Fight On!

Just like that, I'm at my son's freshman orientation -- for college.  

Seriously, what the hell?? 

My heart. All the feelings!

My son graduated from high school about six weeks ago. He turned 18 last February and five days later got a tattoo. Five days. No judgement here; I have two tattoos of my own -- but you gotta be impressed by the swiftness of that decision. 

Graduation: Aunt Erika and Boydoll get jiggy wit it.

Boydoll's last four years of high school passed by in an instant. Well, up until the last three months of school...which crawled by. As nostalgic as I was over the 'lasts' -- his last school dance (freaking prom, y'all) and his final jazz performance of his high school career, senioritis is for real. We were both totally over it by the end of the year. 

This last year has been pretty incredible for both kids. My daughter graduated with her BA in psychology in three years (!!!). She moved home for a year to work full-time and save money, took the GRE and applied to grad schools...and recently was accepted into a doctorate program. I am beyond proud. I can't stop bragging on her. I mean, come on. 

Kids these days, amirite? 

Congratulations Dr. Gwennie!

This one is a trifecta of ferocity, drive and beauty!

So, you might see where this is going. 

That's right -- in 7 short weeks, we'll be empty nesters. I'm looking forward to starting a new chapter in our lives: my husband will retire in (hopefully) four or five years, we'll slowly remodel the house [emphasis on s l o w l y], and do a little traveling. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm bracing myself for the roller coaster of emotions that next month will bring. There will be lots of ugly crying when both kids move out of the house and into their new lives. 

#teamsparkle

I’m so behind in my blog posts, you guys. I was honored to be featured on Sparkle Athletic's blog in January. I know. Here it is, mid-March and I’m just now telling you all about it.

If you’re not familiar with Team Sparkle, they are as awesome as they sound. Sparkle Athletic was founded by three friends in 2010. A few years after their company was established, I ran the Warrior Dash with my daughter and a group of friends. We established a team of runners, some of whom were friends of friends. That's the beauty of running: you make connections with people that you might not have met otherwise.

One of those friends was a woman we met at the race with her now-husband then-boyfriend and their dog Frank. I obviously liked Brenna right from the start: anyone who has a dog sidekick named ‘Frank’ that also happens to be a Labrador has to be amazing, right?? Brenna had a bunch of ‘dress up’ stuff for us to wear: glitter skirts, striped sleeves and visors. I asked her where she had gotten the loot, and she casually explained her aunt Kelly owned a company that sold athletic wear.

This certainly wasn’t like any athletic wear I had seen before. I still own the skirt and sleeves Brenna give me that day, and I have worn my black and silver sparkle skirt to races several times over.

Believe it or not, I was actually able to salvage my
#teamsparkle outfit. I have laundry skillz, y'all.

Holy crap, were we ever muddy. Good times! I count my lucky stars we didn’t get hepatitis.

Anyway! It was an incredible honor to be a featured runner on their site. Many thanks to one of my favorite social media runners Carlee McDot for reaching out to me and making this happen.

Star Wars Half Marathon 2017: The Light Side

I ran the Star Wars half marathon in January for the second year in a row. You might recall the general bedlam of last years race: how I nearly missed the start of the race and my brush with the notorious 'balloon ladies'. I had wanted to run the 10k this year and pick up a third medal for running two consecutive days, but it was completely sold out. I should have purchased the Rebel Challenge packet when the race was first announced, but I was cranky and didn’t pull the trigger when registration opened. Oh well.

This year was more even fun than last year, if that’s even possible. I was in a much better headspace (read: I actually trained for this event) and I even planned an outfit.

Flat Brea 👋🏼 #runDisney #StarWars #halfmarathon #thelightside #BB8 #runalways #runner #Sweatpink #Disneyland

A post shared by Babydoll's Bloggie (@babydoll_brea) on Jan 14, 2017 at 6:50pm PST

The race coincidentally fell the same weekend that I needed to pick Girldoll up from the Long Beach port. It worked out to be a bonus because we got to spend the night at my SIL’s house and visit with my niece and nephew. The kids are always such good sports and came with me to pick up my packet at the Disneyland Hotel. The only hiccup was that I was supposed to pick Girldoll up at 10:30AM, but she wasn’t ready to go until well past noon. This ended up pushing everything back so that we didn't get to until a half hour before it closed. I had hoped to browse longer -- no one does an expo like Disney -- but time was too short.

