Upstate NY – Page 2 – Running Forward…My Way

Good Vibrations Gratitude Friday #12

Published on March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 by kerrymckim1 Comment

It’s Friday, you know what that means!

Time for some Good Vibrations Gratitude!

These are the 5 thing I am grateful for this weekend.

Seeing Les Miserables

I mentioned in my previous post about how I saw Les Miserables on a school trip to NYC my senior year of high school and how excited I was to see it last weekend. I had a great time.I was also intrigued at how sophisticated set design became in 22 years.

Les Miserables, 2018

We did learn a valuable lesson. When you see a show at Proctors in Schenectady, make sure you make reservations if you want to eat at any of the nearby restaurants. We didn’t. None of us thought of it. Ooops. Luckily there was a stand at the theater that sold sandwiches, desserts and there was also a bar.

This whole dinner debacle demonstrated a shift in my thinking. The old Kerry would stress about everything. Bryon used to say that I searched for things to worry about. The old Kerry would have freaked out that we didn’t have dinner reservations. The New Kerry just thought “I am not really that hungry anyway but there is a sandwich stand. If this is the worse thing that happens to me all night, then this is a great night. I am out with friends and I am seeing a musical that I love.”

I know I have grown as a person and it is nice to see evidence of that growth.
My daughter’s first haircut

I had so many emotions watching (and snap chatting) this. This was my daughters first haircut. There wasn’t much to cut off but her hair did grown in uneven so it was evened out. My hairdresser also put the hair in an envelope for me.
So. Many. Emotions. I tell you.

My daughter loved going to the salon and had a great time being “grown up”.
The Princess Party

In a moment of insanity, I decided to buy tickets to the Princess Ball. It was Sunday morning and I had stayed up late the night before.

Ooooops.

My daughter had a ball. (Pun intended).

I was texting Kimmy Gibbler and I told her that I was annoyed by all screaming kids and equally pushy parents. This was the unimpressed selfie I took and sent her. I was over it.

But it was hard to stay annoyed when I saw how much my daughter enjoyed herself. She has been telling everyone about the Princess Ball and in great detail too.

I was actually surprised at the detailed questions she asked each of the princesses. She didn’t just talk about dresses and tiaras. She asked Anna about the speed of Kristoff’s sled. My daughter is one smart cookie.
Avocados
Because they are delicious. I love guacamole and avocado toast.
My job
I had my yearly review at my job. It went well. I am thankful for my job. They hired me two months after Bryon died. Some people told me I should take more time off but I felt it was time to go back to work. Except for three weeks when my FMLA ran out, I hadn’t worked in 7 months. I was ready. That and our health insurance coverage through Bryon’s employment ended so that was also a motivating factor for going back to work.

Before I became a sole parent, I never thought I would like working from home. But now I feel like I couldn’t do it any other way. My schedule allows complete flexibility. I work a lot at night but that gives me the time to go to the gym, make doctors appointments and have the occasional lunch with friends. It also gives me wiggle room if my daughter is home sick or there is a snow day. The flexibility of my job helps me thrive (more like survive) in the other areas of my life.

My employer also provides us with a large amount of educational resources so I am able to keep up the continuing education I need to maintain my credential. That is very helpful because now I can’t go off and attend conferences anymore.

They also have an amazing program that gives each employee five days to volunteer and give back to the community. My company also donate money to grant wishes of employees in need every holiday season. I literally cried when they announced who won the wishes and told their stories. My company has a heart.

I also work with an amazing team. I have only talked to them on the phone and through email but they are great people.

And one last bonus gratitude-
The random 3 Hello Kitty pull ups
My daughter is mostly potty trained but still wears pull ups at night. I didn’t realize that we were down to one last pull up until she went to put it on. I know, I am totally failing at this motherhood thing lately. Actually I am pretty sure I am failing at life in general.I got annoyed at myself because that means I have to go out in the storm today and get a package of pull ups. But really no big deal.

Well my daughter had a big poop in that one last pull up. Of all nights. This story happened literally right before I typed this so it is in the middle of the night (because I don’t sleep anymore). I didn’t want to have to get her dressed and go to the 24 hour pharmacy to get pull ups.

