So yesterday, my adorable, innocent kids were all excited to share a funny YouTube video with me that they had found over the weekend. They begged their daddy to find it again because it was “me” and it was “hilarious.”
Having viewed said video I do agree (wince!) that it is indeed “hilarious” (!) and um, yeah, I guess it is “me.”
That smarts.
I think I have some re-prioritizing to do. Don’t you? (Feel free to chuckle…)
This weekend was an overwhelming, non-stop whirlwind of action. Our stay in NYC was brief – we got there on Saturday at noon and left Sunday night at 9 (Lori & I) but it was exhilarating. (Katie & Brian stayed one day longer.)
If I were to try to write a blog post detailing the experience though, I would be here forever! So I opted to do it in a timeline this way… (My personal thoughts are in paranthesis.)
Trains. Taxis. Hotel. Expo. Pasta Dinner. Cupcakes. (Wow! Magnolia Bakery Rocks.) Early Sleep. Shuttles. Ferry Rides. Fort Wadsworth. (Aww, I Used To Live Here!)Runners Village. Heated Tent. (Coffee And Fooood!!!!) 10:40am. Orange Wave. Overzealous Pacer Group. (Why Is The Pace Girl Sprinting? Come Back Here!) Long Bridges. Photographers. Mile 4. Music. Cheering. Screaming. Water. Gatorade. (Where Is My GU?) Live Bands. Costumed Spectators. QUEENSBORO BRIDGE (AHHHH!) Another mile. (Who’s Idea Was This, Anyway?) Hills. Great Signs. Music. Another Boro. Another Bridge. (Really?! Was That Necessary?) Church Service. Rap Music. ”Jared” Faces Everywhere. Disgusting Bathrooms. Another Bridge. (Who Designed This Course, Anyway?) More Cheering. (Needing Water ASAP.) Another Mile. AT&T Not Working. (Excuse Me But Why Does This Course Never Seem To Go Down Hill?) “The Wall.” Stretching. Five Miles To Go. AT&T Still Not Working. Parties Everywhere. (Is That “Where’s Waldo” Running With An Armadillo?) Central Park. Lots Of People! Screaming. (Are We Done Yet?) Fans Everywhere. (I Can’t Run One More Mile. Oh Hell, One Point Five To Go.) More Photographers. Cow Bells. (Did We Just Pass The Chilean Miner? Crazy!) Lori & Brian. (Squee! There They Are!) So Close. The Finish Line! (Thank You Baby Jesus!) Big Hugs! Finishers Medals. Commemorative Picture. Fluid And Food Bag. (All I Want To Know Is…Did We Beat Jared Or Al Roker?) Long Walk Out Of The Chute. Freezing Cold. AT&T Never Works. (I Can’t Believe We Did It! I Think I Need A Steak!) Proudly Displayed Medal. Train Ride Home. 1:00am. (Somebody Remind Me To Never Do This Again.) Sleep.
Since half of the reason I was able to get across the finish line in the first place had everything to do with inspiration, I thought I would share some of the best signs I saw out on the course yesterday:
“Toenails are overrated anyway.”
“You can and you will.”
“If Palin can run, so can you!”
“Finishing is your only option.”
“If marathons were easy we would all be doing it!”
“You are stronger than you think.”
“Chuck Norris never ran a marathon.”
And my personal favorite… “You are not a wimp!” (Thanks Lori!)
I would just like to take a second to personally thank every single New Yorker (You know who you are. Heh.) who yelled a affirming statement directed at me. From the “You go Jen!” to the “Stay strong” to the “You’ve got this girl!” and the “Dig deep Jen, you are almost home!”… you made me cry, you made me laugh and you ALL got me over the finish line. You will probably never see this blog post or remember me, little runner number 53-416 from Maryland, but I was deeply moved and completely inspired. My gratitude goes out to you.
I can’t believe I just ran the New York City Marathon! Woo hoo!
I’m gonna let you in on a secret… I’m an over-achiever. In a mid-life whatchamacallit .
“Duh? You say?” (Insert laughter from all of the people who really know me here.)
Funny thing is that I actually didn’t realize I was the “over achieving type” until recently when a friend *ahem* made fun of me lamenting about something on the phone. She nailed it right then and there and called me out.
Totally made me pause and take mental stock: upcoming marathon, charity, new business, blogging, Momz Share, community manager, blah, blah, blah…
Huh. I guess I AM.
The funny thing is that I don’t feel like the over-achiever she declared me to be. I feel like I do many things and none of them well. (Insert mental anxiety here.) NONE. OF. THEM. WELL.
I guess you could say that I am in some sort of mid-life crisis. My husband would probably agree. He has to live with me and with my 6:00am crying jags centering around laundry or dishes or other such nonsense.
I’ve been doing a ton of soul searching in the past couple of months. And no, it is not really working out that well at the moment. I just keep getting stuck in the woe- is-me mode. Which is annoying. Honestly, if I am annoying MYSELF then how can I NOT be annoying other people? It is just not possible.
I’m like that 45 something-guy in your neighborhood who just bought a yellow Corvette for no reason. I may have not bought the Corvette yet but I am contemplating a pink hair extension and a nose piercing.