Part of the problem was getting into Downtown Disney itself. Security was INSANE. In all the times I have been to Disneyland, I have never had to wait in any sort of security line to access the area surrounding the park. It is a sign of the times that security has become a necessity during travel or entering concert venues, but it definitely stole some of the magic visiting the resort. I’m not talking about a quick look inside backpacks, either. We were subjected to a full search of our belongings as well as being required to walk through a metal detector. Bummer, man. The only thing I could attribute the high security to was that Trump had just officially taken office as POTUS, and there were a lot of people in Los Angeles who weren’t happy about it. (You can count me as one of them. No surprise there.)

What has two thumbs and the best nephew ever??
This girl! Johnny and Lego Hulk at Downtown Disney.

This backdrop coordinates nicely with my glasses.
Of course, anything blue does...but whatevs.

By the time we got to the Disneyland Hotel, we had barely enough time to grab my bib number and pick up my race t-shirt. I quickly bought some anti-chafe Glide from an expo vendor and we were on our way. It was probably the least amount of time or money I've ever spent at an expo. Girldoll and I treated the cousins to a late lunch, and then we enjoyed a nice evening with family.

Of course, I took an obligatory Flat Babydoll photo. It was so cute that my niece reminded me to post the photo on social media; she had remembered me talking about the phenomenon of laying out your race day clothes and taking a picture of your race bib and outfit. The stuff kids remember!

Orange is the new black!

I got lots of compliments during the race on my excellent on the BB8 skirt I found on Etsy. Although there are all kinds of things that could go wrong running thirteen miles while wearing a knit beanie, I was totally fine.

The race was so much fun. 90% of the runners were wearing a costume or Star Wars themed embellishment. My personal favorite was a couple who dressed as Leia and Chewie wearing Belle and The Beast costumes. It was so meta! The spectators did not disappoint, either.

I decided I would live stream the half marathon on Facebook while I ran through Disneyland. I started in narrating my way through Tomorrow Land and filmed an epic lightsaber battle among cast members. I also caught some really fun footage of my hand as I high-fived a dozen Disney employees who had lined up along the course. I ran through Fantasyland and shared my favorite ride with Facebook (Storybook Land, in case you were curious) before the pièce de résistance: running through Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

After I crossed the drawbridge, I went to stop recording the video...only to discover I had never started recording in the first place.

Rachel doesn't use that word lightly, either.

I'll be honest: it took me the next mile to shake it off. For whatever reason, I fixated on my disappointment of not getting the video to work and had trouble letting it go. I'm charming that way. 

Right after this photo was taken, the key fob
to my car fell out of my Flipbelt. Someone
literallyran after me with it in their hand.
I mean, can you even imagine?? #bulletdodged

Fortunately, we were hitting the streets of Anaheim and it was time for me to focus and get my game face on. Since the rest of the race is through business and residential areas before finishing at the Downtown Disney parking lots, sections of the race on the streets feel like it starts to drag. That is, until the cosplay spectators start lining the course. It is truly an incredible experience seeing all the elaborate costumes and props.

Red Leader was all smiles and thumbs up.

I kept lapping these guys. I'd stop and mug for
photos along the course and pass them. #redleader

This was one of the most clever
costumes on the course. I love Greedo!

This couple finished the race together. How
her hair stayed perfect after running a half
marathon is one of The Force's mysteries.

Poppa Stormtrooper and Baby Stormtrooper

We had a moment. #BB8

There was something slightly despondent about
this ghetto Death Star. 

Done. Eye on the prize!

In addition to the half marathon next year, I really want to run the 10k for a chance to earn three medals. I know I said the same thing last year...but it's worth putting out to The Force, anyway.  

Weekend Snapshots: Meetups, Chaperone Extraordinaire And My Babygirl

This weekend was Busy. That's right, people…with a capital B. It started off with a sunrise walk with my friend Smitha (I can call her that, right??) who was in town for a work conference.

Smitha writes the blog Running With SD Mom and frequently hosts fun giveaways. She hosted a Run Lites giveaway in October...and I won!

Super lightweight and cute, these handlights have such great visibility.
They're perfect for camping and morning runs!

