First run post pregnancy

It feels like it has been a long time coming, but I finally donned my running shoes and hit the trails. I seriously had to shake cobwebs out of my bones. It was hard to succumb to my pregnancy and give up running, and it feels incredible to be back out there again.

My body took longer to recover than I expected, and I'm still not feeling completely back to normal yet. But the doc gave the thumbs up, and the opportunity was there, so I had to give it a try.

I ran one of my favorite trails. Forget the gym. The gym and I don't necessarily get along. I needed to feel dirt under my feet and take in the elements to ensure my first post pregnancy run would be a success.

My goal was not to keel over and hopefully not to stop. Luckily my feet remembered this trail I have run dozens of times. One foot in front of the other and I found myself back into my old rhythm. Man, did it feel good. And I made it. I ran the entire way without stopping or collapsing.

This is seriously going to hurt tomorrow and my abs feel like they are going to shake out of my body, but man did that feel invigorating. My mind didn't really forget how much I love running, but I think my body needed the reminder. Despite being seriously sleep deprived, I have a crazy burst of energy.

Of course I haven't got a clue how well I'll keep this up. This could be the last run I do for awhile or it could light a fire in me. We all have things we need to keep us going. The past six or so months have been challenging and not having my regular runs - my moving meditation - forced me to face far more emotions head on and look for other ways of release. I'm afraid to admit that more often than not I didn't release and instead let it all build up. Never healthy, right?

We have a seriously rich life with two amazing kids, loads of travel (with those two amazing kids), and a lot of change preparing to happen in the not-too-distant future. I'm glad to be back on my feet where I can blow out all the stress and pent up emotions and really be there for my family. I am so ready to have myself back again. Who knows, maybe you'll actually hear from me more often again. Lord knows we have an insane amount to tell you about these days.

Happy Sunday and I hope you get a chance to find yourself today!

xoxo

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The Hills are Alive...with the Sound of Music! - Berchtesgaden Land and Salzburg

My sister asked me last night if we ever sit still. HA!  Guess the answer to that is, "we don't" but that's also because we don't want to.  Every time we start to feel like the traveling is getting to be too much, we think of all the places we want to see and the excitement wells up inside all over again.  We love it. This past month has been especially adventurous with my mom being here, the arrival of Baby C, and Big R's parents coming for a visit.  For little r, this month has been one long and wild ride.  I mean, when you get to see things like this, how can you stay away?

Our latest adventure took us to Southern Germany into Berchtesgadener Land and over the hill into Austria to see Salzburg.  Except for one day, the weather for this trip was absolutely brilliant!  We stayed in Schönau am Königssee, which is a harbor town on the tip of a beautiful lake.  It's a stone's throw away from Berchtesgaden and Salzburg and everything in between, so I decided it would be a nice place to call home.  Our home was a sweet little hotel called Pension Berganemone, and it was comfortable and super affordable for the area during high tourist season.

We arrived at our hotel mid-afternoon and spent some time exploring the town, enjoying beer and snacks at one of the many friendly biergardens, and scoped out the adventures that lie ahead for our stay.  After a fantastically delicious German meal at the same biergarden and a good night's sleep at our cozy hotel, we woke up to rain and decided to spend the day at the Berchtesgaden salt mine and exploring Salzburg.

Delicious German meal leaves me with all smiles

The tour of the salt mine was a huge hit.  I've been fortunate enough to have been on a salt mine tour in this region in the past (including the same one!), but I forgot how fun the tour can be.  Before you enter the mine, we had to climb into jumpsuits. Little r was especially adorable in his, and I got a suit big enough so that Baby C could snuggle inside mine.  You take a train that you straddle deep into the mountain. Honestly, it's pretty spooky, particularly if you are a clausterphobe like I am.  They didn't allow cameras inside the mine, so you'll have to trust me on this one. Once you reach the station inside, you reach lower levels of the mine by riding wooden slides.  They are actually pretty steep, so it's a fun ride!  Little r thought he was in heaven and kept asking to go back.  

All suited up for a trip into the Salt mine!

Our train ride into the mountain...

Then it was time to head to Salzburg.  It's a beautiful city with a lot to see, but for some reason my attempts to truly enjoy Salzburg with Big R have been thwarted by one reason or another.  Although it was a Thursday morning, the parking garages close to the Altstadt were full, so we grabbed street parking and found ourselves limited by timed meters.  We finally found ourselves in the heart of the Old Town and made our way up to the fortress.

Picturesque street in Salzburg - we took the same picture in 2007

Water wheel powering the oldest bakery in Salzburg

The view from the top of the fortress

My tour guide

View of the fortress walls from the top

little r admiring the King's eye view from one of the rooms in the fortress

All this sightseeing tired someone out!

little r protecting the fortress by manning the cannon

Fortress view from downtown Salzburg

The day was exhausting where nothing seemed to go as planned and the weather was the pits (but no where near as bad as it was for us in Lisbon!), so we finished off the day exploring the sweet little town of Berchtesgaden after giving up on Salzburg. We found a random gem of a restaurant in town called Kurz a Curry.  Who knew that delicious Thai food could be found in the heart of the Alps?!

