leave for work. He came down and broke some bad news that almost made me fall off my treadmill. News that is not mine to share, so I won't, except to say that it has to do with yet another loved one battling cancer.

I HATE you cancer.

It made me recall a saying on the inside of a card that I got years ago from someone else who was battling cancer. I thought I would share these words as they brought me a small amount of comfort this morning.

Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot kill Friendship
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit
-Anonymous

I hope these words bring you peace today.

Week One... check!

Last week marked the beginning of the end.

The beginning of the end of 2010.

The beginning of the end of the holidays.

The beginning of the end of Todd's winter break.

The beginning of the end of Julianna's first decade of life (sniff, sniff).

AND... the beginning of the end of 6 weeks of rest from training runs.

The day after Christmas was day one of week one of training. Talk about getting right into it after all the holiday feasts. (and in case you were wondering I DID NOT take my last post seriously... lots of healthy eating going on around here!! more on that later.)

So here I am reporting in on my first week of training for the Big Sur Marathon.

Sunday(26th)- rest

Monday(27th)- rest

Tuesday(28th)- rest (what can I say we were away on a little trip)

Wednesday(29th)-3.1 miles (I can't do just 3 miles anymore. When my goal is 3 I have to do the extra .1 to make it a 5K)

Thursday(30th)- 5miles + yoga to stretch

Friday(31st)- 3.1miles

Saturday(Happy New Year)- 8miles

I have to say that I was surprised at how easy all the runs for last week were. I wasn't very sore at all. Saturday's run was hard at times but I think that was mostly because I was so tired from staying up late to bring in the new year. I found it harder than usual to hold a conversation with Meredith without gasping for breath. I guess I need to relearn how to run and talk at the same time again :)

So here we are after running 8 miles:

I think my hat makes me look bald.