Happy November!

Remember my last post when I said I had hoped that November would prove to be a bit less busy and would therefore allow me to blog more consistently?  Here it is November 5th and it is my first post of the month and my first post in over a week.  Hmm, so much for consistency.

I have been feeling a little off the past few days and chalked it up to allergies.  Our weather has been crazy lately.  The weekend before Halloween it was in the mid-80's and the boys were practically sweating to death in their costumes as we did Trunk or Treat at my oldest's school and a Halloween festival at the college where I work.  It's always hard trying to figure out whether to get the boys a costume more appropriate for fall weather or for warmer, Indian summer weather because you never know what you are going to get in St. Louis at the end of October.  This year, our costumes were more appropriate for cooler weather, which worked to our advantage since it was quite cool and windy on Halloween night.  We had a great time trick or treating with friends and the boys were darling in their costumes.  We typically try to dress somewhat alike so this year, we had Harry Potter (Nick), toddler Harry Potter (Jack), Hermione (me), and a Dementor (Matt).  I am going to savor these years when the boys will indulge my love of Halloween and family costumes, because I know that there will be a day all too soon that they won't want to dress up with Mom and Dad.

Halloween 2014 - Toddler Harry Potter and Harry Potter

Toddler Harry Potter, Hermione, and Harry Potter at Trunk or Treat

Dementor (Matt) at Trunk or Treat

Despite my denial about how I've been feeling and attributing it to allergy issues, I am, in fact, sick and took a sick day today for the first time in quite awhile.  I'm not sure what I have exactly, but I'm losing my voice, my throat hurts (not like strep, but different than a normal sore throat), I'm coughing up a storm, I feel feverish, and just generally feel blah.  I normally don't stay home unless I'm on my death bed, but I've learned that I don't do myself any favors by trying to be superwoman, so I decided it would be best to stay home and rest, particularly since I have a busy week coming up with events at work (the college where I work is celebrating its 150th anniversary).  A little soup, tea, and naps seems to have helped a bit. 

This week, I am going to wrap up my Ragnar adventure with things I learned along the way and some tips I have for anyone who is going to participate in a Ragnar race or is thinking about it.  I'm happy to answer any questions you might have (nothing is off limits), so feel free to fire away in the comment section below and I will answer! 

It seems fitting to finish up my Ragnar adventure since I just received my medal in the mail over the weekend!  It's a long story, but it's been a long time coming getting this medal.  It's nice to finally be able to hold it and see it.  Plus, receiving it in the mail brought back a lot of memories!

At long last my Ragnar Napa Valley medal arrived

I hope everyone is having a great, and healthy, week!

My Ragnar teammate and friend, Smitha, posted this quote to her blog's Facebook page (check out her here!) and I love it.  It's so true!

"It's important to remember that each foot strike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in some way than you were the day before."