I told myself not to panic. We had to have a random pull up somewhere in the house or maybe the car.

I looked in my purse- none.

Then I see a bag from my trip to Massachusetts for my grandmother’s funeral that I had not unpacked. (I know, a month ago. I told you, I am failing at life. I am a hot mess.) I looked inside and there were three Hello Kitty Pull Ups.

So I am very thankful for those three random Hello Kitty Pull-ups.

I am sure she is going to love reading this when she is older. She is probably going to be so unimpressed. She will probably say something like “Hey Mom, remember that time when you wrote about how I shit my pants and put it on the internet for the whole world to read?” And then I will remind her that we all have shit our pants at one time or another and that the post was actually about princesses and pull ups.

Those are the 6 things I am grateful for. What are you grateful for this week?

Good Vibrations Gratitude Friday #5

Published on November 3, 2017 by kerrymckim2 Comments

Every Friday I like to say what I am grateful for from this past week.

I am thankful that my daughter and I got to spent a nice fall day at a local farm. We rode the “Pumpkin Express”, looked at farm animals and picked up some pumpkins.
I am thankful that my daughter had a great three year checkup at the Pediatrician. I am thankful that she is healthy and doing well.
I am thankful that I survived my daughters Halloween Party at school. I was dreading it because I would have to be around these perfect middle class intact families with two parents. This is our second Halloween without Bryon and while neither of us particularly cared for the holiday, we would still participate in all the kid activities. The first Halloween I was protected by the widow fog but this Halloween, I don’t have the fog to protect me. In some ways, these moments hurt more now.
But it is hard to stay sad when I have I am around this girl.
I am thankful for a family full of great people who invite my daughter and I to go out trick or treating. They also throw a good dinner party after.
I am thankful for the rain because I actually like it. I am also thankful that all my friends and family in New England were okay during the storm.

What are you thankful for this week?

End of summer fun: Valley Cats game

Published on September 7, 2017 by kerrymckim2 Comments

Last week we had another first.

Our first baseball game without Bryon.

Bryon was an avid sports fan. If we were travelling, he would see what the local teams were for whatever sport was in season and if they were playing that night. When else would I see the Colorado Avalanche play? Or the Toronto FC soccer team play against the Capital City FC soccer team?

Bryon had the same enthusiasm locally as well. No summer was complete without going to some Valley Cats games. Usually we went when the Lowell Spinners were in town (the Single-A affiliate for the Boston Red Sox).

We took our daughter on her first Fourth of July in 2015. I tried to get a good family selfie but I failed.

I spent almost all of the summer of 2016 in an ICU room. And I have avoided baseball games this summer. Because going to baseball games was a thing that I did with Bryon. He loved going. I also realized that his baseball buddy, Julie, who worked the Brown’s Beer stand may not know that he died. Julie loved him. And I didn’t want to tell her. Luckily I didn’t have to go to the beer stand that night.

I had no plans to go this year, but the MS Society was there that night. And it ended up being a Friends themed night so that was cool too. I like Friends but I still maintain that How I Met Your Mother was a much better show than Friends though.

There were hot dogs. Ketchup was my daughters. I think ketchup is disgusting. Mustard and relish is my jam. I am full of controversial statements today. I won’t even discuss hot dog rolls today.

My bestie Kimmy Gibbler was there.

Our good friend was there. (She doesn’t have a nickname…yet.)

We also had a to see a friend who was working. You haven’t met him yet, but you met his girlfriend.

It did end up being a fun night. My daughter loved it. Granted, she didn’t really have any concept of the actual game, but there were friends, hot dogs and ice cream. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

The time my friends ate grasshoppers

Published on August 18, 2017August 18, 2017 by kerrymckim7 Comments

Warning- Stop reading Mom! I know you read everything I write, but do not read this story. (She has major bug phobia).

So tonight two of my good friends came over to help me around the house to to help me prepare for my new couch which arrives in the morning. The three of us love Mexican food and we planned on ordering Mexican food for dinner.

I opened the food ordering app because I prefer to order my food online. Because I hate talking to people on the phone that much.