The next day was gorgeous and the activities were much more our speed.  The sun was shining, the skies were blue, and we spent the day out on Königssee (or King Lake) enjoying the views and hiking in the hills that inspired The Sound of Music.  Picking the best photographs to share from that day was an impossible task.  But here are some that hopefully capture the essence of the place.  We really could not have asked for more perfect weather.

Boat houses on Lake Königssee 

Ready for a day of exploring!

The water was as still as glass

little r taking it all in

beautiful Lake Königssee 

Keeping entertained on the long boat ride across the lake

more spectacular views

A perfect capture of the reflection in the lake

Stream on our hike up to Obersee

Another artful capture of beauty

Our loyal companions on this Alpine adventure! 

hiking up to Obersee - such a little man

Cooling off in the Obersee with Grandma

A summer trip to the Alps is never complete without some cow bell!

For the afternoon we visited Kehlsteinhaus (or Eagles Nest), which was a structure built for Hilter intended as a 50th birthday gift that he could use as a retreat and to host dignitaries. The road leading up to the Kehlsteinhaus is winding and narrow, and you reach the top of the structure by tunnel into the mountain and then riding up a 131 meter elevator shaft (apparently Hitler was afraid of heights).  The views from the top are magnificent when the weather cooperates.  When Big R and I visited in May of 2007, we could barely see five feet in front of us because the fog was so thick.  It was such a pleasant surprise to take in all the views on a pretty day.  The most amazing part was, there were huge snow banks still standing despite the temperatures being well over 20 degrees Celsius!  Little r thought that was pretty fantastic - playing in the snow when the weather is warm is a pretty awesome deal.

My photographer capturing that perfect shot

The bus ride up to the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagles' Nest) was CRAZY! 

Huge mound of snow still left behind the Kehlsteinhaus
(the bright orange jacket is little r playing kind of the mountain!)

View of the Kehlsteinhaus

We were so happy the weather cooperated and gave us such beautiful views!

Family portrait - we couldn't peel little r away from the snow!

Grandpa Pete is nuts! 

Again... gorgeous!

Enjoying a little apfelkuchen (apple cake) before heading back  down the mountain

The ride home the next day was quite an adventure in itself.  All of the excitement of the past month finally caught up with little r, so he was sick, exhausted, and quite frankly done with all of it.  A feisty little r means an awesome day for those in his company. We took a short detour to see Zell am See and drive the back roads home through Austria. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the greatest of ideas considering the state of our little one.  Luckily the weather was gorgeous again, which made an otherwise miserable drive quite pleasant - haha.

Zell am See

Parasailer's taking advantage of the gorgeous weather

Beautiful views on our drive home

They are growing up too fast

Holy heck, my boys are growing up too fast. It truly is unbelievable how that happens. Baby C is already five weeks old (where in the world did the last month go?!), and I had to put away all his newborn clothes yesterday. It appears someone finally inherited the tall genes in our families. About time, right?

Little r was much more gentle to me with his growing. If the clothes said "9 months", that's exactly where he was in his size. Where he might have lacked in size, he far made up for in his physical strengths. The kid, quite literally, never stopped moving - he still doesn't! So, I'm really not ready for it this time around...to watch my baby grow incredibly fast. I put those newborn clothes away and felt my heart flutter. How did he get so big?!

And little r, too. I looked at him the other day and thought to myself that he's a little person now. My baby is now a little boy. It didn't happen overnight, obviously, but sometimes it feels that way. His imagination is incredible and he creates little r-isms every day. He also seems to have inherited his dad's memory, which is great for him, but maybe not so great for me, hahaha...

Here are some moments captured on my iPhone over the past few weeks...

brotherly love :)

me and my boys

so in love...

sandboxes are little r's favorite

i heart giraffes

cool kid

he's getting so big already

proud big brother

be still my heart

It's true that there are times we want our kids to hurry and grow up. That it's painful to deal with temper tantrums day in and day out and potty training can be your biggest nightmare (oh my land, it is definitely one of mine!). That you have far too many sleepless nights for feedings, illnesses, or nightmares. I mean, let's be honest, our lives are never the same after bringing little ones into the world. But if you can manage to wipe that tired fog off of your eyes and clear your mind for even a second, you are lucky enough to see this little person develop right before you. And wow, what a cool thing. For every frustrated sigh or time I have to count to ten in my mind, I have at least one smile, one laugh, or one tear for all of the amazing things little r says or does.

And Baby C? This sweetheart has reminded me how special it feels to hold a new life in your arms. To observe him taking in the world a little bit at a time and to remember that life can encompass such simplicity at that age. Without the fear of unknowing that comes with your first born child, I have been able to truly enjoy these moments a little more.

One of my Facebook friends posted on her status today that it is "World Sauntering Day." The purpose of such a day is to remind us to take it easy, smell the roses, to slow down and enjoy life as opposed to rushing through it. I think I need to make this an every day purpose. I'm afraid if I don't remind myself of this on a regular basis, my life might just flash before my eyes.

 

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