2 Months, 269k

That is how long I have been streaking now.  It feels good.  Today was the first time in a long time that I didn't want to run.  A certain small one was up for over and hour in the night so I was not feeling the groove this morning but knew it would be worse tonight so I laced up the runners and got it done!


Pretty proud of this little streak!  

How Jenn Got Her Groove Back

Today's Photo: Absolutely no adjustments made, this is how it came out of the camera.

 And with a few tweaks to make it more artistic...

1 Day Photo Streak

There, finally, my first picture of the year is done!  It's not perfect but it's done!  A decided she needed to eat her Cheerios wearing my sunglasses.  Of course as soon as the camera came out she took them off but I still snapped a few of her with her sippy cup of milk.  


My kids are damn cute!  Makes taking pictures easier when the material is so gorgeous to start with!


In other news, I have the urge to buy another lens.  Do I need another lens?  Not really.  Is it fun to try new lenses?  Hell yeah!  So the research has begun and it's going to be a prime lens for sure.  Just debating between a 35mm, 50mm or an 85mm.  I already have a 50mm but the one I'm looking at is faster, has vibration reduction and is sexier.  Yes a lens can be sexy!   Lenses are also addictive.  


Such fun decisions in my life this week!

Epic Fail

No pictures taken yet.  I'm going to put my camera in my work bag and take it to the office today.  You never know when you might need it!  Or better yet, just take it out and shoot something!  FFS.

Photographer's Block

We've all heard of writer's block but I think I'm experiencing Photographer's block.  I have not taken a single picture with my real camera since New Year's Eve.  What the hell?  This is not like me.  I think part of the problem is that I'm constantly thinking about my next photo assignment instead of taking pictures for the joy of it.  I'm so consumed by getting the perfect shot for the assignment that I'm letting the everyday shots slip away.  I've put too much pressure on myself to make every shot brilliant and really I'm not brilliant yet I need to practice, practice, practice!
So here is the new streak I'm going to start.  I'm going to take at least one picture a day for the rest of the year.  It doesn't have to be perfectly composed, the right exposure or even emotionally stimulating.  Just put the camera in my hands and look around and capture the fabulous life I'm living!  Iphone and Point & Shoot Photos do not count.  These have to be taken with my big camera.  The world is an amazing place, time for me to start seeing that again!  

I Heart My Treadmill

When I first started trying to get into shape (15 years ago!!!) I was terrified of the treadmill.  At the gym it was the last piece of equipment that I would use.  Even then it was only for walking on.  Crank up the elevation and walk, that was all it was good for.  I was completely terrified of trying to run on it.  I saw someone go flying off the back once and was convinced that would be me if I tried.  That and I'd been taunted since I was a kid that I "run like a duck" so the idea of putting myself on display in a gym running was enough to make me throw up in my mouth.  

When I started running it was all outside.  +30 to -30, weather didn't matter, I ran in it.  Very little ever stopped me.  People called me hardcore and I loved it!  Now I've been running for 53 days straight and not one of those runs has been outside.  What the hell happened?  Well, we moved to Hamilton and in a city where not one person knew me I found the bravery to run on a treadmill and guess what?  I didn't fall off!  Amazing!  That is where it began.  Most of my runs were still outside but I was warming up to the treadmill.  Then we moved back home and once again I was really shy about running where anyone could see me and this time I retreated to the treadmills in M's clinic.  I could run once all the clients were gone, it was my private treadmill.  I found my groove and moved my running back outside.  

Then came babies!  We bought our treadmill when G was 2 months old and it has saved me so many times.  I've never been strong enough to enjoy stroller running and was not comfortable running with G until he was much older.  So I took to the treadmill again.  I timed my runs with his naps.  He'd hang out in his swing and I would run.  It became so Pavlovian that he would fall asleep right away and his eyes would snap open the moment the treadmill stopped.  It worked so well.

5 years later we have a very intimate relationship.  My treadmill has seen me in tears, seen me laughing my ass off, been moved to a new house and most importantly has never been a laundry rack.  Yup, I have grown to love my treadmill.  I run while kids nap, when the kids go to bed and I'm the only parent home.  I run at times that I would not be able to without a treadmill.  

So while the treadmill suffers many names "dreadmill" and "hamstermill".  I will admit that I love my treadmill!  

50!

50 runs in 50 days!

It started so innocent, run every day for the month of December.  It seemed like a good way to get active again.  It has turned into an addiction!  I'm loving it though.  The first few weeks were really hard, I had hardly run since October.  I took it slow and steady and it came back.  Now the runs are second nature.  My day doesn't seem complete without a run in it.  My metabolism is increasing unfortunately so has my appetite so my weight is not changing.  It fluctuates a few pounds up and down but it stays about the same.  And that is not a bad thing.  Maintaining is a skill of it's own.  The goal is to be losing but maintaining instead of gaining is still something to celebrate!

Now to see how long the streak will last :)

Fracking Cold!

This isn't news but I'm a wuss.  I stay away from weather extremes.  +40? No freaking way.  -40?  Not a chance.  I just don't enjoy the extremes.  This week has been the coldest temps that I can remember.  -42? I've seen that, but -49 with the windchill, you have got to be kidding me.  On the plus side this should mean that lots of bugs are killed off and maybe my family can stay healthy for a little bit!  Yup, even though I whine about being cold, I can always find the bright side!  


Ironic that with the -49 comes my 49th day of running.  Odd little coincidence that makes me smile.  Yup, I'm also a nerd.


129 days, 41 pounds and 9 minutes to race day!


