What a month. It's been joyous, but also a bit bittersweet, when my baby.. whom I birthed, nursed, nurtured and protected all these years.. turned 17 years old this month and is now driving a car. This is way harder than the first day of school, first time away at camp, first period, first boyfriend... seeing your child get in car and drive away from home is SO SCARY. I am proud and happy to see that she has become a strong, capable, independent young woman so anxious to get out there in the world, who by the way, learned first hand how to jump start a dead battery about 60 hours after getting her license, but at the same time I miss the little girl who is no more. Never has childhood seemed more fleeting to me than it has this month. Did I mention she's smart, too? She was inducted into the National Honor Society in April. :)
In fitness:
My workout pattern has been pretty predictable this month. I've been running twice a week outdoors and biking on at least one weekend day. At the gym, I'm either in spin or kickbox class. I haven't been keeping up with strength training this month and I can feel it! I'm making a point to get weights, planks, push ups and ab work back into my weekly workout plan--even if I have to do it on my own at home. Here are my running and cycling stats:
Run 21.0 miles [33.8km]
Bike 191.5 miles [308.2km] <-- A new monthly record for me!
I know there are many, many cyclists out there who bike way more than this in any given month, but for a weekend cyclist like me, I think 191.5 miles rocks! I'll probably end up breaking this record before the summer ends, but for now.. I'm pretty happy with this mileage. I also made some new personal records with distances in April. One is for the most miles in two consecutive days, which was 68.4 miles [110km] (42.5 on Saturday and 25.9 on Sunday). The other record was for my longest ride yet at 52.2 miles [84km]. This route was mostly easy rolling hills, with one climb at the very beginning (4 mile mark) and one at the very end (48 mile mark). Most of our rides have several climbs interspersed with rolling hills. Did I mention we're signed up to ride a Gran Fondo [103 mile (165.8km) cycling event] in September?
What did you do to keep moving in April?
In books:
April was yet another productive reading month for me! I read twelve books! Well, three of them were re-reads of a graphic novel and a fourth was another graphic novel, but since Lover Reborn was over 500 pages, it kind of evens out, right?
Non-fiction...... 2
Health & fitness... 1
Memoir ..................... 1
Romance ............ 6
Paranormal ...........3
Contemporary...... 2
Historical ..............1
Graphic Novel .....4
1. Crazy, Sexy Diet by Kris Carr
2. The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole
3. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas
4. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole RE-READ
5. Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
6. A Dangerous Beauty by Sophia Nash
7. The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis
8. Amulet: Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi RE-READ
9. Amulet: Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi RE-READ
10. Amulet: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi RE-READ
11. Amulet: The Last Council by Kazu Kibuishi
12. Paris in Love by Eloisa James
I plan to review Paris in Love by Eloisa James, so stay tuned for that.
Do you read memoirs? If so, what compels you to chose the memoirs you read?
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| A girl and her cat |
I missed another day in my Project 366, but I decided against starting over from the beginning. I'm just going to continue doing the best that I can and if I miss a few days in a year, so be it. I'm not perfect and the project is still fun.
In the garden:
I haven't done a thing! I'll be so annoyed with myself if I fail to get my vegetable garden re-established again this year..
Thanks for taking the time to read about my April adventures!
Here's wishing you a marvelous May! :)
You got a lot of stuff done!!
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, Lover Reborn counts!! the book is massive!!
Good luck with your photography project :D
April was a great month for you!! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteI haven't done anything fitness-wise in...gah!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's bad--and the worst part is knowing it will have lasting effects sooner rather than later (old lady that I am).
I'm hoping to find a way to sneak at least some cardio in at least three times a week. If and when that happens, I'll start weights.
(wish me luck)
good luck, lol it seems april was the month of slippage for many including myself, but May is going to be AMAZINGLY AWESOME because we say so!!! Good luck this month and I can't wait to see all that you accomplish
ReplyDeleteI hear you on the bittersweet event of your child turning seventeen. (Mine isn't driving yet, though. She hasn't shown much of an interest.)
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing great with your working out- especially the biking and running. I hope your weather takes longer to warm up than ours has (it's 84 degrees with a feels like of 90 degrees today, so far.)
I hope your May is FABULOUS!
What a great pic! Love those candid shots. There is nothing harder than watching your child drive away. Boy I've done it 3 times now and I was a wreck each time. I'm hoping that by the 6th I'll be doing a jig that I'm free ;)lol.
ReplyDeleteI finished Lover Reborn, liked it a lot, better than some of her others. Glad there was a minimum of lessers and no S.V. I have a slew of Kresley Cole's on my puter, I read A.H.L.N.O and enjoyed it. I'll get back to those at some point.
I really don't read memoirs that often if at all. Sometimes I find them boring, sometimes I find the author a self absorbed boob. It has to be a person I really like and am interested in.
Gosh, I know, May already holy crumbs my kids have 5 wks of school left! I got my topsy turvy, just need to get my pots refreshed and pick my plants.
Paula
Congrats on all your miles! That's awesome. That long ride of the week and then just general time in the saddle is all you need to worry about and you still have lots & lots of time before your event.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up on your Project 366! I too have missed a day here or there, but when I look at all the photos to date I love them so much that missing a few days really doesn't matter in the big picture.