I just feel like I am not doing anything REALLY WELL. Like I am just “phoning it in” yet the “it” is my life. My mom (Gotta love mom, dontcha?) says that I am crazy and that perhaps I just need to drill it down and not DO SO MUCH or perhaps LOWER MY STANDARDS.
And that will make it better????
The reason I pouring out my feelings here is because this blog is one of the things I feel like I am not especially doing well. I’m always afraid of being TOO REAL. TOO OPEN. Which flies in the face of the reason why we read blogs in the FIRST PLACE, right?
I know. I am a mess.
Got any suggestions for me? Coping strategies? Tissue brand recommendations? Please leave a comment, a thought or some sappy sentiment in my comment box. I don’t think my husband can take another 6am crying jag.
Should I start by telling you about how I completely forgot my pants (yes, I said PANTS) and had to go back and fetch them? Or perhaps let you in on the secret that I later discovered that I also forgot my bra? (Ridiculous much?)
Maybe I will skip that part and begin my tale with the scruptious food from Piv’s Restaurant or the social media themed cupcakes.
Hmmm….But if I did that I would be missing the heart of the event, which is the bloggers themselves. These women are my tribe, my peeps, my virtual therapists and without them I am fairly certain I would go stark raving mad. When people ask me why in the world I spend my time planning these events, I tell them about the women of Momz Share. That is all the explanation they need…
Come to think of it, it might be best to instead tell the tale with pictures…
The Fall event was hosted by the awesome and fantastic Jill of Scary Mommy and brought to life by the Momz Share power trio: Sunday Stilwell, Lara DiPaola, and yours truly. (Okay, obvious self-promotion but, DANG, we worked hard y’all!)
I would just like to take up a little bloggy space to send out my heartfelt thank you to some of the people who made this night a success:
Pivs Restaurant – Seriously? Their food rocked. I had no idea what to expect. If you live in the Baltimore area, stop what you are doing and go to their restaurant. Right now.
Sponsoring this event was Washington Family Magazine. I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with Jolie from Washington Family for some time now. They are fantastic and super supportive of moms who blog!
A big shout out to Amy Phillips of Social Pollen who was another event sponsor. Not only did she provide hands-on help for all sorts of WordPress issues, she also brought the killer social media cupcakes. Honestly? Social media cupcakes? Phenomenal, just like her.
We were also treated to our first splendor station courtesy of Leiann from Love and Kindness. She gave lotioned hand massages and we all fell in love. Not only are her lotions and candles to die for, she is also a terrific example of a mom entrepreneur.
I can’t go any further without mentioning the photographer, Eddie Winter of Edward Winter Weddings. He went above and beyond to make everyone comfortable and captured the essence of Momz Share perfectly. I admit to being a little biased here because, well, he is my brother. That being said, his work speaks for itself. He was the consummate professional and put everyone at ease. (Plus he is way cute, if I do say so myself…)
One last shout out to Michael Guill of 107 Designs who streamed our video LIVE on Saturday night. It was our first time live streaming and it was mighty fun! (He is not only tech-ily gifted, he is also one hell of a dishwasher.)
Other sponsors of our fall Momz Share event that I have to mention are Madeleine from La Papillon Spa who hosted a fun Twitter beauty Q & A contest last week and Melanie and Theresa from Sisarina. Sisarina designed our new Momz Share website. Stunning, right?
If you head over to the Momz Share site later this week, we will have a full accounting of all of the amazing people who provided giveaways and gave support to Momz Share.
Remember, if you live in the DC, MD, VA, WVA, PA area – you are always welcome to attend! Our next event will be announced soon!
My life has moved so fast since last December, sometimes my head spins. I left a secure job in the non-profit sector and started a new company with another power mom. I teamed up with a dear friend and blogger to form Momz Share. And, oh yeah, I’ve started training for the New York City Marathon. Hectic much? Kinda.
People often ask me how I “do it all.” Honestly, I’m not really sure how to answer that question. I know that for me, what I choose to do doesn’t feel like WORK. It is, well…FUN. ”Doing it all” in this case is the same as breathing and SMILING.
I recently had a striking conversation with a childhood pal about her passions. She wanted so badly to step out and make her dream a reality. She is just not happy at this stage of her life. Now, I’m not exactly qualified to give business advice, being a novice myself, but I do know a couple of things about blazing your own trail and taking a chance.
“The secret of making something work in your life is first of all,
the deep desire to make it work,
then the faith and belief that it can work,
then to hold that clear definite vision in your consciousness
and see it working out step by step,
without one thought of doubt or disbelief.”
- Eileen Caddy
If there is something you want so badly that you can taste it, then I believe that you owe it to yourself to take a chance. Just TRY. Sure you will be scared. Terrified, even.
Yeah, risks are scary. No doubt about it. But think of how you will feel if you DON’T make a move. If you don’t even make an attempt. Regret is the worst feeling of all.
I encourage you to write down you innermost goals and start your action plan. Ignore the insecure girl inside of your head and make your own opportunities. Take a risk. Making your dream a reality is so worth it!
“The secret of making something work in your life is first of all,
