Saturday, January 30, 2010

What do you do with 5" of snow........

You go sledding that’s what.

My good friend and co-worker Page invited me to join her family on a sledding outing this afternoon. I was a bit apprehensive at first, I am not sure why because I am normally up for just about anything. However, the outcome was unexpected, well as I sit here and think about, not really unexpected at all because this girl loves life and just about anything that has to do with living life to the fullest!! My first time sledding at age 30 was the BEST. Snow skiing…….a huge passion, snow……love it, being outside………no better place, so with all that said why has this girl never been sledding? That will remain one the great wonders of the world, or at least a great wonder of my world. Sledding will now be a permanent activity for me during the snowy Oklahoma months. Who am I kidding using the word months, more like a day or two of snow we get here in Oklahoma will now be taken up with my new love of sledding.

Page, Mike, Julie, Zack, and I headed to the Reservoir in Broken Arrow and had the time or our lives. Here is a snap shot of our day.




A debate insured between Julie and Zack...who was going to be the first down the hill....



Never debate a girl with a sled.



Julie was under the impression she was sledding down Mt. Everest. None of us had the heart to tell her otherwise.



Mike was secretly jerry-rigging the sled in order to rocket down the hill faster, but Page caught him in the act...BUSTED!!



With Mike's secret foiled, the family loaded onto the sled and took the leisurely glide down the hill.



Like mother like daughter, let the screaming begin!



After working feverishly on a snow ramp, which is pictured soon. Zack chose to take a break and see what all this fun was about.



The penguin approach seemed to work best for Zack.



Pony up Jen, it is time to hand the camera off and join the fun!



Ready....



Set....



Go!!!



Julie and I were going to take on this hill together....



all was well till....



Julie lost her sled somewhere along the way and ended up as a little snow ball.



Time to try out the ramp Zack spent half the afternoon building.



Serious air!!



Mike tried to replicate Zack's experience with the ramp.



However, he simply plowed through it.



The next series of pictures shows how Julie handled the ramp.











The last run down the hill had the name of the uneducated sledder (is that a word sledder, well it is today) written all over it.



Ooopppps what happened?



Disastrous wreck resulted in a smile.



The smile on my face shows a smidgen of the massive amount of fun I had sledding today. Thank you so much Lollman family for including me today!!

Love,
Jen

Friday, January 29, 2010

Splendor!!

Yesterday we left work to a town being blanketed in freezing rain. I have to giggle thinking of using the word blanked in the same sentence as freezing rain, or any liquid substance falling from the sky for that matter. When I think of blanket, I think of what I want to be wrapped up in when I see freezing rain.

Once I got home from the office I stayed in, and after what Tulsa dealt with in 2007 I figured I would be in for a few days and possibly without electricity. However, I woke up this morning to an alarm. One of very few times I will ever be estatic to hear my alarm, but it indicated I had not lost power! I ran to the window, opened my blinds and saw this……..









Being the roads didn't look that bad, I braved it and headed into the office. I was not too concerned about driving on the roads that had very little ice on them. However, coming home after a day, if predictions pan out, of snow, I was not looking forward to driving on that jazz. But in the mean time a plowed through a lot of work at the office and took some pictures like this one from a co-workers window coated in ice.



And our precious little bench where we go to get some fresh air on sunny days, today was not one of those days.



David let us leave for the day at noon in order to beat the super low tempts. and bad roads. After my white knuckle 45 min drive home, I shot a few more pictures before.....









I called it a day, stared a fire, and sat down to share all my pictures of the day with you.



The ice storm of 2010 coated the trees, the windows, the power lines, the streets, and everything inbetween. Many Oklahoma’s may not agree with my description of “splendor” for many do not have electricity this evening after the ice storm of 2010. It seems that we, here in Oklahoma, are blessed with an ice storm annually. Tulsa was hit really badly in 2007; luckily we missed a direct hit this year, although many were not so lucky. I pray those that are without light and heat today find it restored very soon.

Love,
Jen

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Happy Birthday Mark!

My cousin Mark turned 17 today. I can’t believe he is 17, how did that happen? Where did the little blond headed, quiet, book worm go?



He grew up to become an amazing young man. If I am every blessed with a boy I hope he turns out to be half the kid that Mark has been.



Mark holds true to who he is, never faltering in his grounded faith, his unending love for family, his wonderful example to his friends, and his heart of gold.

Happy Birthday Mark, I love you!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

We Will Never Forget.



Today marks the ninth anniversary of the plane crash that changed the life of any student, faculty, or person associated with Oklahoma State University. I remember where I was January 27, 2001, who I was with, and the absolute shock I felt when we got word that 10 members of the OSU basketball travel team had been killed. It was the first time I experienced how something so large like a university could feel as small as an immediate family.

Today we remember the life, legacy, and memories of the 10 who perished that January day. I never knew or met any of the wonderful men on that plane, yet over the past 9 years I have heard and read some outstanding stories. We honor you, Kendall Durfey, Bjorn Fahlstrom, Nate Fleming, Will Hancock, Daniel Lawson, Brian Luinstra, Denver Mills, Pat Noyes, Bill Teegins, Jared Weiberg you are deeply missed. May these extraordinary men remain in our OSU hearts and etched in our memories forever.

Love,
Jen

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Tips for running with Old Man Winter.