I'm a nerd about all things fitness related, and Smitha and I started chatting online about everything from RX Bar flavors to her favorite hydration recommendation (Orange Mud brand, in case you were wondering). She is always quick to reply and has been nothing but kind. I started seeing photos of Smitha at various spots around my town in my Instagram feed. I hope I didn’t fangirl too hard and freak her out! Smitha is a fabulous social media presence and truly the nicest person. When she learned I had been having back issues -- despite being an avid marathoner -- instead of going for a run, Smitha suggested we meet anyway and go for a walk instead. Runners really do make the nicest friends!

It was such a beautiful sunrise along the waterfront.

Runners make the nicest friends! I got to meet @runningwithsd for a sunrise walk this morning! 💪🏼👭#instafriends #bloggers #fitness #werunsocial #runchat #sweatpink #girlsgonesporty #santabarbara #southerncalifornia #luckyme 🤗

A photo posted by Babydoll's Bloggie (@babydoll_brea) on Nov 4, 2016 at 7:37pm PDT

Later that morning, I went to the chiropractor for another adjustment and physical therapy. This made a significant difference and tipped the scale in favor of being able to chaperone Boydoll's marching band competition afterall. Thanks to my portable TENS unit, I was able to work on my craft project during the bus ride, too! 

The band won all three categories in their division on Saturday: Best Overall Score, Best Auxillary (drumline), and Best Color Guard. Go Chargers! 

Uniforms and instruments

Horns and hats. 

Boydoll warming up in the bass line. #notreble

I saw this bumper sticker on a parked car, and it was too cute a photo opportunity to pass up. I'm a bunny Auntie, so I know a thing or two about the awesomeness that is this bumper sticker. #bunnyfamilyftw

I took this photo for reasons. So cute!

After a long day down south, we were pleasantly surprised to come back and find Girldoll at home from college for the night. I'm certain that I say this (every...single... time), but I am so glad my girl is an only hour away. I offered to wash and fold her laundry, and made her favorite homemade mac and cheesies for dinner. It was a toss up as to who was happier to see Girldoll, me or The Browns:

Lots of happy sneezes and wrestling. These boys love their girl!  

I was reflecting yesterday about the past few months leading up to this election, and that tomorrow will my daughter's first time voting. In 30 years, this is by far the craziest election cycle I have ever seen. It's certainly one for the history books. 

By this time tomorrow, we will have a new president. I am ready to elect a new POTUS and move forward. To quote Forrest Gump, 'That's all I have to say about that.'

Not on the actual ballot, although nothing surprises
me anymore during an election year.  

Thank you to Katie for her weekend linkup! Have you ever won a contest or any online giveaways?

Weekend Snapshots: Pixies, Hill Repeats and The Lactose Intolerant

Happy Halloween, everyone! Can you even believe the first day of November is tomorrow?? Another busy weekend come and gone! It started out innocently enough and then things accelerated to a fever pitch through Sunday. [Do you like how I worked in that baseball reference? And how about Eddie Vedder at the world series last night??] #fangirl

I was working on my hill repeats on Friday, because the wicked switchback and subsequent climb at mile 11 of my half marathon is going to suck be incredibly challenging.  I thought it would be fun to use the timer on my phone and get an action shot to share on Instagram. It didn't go very well.

Here are some of the outtakes from my hill repeats.

I'm not entirely sure what was going on in the bottom left photo since the hill was in the opposite direction, but...okay? I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to get a photo, and ended up running twice as much as I had planned. 

Friday night was spent with my best girlfriend. She originally invited Boydoll to see the Pixies with her, but he had a pep rally at the rival high school's football game. I generously offered to step in for him and take one for the team. I'm a giver like that. 

Superstoked!

I'm not sure about the 'majestic' part,
but it is an intimate little theater.

Two things worth mentioning about our pre-game strategy: 

1. I wore adorable boots that are really only intended for wearing in brief intervals that involve lots of sitting. #fail
2. The mocha that I ordered with almond milk had been accidentally prepared with regular milk instead. I should have know better when it tasted creamy, but there was just too much going on. THANKS A LOT, STARBUCKS. Signed, A Lactose Intolerant Patron.