This is how everything feels to my hands right now:

Run, Run, Run, Repeat!

The best thing about streaking is that I no longer waffle about going for a run.  If I have the time I just run, if I don't have the time I make it.  I don't think about running, I do it.  


I'm taking control of my life and my body.


This is my year!

To Edit Or Not To Edit

Photoshop has become a daily debate for me.  There is a very big part of me that is very anti-photoshop.  I don't want to give a picture back to the client that is not an accurate reflection of them.  BUT isn't it part of my job to give you back a photo that reflects who you see in the mirror?  Those two images don't always match up!  Where do you draw the line between acceptable editing and fantasy editing?  I don't know where that line is but so far I definitely err on the side of caution.  The primary criticism of my work so far is that I don't take out the wrinkles.  And it's true, I've taken out bruises and blemishes but I've never taken out a wrinkle.  Why not?  I don't know.  Part of me is rebelling against the whole "wrinkles are bad" advertising campaign that every cosmetic company is making their money on.  Part of it is that I love your wrinkles.  Wrinkles show me the experiences you have had in life.  I don't need to be able to read palms, I can read your face.  And it's beautiful.  


I have a set of portraits that I am currently editing and I'm torn on the wrinkles.  They are wonderful, they are from smiles, tears and life.  But will I get repeat business if I don't eliminate a few, soften them up or take them all out?  I don't know.  It's a risk I have to decide on for my business.  


Photo editing definitely has it's place.  I've adjusted exposure, colours that were faded, turned a colour picture black and white or sepia or any range in there.  I've even taken an ugly sign out of a landscape and I don't see a problem with any of those.  I am not going to make your boobs bigger or your ass smaller though!  


It's faces that I am stumbling on.  Faces are so sensitive.  I don't feel like I should be straightening a nose but I'm okay with taking out blemishes.  I don't want to take your wrinkles out but I want you to smile when you get your pictures.


It's something that I need to find my comfort zone on and it's not simple.

Time flies when you are having fun!

2012 has been a great year so far...not one person in the house has barfed!  I know that will change soon, we seem to be the house of pestilence and disease but for now I'm celebrating.  10 days illness free!  That might be a record since September.  


My running streak is at 41 days and I have not had junkfood yet this year.  I've been close and tempted but so far so good.  I am relying too much on carbs though.  Now that the junkfood cravings are lessening it's time to work on the carb overload.  


The kids are a riot, G was correcting my French today and A decided to call me Jenn tonight.  They keep me on my toes.


The original plan for this year was to do all shorter distance races and already the urge to run a half is starting to rear it's head.  Also the urge to run a marathon is surfacing.  I promised myself to not run a marathon until I get back to a healthy weight and am sticking to that.  It would be much too hard on my body to run a half at this weight.  Lots of others can do it, I'm not one of them.  So the search for a fun half begins.  August would be the soonest to do it and there are lots to choose from!


And to inject a little photography into this post:


Little girl and I hunting a Christmas tree:

 Zoolights!!!

A glimpse into the future...

M decided to use his wine aerator for the first time at dinner tonight.  He pours his wine through sits down.  G sits there for a moment and then proceeds to tell us that a better idea for it would be to pour beer through it straight into your mouth.  I guess he'll learn one day how that really works :)  This parenthood thing is interesting.

Streaking

Ms. K got me started and I'm thrilled that she is continuing with me.  Streaking is fun!


The streak is at 33 days and 138kms!


Now what is the deal with the runs while on a run?  I haven't had this problem for months and suddenly it's happened twice in the last week.  Everything is going well and suddenly I'm doing the penguin walk of shame up the stairs to the bathroom.  


It's a real bummer


It's the shits


Got to run!


J

New Year, New Blog

As 2011 wound down and I my weight was pretty well exactly where it had started at I realized that my blog name was all wrong.  My life contains so much more than weight loss so why have a blog dedicated to that very small portion of my life?  2011 may have been a stalemate as far as weight loss is concerned but it was fabulous in so many other ways!  Life happened and it was good.  So this is the new blog and it's about everything.  It's about life.  Life with two short ones who light it up, life with a husband who tells me he loves me every single day, life with a loving supportive extended family and life with the best friends a girl could ask for.  I'm not promising it will always be funny or introspective or family friendly, I am promising that it will be Jennuine.  Just me and some words and pictures.


For kicks here are my New Year's Resolutions:


In 2012 I WILL:
1: PB at the 10k distance
2: Run in shorts
3: Finish my photography diploma
4: Lose 40lbs
5: Buy dresses and dress like a girl


Things that I promise to continue to do:
I promise to keep living in the moment with my little family.  The short ones change so fast and are so much fun, I want to soak it all up.
I promise to be the best wife I can be.  I am very lucky and will continue to remember that.
I promise to continue to be a good friend. I'm not perfect, I'm not even in the realm but I do love my girls and want to continue to be a part of their lives.


A few highlights from 2011:
A post-Celiac PB in the Half Marathon (Vancouver) and in the 10K (Calgary).  They were hard work and the feeling was amazing.  So lucky to have been able to celebrate those days with great friends.
G graduated from pre-school and started Kindergarten!  He is in french immersion and the change in his language skills has been amazing.
A moved from being a baby to a toddler.  A very verbal toddler!  
Another trip to San Fran and a course PB.  Fabulous trip with some fabulous friends.
I made new friends and stayed connected with some old friends.
M and I continued to grow together.


2011 was a good year but 2012 will be even better!


Welcome to the new blog!  Even the kids are reading along ;)