Awesome month Christine :) Sounds like you were busy as usual :)
ReplyDeleteSo cool that Maria can drive now! You have to admit, it's fun not to be the driver anymore :P
I can't wait for your review of the Eloisa James memoire!! and I just love your pictures :)
Wow, that was a very full April! Milestones for both you and your oldest.
ReplyDeleteNow see, the benefit of her being able to drive is that you can have her drive the younger daughter to events and you are freed up from taxi duty. :)
Great month Christine! I know what you mean about sending your baby girl off alone in a car. Mine recently got her license too and I was tempted to follow her the first day she drove to school alone! LOL
ReplyDeleteWow! How do you keep up with all of that?? I started the From Couch to 5K and then promptly fell off again. So here I am restarting again today :) I will succeed at some point! I'm determined. I need to buy my tomato plants for this year. If I can manage to keep them and the strawberry plant we were given alive then I am going to attempt to make a garden next year. Cross your fingers that I don't kill any of it :) It sounds like you had a wonderful month Christine! I hope that May goes just as well for you :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking out my amazing April adventures, everyone. Once again, I am way behind in replying to comments and catching up on all of your blogs. I clearly have horrible time management skills... :/
ReplyDeleteAlex:: I was questioning counting the graphic novels and or novellas .. and decided because Lover Reborn is so massive that it makes up for the lack of page count in the other ones! A book is a book is a book, right? They are all worthy of counting as far as I'm concerned. :D
Thanks, Linda! I hope I'm able to keep up with this reading rate.. It feels good to get to so many books!
Aisha:: I agree! May is going to be productive and amazing! um.. how are you doing so far? I'm still slipping.. still nothing in the garden renovation department. Maybe tomorrow...
Brandy:: Well I guess your last comment on this thread is already outdated since I saw on facebook that your daughter has begun her driving lessons! Yipeee! Do you know that in NJ, new drivers ARE REQUIRED to first take lessons with a certified driving school BEFORE they can learn/drive with their parents? Yep. Not like it used to be when I learned how to drive. Lots of other laws here now too.. they even get a probationary license (some restrictions about passengers and hours they can drive) for one year before they're "fully authorized."
Paula:: Thanks! My youngest avoids the camera like the plague, unless she's alone and in front of a mirror! LOL! She only allowed that picture above because the cat was snuggling her with his paws and head on her arm and she wanted a pic. ; )
I have your Love Reborn post bookmarked and will comment soon, I promise. I agree that it is better than some of the others. I think she sold No'One short in the happily ever after department, though. Kinda disappointing.
I know what you mean about memoirs being hit or miss. Sometimes I think people just get memoirs published because they are famous, not because they are necessarily interesting or have anything of import in their life to write about!
Samantha (samantha cycles) :: Thanks! I know, I know.. my cycling miles are like a drop in the bucket compared to yours!!! I'd like to use the excuse that if I lived in sunny California, I'd be riding more miles like you, but really.. that would still just be an excuse! You are cycling ALL THE TIME! Thanks for the advice and encouragement about preparing for the Gran Fondo. :)
ReplyDeleteHave you read Ride With Me by Ruthie Knox yet? It's a romance featuring a couple riding cross country. I bought it but haven't read it yet.
Glad to know I'm not the only one who's missed a couple of days in their Project 366! I was so hung up on making sure I got every day and whether I should start over when I missed... so silly. Like you said, all the other photos represent my year so well... it's not going to be a failure just because I miss a day here or there.
nath:: I admit it is convenient that Maria can drive herself places now.. but the worry is a million times worse now. I still plan on reviewing the Eloisa James memoir! Gah! I will, I will!
Shannon :: Lots of milestones around here is right! It is helpful that she picks up her sister from school.. but I get VERY antsy waiting to see their car pull in the driveway!
Leslie :: LOL! It's so hard letting these girls go, isn't it? Is yours going to live away from home next year in college?
samantha :: How do I keep up meaning keep track of it all? Or just doing it all? LOL. I keep a journal of my workouts on see how she runs. I update it every couple of days. Plus I use runkeeper app when I run which logs my runs. I have a basic cyclometer on my bike to track time, distance, pace, miles, etc.. plus my cycling partner has a Garmin which does that and more and she shares the link to her stats with me so I can keep track.
As for keeping up and doing it all.. the log helps keep me accountable and I just don't like skipping more than one day a week in my workouts and definitely never two days in a row unless I'm sick or on vacation. .It's just a habit I'm in. I also get up early (5:15 am) in the morning most days and just get it done. Anyone can do it.. you just have to have a plan and be consistent. Give yourself three weeks and you'll be hooked too.
Good luck with your garden!! :)
Good reading month! I can't wait for your thoughts on Eloisa James' memoir.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed by the amount of miles you've cycled! That takes some serious dedication.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry I missed these last two comments! I hate when I do that! :/
ReplyDeleteames:: I still plan on reviewing Eloisa James' memoir. Maybe this weekend!
Melanie:: Thanks! I'm very proud of the miles I cycled last month, but it's nothing compared to cyclists who are out there almost daily (like samantha cycles above). I'll ride more frequently July and August.