We had dinner before the show, and got in line at 6pm for general admission. Shortly after 7pm, we were the first of about 20 people in the door and we rushed for the rail above the main floor. My best girl doesn't play, people -- she had a plan. We had a perfect unobstructed view of the stage, and we were well out of moshing range. #winning

The opening band came on around 8:30, which was also right around the time my feet fell off and the milk lactose began to wreak havoc on my stomach. I was seriously questioning whether I was going to be able to stay. Somehow, I white-knuckled through the next hour and a half. Four words: It was worth it.  

Such an incredible show! #pixies

The following day required Mr. Doll and I to divide and conquer. He took Boydoll to a jazz event a few hours north, and I headed south to attend family day at our daughter's university. My attempts at cloning have proved fruitless.

Fresh out of the shower and into dress clothes for the jazz festival.
My boy looked so handsome! (Pay no attention to the photo bomber...)

I brought the boys dogs to visit their beloved girl, and we went for a hike in the hills above the university. It was very muggy...but still a gorgeous afternoon. We enjoyed lunch afterwards at The Lazy Dog. It was an especially sweet visit on Saturday. My daughter seemed happy and relaxed, and I loved catching up with her. I'm so grateful she's not going to school out of state. It would be more than my heart could bear, I think. 

This one has my heart.

Views for days and my crazy dog.

Yummy lunch with my girl and the Browns. Riley approved!

I spent most of Sunday puttering around the house and hydrating for my 12 mile run today. It's my last long run before my half marathon in thirteen days. [gulp!] We got a little bit of rain on Sunday and it was HEAVEN. Things are already really tough from the 5-year drought, so we gotta get some rain this winter - please and thank you!

Finally some rain!! 

Thank you to Erin for hosting Weekend Snapshots and Katie at Healthy Diva Life for their weekly link-ups! 

Do you have any Halloween plans for tonight? We're kind of missing it all because we have concert plans with my FIL. I'm really excited to see him, even if it means that I don't get to pass out candy. The littlest first-time trick or treaters are my favorite because they're just so blown away by the whole process, 'Knock on a door and get free candy?? SIGN ME UP NOW.' 

I did dress up as Hermione Granger in my spin class last Thursday. I always host a giveaway during my class closest to a holiday, and the members love it. I'm not sure how any of that went down without any pictures to show for it. It was a bit of a challenge working out wearing a dress shirt and tie, but still great fun nonetheless. Will you be passing out candy tonight? Do you get a lot of trick or treaters?

Weekend Snapshots And What I'll Never Live Down

Another weekend come and gone. What do you think about that, Monday? Yeah. Pretty much me, too. 

The bird is the word, Monday.

This weekend was broken up into three parts: Friday night football game, marching band competition, and my nephew's birthday party. 

Friday was the 50th anniversary of my son's high school, which is my alma mater as well. There was much hoopla around this historic milestone, including a parade of past homecoming kings and queens, and the high school Hall of Fame inductees. The football team played a rival high school, and we lost by one point. Even for someone who knows so little about football, the game was a total nail-biter.

May the odds be ever in our favor! 

My boy at pep rally! He was also flipped upside down and
played the quads, but I missed it. [sad face]

When I recounted the game to my husband, I instead of saying field goal, I accidentally said field 'gold'. I know squat about football, but even I know they're not called a 'field gold'. I just misspoke, but I will never hear the end of it. Mr. Doll said, 'I'm totally telling my brother that you called it a field gold.' *sigh*

Earlier in the day, I went stopped by the 'funk zone' to buy a birthday gift for my nephew at the new skate shop that recently opened there. I couldn't resist taking a few photos of doorways along the alley. I haven't been inside the surf museum, but this might be worth exploring some day!

Latitude

Surfboard museum: Funk Zone is funky fun!

We headed down south, and I'll share a little inside joke that you may or may not find funny. There are about a dozen car dealerships along a stretch of the freeway. In the middle of them is this tiny casino, which makes zero sense to me. Maybe they think that someone will win big, and then run next door and buy a car? One day when we were driving by I announced, 'You know what I don't understand? Why would they put a casino right in the middle of all those car dealerships??' My family found this hilarious. Now if the boys are on their way to LA, I always receive a text of a blurry photo with the caption, 'YOU KNOW WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND?? 