I do not see our normal go-to restaurant listed. So we decided to try a new Mexican restaurant. I quickly google the name and I learn that it is a restaurant that specializes in authentic cuisine from the Oaxaca region in Southern Mexico. I said we should be adventurous. The worst thing that could happen was that the food wouldn’t be good and we would have to get food from somewhere else.

We decided to give it a try.

I look at the menu and made a comment about the fact that they had cow tongue.

One of my friends decided on a grasshopper burrito. The description seemed palatable and it said there was a choice of meat. My friend wanted chicken.

My other friend decided she wanted to order the same thing.

I looked the menu over and became overwhelmed so I ordered chicken tacos and an order of chips, guacamole and salsa.

When the food arrived, we were starving and ready to eat. I pull out the two burritos. My daughter said she wanted one and I said that they belonged to our friends. I gave my daughter some guacamole and chips and one of my chicken tacos. We all dig in and we talk about how good the food was.

Everything was great.

Then one of my friends jumps and says that her burrito actually has grasshoppers in it because one just fell out. My other friend was about five bites into her grasshopper burrito and she stops eating. I was eating chicken tacos but I lose my appetite in solidarity. The only one who continues to eat without being phased is my daughter.

“Grasshopper Burrito” wasn’t just a cute name.

We contemplated what to do. Do we call the restaurant and try to get something else? My friends felt bad because I put the whole order on my card. I assured them that this was such a good story that it was worth every penny.

Seriously, I have been bummed lately. I haven’t laughed this hard in a very long time. This might have been the hardest I laughed since before Bryon got sick.

My friends decided to just order a pizza instead. With no meat. And orange soda. Sunkist. Though the person on the phone called it Outcast soda. Hey ya!

The burritos went into the trash. My friend brought the trash outside which was good because I was having images of the grasshoppers coming back to life in my house.

My poor friend got the creepy crawlies.

You can’t really tell by the picture but in person, you could totally see the grasshopper legs.

A quick google search does reveal that grasshoppers are actually part of the diet in Mexico’s Oaxaca region. They are called Chapulines. So this cuisine is authentic.

Just a bit too authentic for us.

Little moments

Published on August 13, 2017 by kerrymckim3 Comments

This weekend I did the first of my long runs for my half marathon training. My training cycle has gotten off to a slow but steady start. I have joined a new gym called Metabolic Meltdown and I do those workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and I run on Tuesday, Thursdays and Sundays. I was having trouble motivating myself by just running and I need more strength so I hope this plan works. So far I have been enjoying it.

So on Sunday I took my daughter to the local university and did the 3 mile loop around campus, plus one extra mile.

It was the longest four mile run I have ever done.

First of all, since I have slacked off on my training, I gained weight and I was pushing a stroller with my almost 3 year old.

It was hot.

My daughter kept dropping things and I kept having to stop and pick them up.

I didn’t want my daughter to fall asleep on the run so I kept her entertained by singing Old MacDonald since we watch OutDaughtered all the time. OutDaughtered is the show about two year old Quintuplets. My daughter refers to the show as “Babies.” All I hear is “I want to watch Babies!” Anyway, there is an episode where they are singing, or supposed to be singing, Old MacDonald in a recital. So my daughter and I sang Old MacDonald and my daughter kept choosing “chicken” so this Old MacDonald had a farm full of chickens. Old MacDonald can thank for me sneaking in one cow and one cat.

My daughter saw one of the Albany city busses and kept saying ice cream truck. I told her it was a city bus, but she wouldn’t believe me. I told her she would disappointed if we went over and tried to order ice cream.

But I made it through the run. I think when I reach the six mile mark on my long runs that I will need to get a babysitter. I can’t be pushing the stroller for 8 miles. I will go nuts.

I was really wanting to get an iced coffee but I decided to stop and let my daughter run around the fountains. She was so happy which made me happy. Life is about the little moments.

Mother’s Day Weekend

Published on May 15, 2017 by kerrymckim4 Comments

I had a good weekend. My parents and my friends spoiled me. However, like all the other “firsts” I am feeling lots of emotions, of which I am still sorting out in my head. I am mentally too exhausted to write about them at the moment. I might need to take a day or two to decompress.

However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share photos from our trip to Indian Ladder Farms for Baby Animal Days. The goats, the bunnies and the 4 day old chicks were my daughters favorite.