I would like to share some tips I have uncovered the past few days as I have been preparing to run this weekend in what will prove to be a treacherous race? Weather has been wrecking havoc on our long runs this training season. I have to chuckle at the thought that our week days are great…sunny and decent tempts, then the weekends come and boy the story changes. Our first weekend out of the shoot our run was canceled due to dangerously low wind chills, the next two weeks we had pouring rain to deal with, and this weekend we are supposed to have another huge snow event. Are you kidding me? Training in these conditions allows us to be prepared for anything that may come our way during a marathon; nevertheless I will say I do not have such an optimistic outlook when I am actually running in this crumminess.

What is that you say………..oh you want me to get back to the point of this post and not ramble on about my mental motivation or lack thereof when I have to run in not so pleasurable conditions. Okay, okay back to the basics of running in cold, ice, snow, or whatever Old Man Winter decides he wants to toss at you.

Wind chills can make running outside very dangerous. It is recommended that when the outside temperature is below 0 or the wind chill reaches a balmy -20 it might be best to get those feet moving on a treadmill rather than the city streets.

Remember 30% of your heat escapes through your hands and feet so make sure they are well insulated. Gloves such as these shown below are a great recommendation being they wick moisture away from your hands. You can add a disposable heat packet to your gloves or mittens. I have personally never used them for running, but I use them every time I go skiing, and they are AMAZING! Let's not forget the feet, add a wicking sock liner to your arsenal of winter gear, under a wool or thick sock of your choice. Just make sure you have enough room in your shoes to still run comfortably.



DO NOT WEAR COTTON!!! Sorry for screaming that at you, but please remember to not wear cotton it traps your sweat and keeps you wet during your entire run. Being your body creates its own wind chill, cotton will only make it colder for you. There is a fine line between dressing for the weather and not over dressing. The recommendation is to start with a thin synthetic material that will wick your sweat, then a breathable layer such as Gore-Tex. If Old Man Winter is bearing down with a vengeance you may need a middle layer of fleece for added insulation. Experts, which I certainly do not fall into that category, suggest runners dress for 20 degrees warmer than it actually is outside because you will warm up once you get started.



As statistics state 40% of your body heat exists through your head. That being said it is critical for comfort, circulation, safety, and health that you cover up that thinking cap. Depending on how cold it is, you might consider a face mask as well in order to avoid stinging those lungs when you breathe in the cold air. Another good way to help keep the burning lungs at bay is warm up inside for 10 mins. This, more times than not, decreases the chemicals that cause inflammation which results in lung pain.



Often times we don't think about dehydration in the winter like we do during the warmer months. However, the colder months may increase your risk of dehydration due to the simple fact runners just don't think about it as much in the cooler months. It is critical to drink water or Gatorade before, during, and after your run. Also keep in mind the wind dehydrates you so start your run into the wind and your return leg with the wind at your back.

I think these few tips will get us going and keep us strong as we continue to battle Old Man Winter for the next couple of months. Oh, one last tid bit, take it easy. You're body is at a higher risk of injury on cold days. So take time to warm up and make your run an easy one. There are many more days that will be warmer in order for you to push yourself harder.



Happy Running,
Jen

Saturday, January 23, 2010

He is on the way.....

I set out on a mission this morning. A mission that should have been taken care of days ago, but being I have more on my plate right now than I know what to do with this mission just had to wait. I was also at a total loss as to what to purchase on this mission for it was a shopping outing to find the perfect baby gift for my baby cousin Elizabeth’s baby shower. I had to enlist some help from my best friend Nicole. Being I don’t have a little bundle of joy running around just yet, and I wanted to do something different than the standard onesies, blankets, and stuffed toys I needed help. This mission would have been aborted and if not certainly would not have seen a successful end if it weren’t for Nicole. Thank you girl, I love you!! Two hours before a shower that was an hour drive away, I had successfully completed the mission placed before me. I had no time to spare I had to run home, try to make myself presentable in order to not completely embarrass my family, and put all these fun goodies together.


I think it was a success!

I was off to the country, and I will just toss it out there, this gal is a city girl through and through. Country and I we don’t get along all so well, which is rough being I have A LOT of family that resides in the country. But that is a discussion for a different day. I will however, give you a quick side bar………..A few years ago I was driving my brother and I to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for Thanksgiving, their quaint little house is just outside Pegs America, which for all you city folk, Pegs is near Tahlequah. Well we will just say my brother and I didn’t get to our destination in time for Thanksgiving dinner because I didn’t allow for the extra time it took for us to take the long way from Tulsa. You know the route, the one up through Vinita? Yes, we were lost on our way to a home I have been to more times than I can count. So with that said, I knew in order to get to Elizabeth’s on time I needed to make sure her address was programmed into my GPS. The only problem was my GPS did not so much want to show me the directions, nor did it even want to find the general area of where I was trying to go. After Mapquest came to my rescue I was on my way, and this city girl made it pretty far, within a mile of Elizabeth and Jon’s house before getting lost. Attention OK Department of Transportation, or whoever is in charge of road signs, don’t leave rural Oklahoma out. Okay, I digressed sorry. I had to call Elizabeth and get direction for the last mile………..I made it, fashionably late but there nonetheless.

We all had a great time……….



Eating yummy sweets.



Playing games.






Seeing all the fun exciting gifts little Camden received.


And seeing a glowing and growing mommy to be.

I had an amazing time spending quality time with my daddy’s side of the fam. I love spending time with family; it is the one constant in my wild crazy life. My family is a place where I find contentment, peace, and normally a lot of laughter. Thank you for letting me be a part of such a special time in your life. Love you!!



I will update my blog upon the arrival of Mr. Camden. If mommy has it her way, he will be here this week; we are all waiting with great anticipation.



Love Ya,
Jen