In terms of never dropping it never, I made things worse by suggesting that we should stop in and at least see what kinds of gaming they offered in such a small establishment: Slots and roulette? Blackjack or craps? It's a total mystery.

Players Casino: Get lucky, buy a car.

Southern California doesn't typically see fall weather until early November, so it was crazy hot in LA. It was a gorgeous day, though. The marching band's field show included a new second movement at this competition, which I loved.

The weather was beautiful on Saturday at the
marching band competition.

Looking sharp!

My son quickly changed out of his uniform, and then we headed out to my nephew's birthday party after the field show. We surprised everyone by stopping off and picking up Girldoll from her university.

Family is the best.

We likely won't get see my niece and nephew again until Christmas Eve, when we gather for our huge Swedish feast. Everyone is growing so quickly that it's always special to spend time together. I flipping love these kids so much!

And finally, I had to share a bit of random that I saw at the grocery store: I had thought it was a carving at first, but now I'm of the mind that some crazy mold was used on the pumpkin while it was still growing. It was very cool...but this bugger was $60. Thanks, but no thanks!

I was startled.

Thank you Katie and Erin for the weekend link-ups! Any unique Halloween decorations where you live? Tell me about it in the comments. 

Weekend Snapshots: Marching Band, Gizmo and What Couldn't Be Photographed

I'm trying to be gracious about it being Monday again, but it's not easy. Thank you to Erin at Her Heartland Soul and to Katie at Healthy Diva Life for hosting linkup links!

If you've been following along, then you know that I spoke at a 12-Step meeting on Friday night. It wasn't my best effort, but it also wasn't my worst. I kept remembering little details afterwards that I usually share to add more context and give my talk some continuity. It felt pretty rusty, which I could attribute to the fact that I haven't been the main speaker at a meeting for about 4 years. Also, my 19-year old daughter (!!!) was in the audience. I was so honored that she came home from college for the night to hear my talk. I don't have any photos to share, obviously, because it's important to protect the privacy of people in a meeting. People kind of freak if you start taking photos of the room with your phone.

    

This was one of the busier weekends on record, partly because I spent 12 hours on Saturday at Boydoll's marching band competition in Simi Valley. And despite the long day and the heat, I say this with all sincerity: this is the good stuff. 

My boy is second from the front.
#laserfocus

Warming up before their competition at Royal High School

Taking the field with their show, 'Behind The Walls'

It's the good stuff, partly because I know how quickly these last few years with our son at home will pass by -- but also because there are few things better than watching my kids do what they love. People who don't know my son will ask if he plays a sport, and I always reply that he's a musician; marching band and drumline are his sport. It is enormously demanding physically with long hours spent rehearsing. All of which paid off at their competition, big time!   

Winners! They won  first in their division,
plus award for best auxiliary and best drumline. 

I'm not really sure where I pulled off the stamina, but Mr. Doll and I went to the beach with the dogs late Sunday morning. I love beachcombing, and collecting sea glass is one of my favorite pastimes. I have had terrible luck finding any glass lately, but a friend tells me that it can be pretty seasonal. I think hunting after a storm is the way to go, maybe? 

Slim beachcombing pickings.

Any beach day with our dogs includes bathing them as well, especially for our younger dog. He will roll at least dozen times until he is completely coated in sand. I didn't get any bathtime photos since I had my hands full, but I do have a Boomerang (that isn't loading) of an incredulous Spooky. She just can't believe any of it.

'Get over yourselves.'

As if bathing two large dogs wasn't enough, I also cleaned Gizmo's cage. Although I don't know the sex, I think Gizmo might be a girl. Chameleons have been a fantasy pet of mine for about 10 years, and I find them absolutely fascinating to watch. I got Gizmo three months ago. She is a rudis chameleon and her breed is considered to be more of a decorative pet. Overhandling can stress them out, which leads to refusing food and hiding.

Gizmo, meet my readers!

Although I prefer the plant in the photo above for her screened terrarium, it wasn't thriving and the leaves had trouble supporting Gizmo's weight. I replaced it with the original ficus that came in her enclosure. Admittedly, it has a better variety of branch sizes to keep her adorable mitten-shaped feet healthy.

Camoflage is the name of the 

chameleon game. Can you spot Gizmo? 

Do you have critters? If not, what would be your fantasy pet?