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my running playlist

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Today I began my triathlon training for the year.  By that I mean I got my butt in the pool and swam.  I haven’t swam since August because, well, I don’t like to swim!  Lay on a beach, yes.  Float on a raft in the middle of the pool, yes.  Sit in a hot tub, of course.  Actually swim, no!  Unfortunately 1/3 of a triathlon is swimming so I have to start the training.

So I got my suit on, stuck my head under the shower, and walked out to the pool.  Of course, since it’s January, every lane was filled with three people.  I stood, freezing now, while the lifeguard filled me in on the abilities of the swimmers in each lane and which lane would be best for me to join.  Finally I slipped into the water, adjusted my goggles, and dove under.  “Wow, this feels great!”, I thought.  Then I surfaced and began to swim the freestyle (which looks nothing like the real freestyle) and it became painfully clear to me just how long it has been!  All I could think was that I am glad it is only January!

Part of my dislike of swimming is overcoming the boredom of back and forth laps in a pool.  When I run (my favorite!) I have my playlist to keep me company if I am running alone.  I love my running playlist.  It’s named  “Running Fast”! Continue reading “my running playlist” →

published in an online magazine!

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A post of mine was published in the online magazine Bucket List Publications!

You can read it here:  Deep into the Cave.

Bucket List Publications quotes Eleanor Roosevelt to help explain its goal.  The quote is: “The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”

As I’m sure you know, I completely agree with this quote which is why it is such an honor to be published in this magazine!

ski. new jersey?

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Going skiing seemed like a great idea at the time.  There were two snowfalls within a week and all of the local resorts were finally open.  It sounded great on December 30th anyway when we made plans with friends to go skiing on New Year’s Day.  It was another story on January 1st.

After not getting to bed until 2am on New Year’s Eve, morning came all too quickly.  We groaned as the winter sun began to filter into our bedroom and wondered if skiing really was such a good idea.  But, we were meeting friends, so we were committed.

We headed 15 minutes down the road to Mountain Creek in Vernon, NJ.  Yes, I said  New Jersey.  Please don’t laugh.  There really are mountains in New Jersey…kind of.

Continue reading “ski. new jersey?” →

top post of the year

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Thank you so much for reading my blog this year.

Today is actually the one year anniversary of the start of this blog!  A year ago today I was struggling to get the site set up (so glad that part is over!).  I have had so much fun writing 7feetnorth this year and hope you have enjoyed it too!  I’m looking forward to more writing in 2013.

Look for more adventure and exploration in 2013 and how to incorporate it all with a family.  You can do all the things you love with kids, it just requires some creativity and, often, a sense of humor to survive it!

So, I wanted to share the post that was the most popular this year.   It happens to be a post about one of our favorite vacations:  Grand Manan Island.

I highly recommend taking a vacation here.  It is beautiful and still relatively uncrowded.  You won’t be disappointed.

Here is the post:  grand manan island.

this cookie party brought to you by Pinterest

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Pinterest.  Every once in a while I enjoy going on the site and checking out all the new pins.  So many amazing craft and recipe ideas.  The problem is, I’m not crafty nor do I enjoy to cook …at all!  So I look, admiring all the beautiful creations, knowing it will never be me.  I pin sometimes too, thinking just maybe I can actually create it.  I get sucked in by the pictures, everything looks so beautiful and, well, easy.

Then I actually make the item that I have pinned.  The result: Pinterest fail!  Why?  Because I still am not crafty and I still do not enjoy to cook!  Continue reading “this cookie party brought to you by Pinterest” →

now i can say, “i am a writer”

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Last year, about this time I began thinking of New Year’s Resolutions.  I always love the thought of a whole new year, untouched, laying out before me.  The possibilities seem endless!

I wrote my 2012 resolutions down in a journal.  Number 3 on the list was to start a blog!  I can’t believe that I’ve done this for almost a year.  It’s been so much fun for me, and I hope you have enjoyed it as well.

This past summer I read a book by Jeff Goins called Wrecked.  I really enjoyed the book and began to follow his blog goinswriter.com.  This fall Jeff offered an online writing class called Tribe Writers.  It is a course to help writers find their voice and develop a platform to help market their writing and gain more followers. Continue reading “now i can say, “i am a writer”” →

are your kids too clean?

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Today’s generation of kids is called the hyper-parented generation.  Like never before, parents today attempt to do everything they can to protect their children.  In today’s world safety is a god.

I recently read a parody of the book Goodnight Moon in The New Yorker.  It is very funny!  You can read it here.  The last lines in the poem state:

                  Goodnight wipes warmer and yoga mat, HEPA filter and sun hat,
                    Sunscreen, sunglasses, sleep sack, outlet cap, sleep coach, G &T ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     star charts, consumer reports,
                   Vitamin D, anything with Omega-3, French au pair, filtered air and—

                   Goodnight alpha parents everywhere.

Satire?  Maybe, but reality is not too far off.  Continue reading “are your kids too clean?” →

real or fake? a Christmas controversy

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It’s one of the biggest controversies of the Christmas season.  Real tree vs artificial tree.  Everyone has an opinion.  And then there are sub-controversies.  If you go real, do you cut it down at a tree farm of pick up a pre-cut tree from a road side stand?  If you go artificial then do you get the tree pre-lit or add the lights yourself?  It’s a lot of decisions to make at such a busy time of year! Continue reading “real or fake? a Christmas controversy” →

exercise, diet, and the holidays…lets be realistic

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The other day I saw an article about ways to avoid eating at a holiday party.  One suggestion was to eat before you go to the party.  Please!  If I do that then I will just eat two meals.  I mean who wants to avoid eating during this time of year.  Part of the fun this time of year is getting together with others and getting together usually involves food, drink, and staying up late.  None of these help diet or your athletic life at all.  Continue reading “exercise, diet, and the holidays…lets be realistic” →

hidden places

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I’ll admit it, I’m slightly obsessed with caves.  It’s the adventure of it.  Traveling deep into the earth, not knowing what you will find.  Often these caves are hidden in plain sight.  Exploring them is like being let in on a secret not known by many.  So, when a friend of ours offered to take us to one of these hidden caves we jumped at the chance.

 

 

My family met up with our friend and his son, jumped in a car together, and drove the short distance to a pull off along the road.  It’s a busy road, connecting two major roads in our county.  I drive on the road quite often, zipping past homes, lakes, restaurants, and a school never realizing there is a large cave  just out of sight.  The trees are dense here, but this time of year, with the leaves all long gone you can peer back into the woods and spot tall cliffs.  In front of the cliffs the ground heaves up creating small berms and rocky rolling hills.  These berms hide the secret of what lays beyond the road and forest. Continue reading “hidden places” →