Happy New Year 2016

Is it lame or smart?  We did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to bring in the New Year. I've always thought New Years Eve was an overrated holiday.  Big expectations, RARELY does it ever live up to them. I've always preferred to stay home or at most go to a friends house.  John and Zack drove home from Buffalo today, so they'd had enough together time.  I erged in the morning... so was tired anyway.  Brenna, of course, is off galavanting around Costa Rica!

Moscato with strawberries, so yummy

I asked Brenna to send me a pic of what she was doing at midnight, and this is what I got.  Not sure who the goober in the front is, but you can see B in the back and it looks like she's having fun.

About 9:30pm before we all decided that the new year would arrive without us paying attention, took the requisite selfie and we all went to bed!  Sure enough 2016 arrived with no help from us!

What's my Resolution???

I've been mulling and debating and trying to decide what I'm going to do for my 2014 Resolution.  I'm really proud of myself for completing 12 5K's and finishing my resolution.  I never would have run that many 5K's if I hadn't made the resolution…so now how will I challenge myself?  I've been thinking of a couple of things… Zack suggested I do a 10K every month, but that's just running and I'm not sure I can actually find a 10K every month.  David Tatum wants me to run the Marine Corp Marathon, but I already told him I wasn't ready for that - at least not yet.

Here's what I'm contemplating right now…
#1 - I will continue to run a race every month, I mean why stop since it's been working.  I will just make an attempt to switch it up.  Maybe I'll run a 5K, maybe I'll run a 10K, maybe just a 2 miler, but something every month!

#2 - One of those races will be a half marathon, Zack said he'd run it with me! I have run 10 miles before.  It wasn't easy, fast or fun, but I did do it.  I probably could do 13.1 if I put my mind to it and tried training for it.  Although,  I might save this for next year, especially if I decide to focus on #3.

#3 - The thing I think I really want to do is run a Sprint Triathalon.  Not a full fledged one, but they have smaller ones where you swim about a mile, bike about 20-25 miles and run a 5K.  I think that would be the most challenging thing for me.  I have the run down, I'm sure I could learn to bike, of course I'd have to buy a bike first, but the swim is where it would be the most challenging.  I know how to swim, but I don't know HOW to SWIM… but I think I can figure it out.

What's my resolution…

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year 2014

We celebrated in the typical Mt. Burnside Tradition.  We all got together and ate too much, played games, laughed, drank and ate some more! Seriously, I was incubating a 13lb New Years food baby all night long!  I always start off the night with the best of intentions, but the dip just calls my name and then there were ribs, and cheesecake and the list of yummies goes on and on!  We played a rousing game of Scattagories in which even the teenage boys joined and, oh my goodness, they answers those boys came up with.   I think Zack was just trying to come up with the most outrageous answers he possibly could.  Oh how he made us laugh.  I'm not sure we could have laughed any more or been any louder, but it was great fun. 

The party ended about 1030pm, which is pretty darn late for the cul-de-sac, so as usual I got to actually watch the ball drop in bed in my jammies.  That's really the best way! 

 Brenna decided to drive down to Richmond to spent New Year's with a new "sorta, maybe, potential" boyfriend and some other neighbors from Radford. John and I were a little hesitant/nervous about letting her drive down there by herself, but she came home safe and sound.   It's one of those situations where we really want to keep her home with us, but realize that we have to let her make her own decisions and use her own judgement.  I am relieved to say, she did great.  

Today - I decided to start the New Year off on the right foot… a Running foot! 

I ran my first 5K of the year today.  I was a little worried that my residual food baby would drag me down, but it turned out that maybe I should take a food baby with me more often!  I actually PR'ed my first 5K of the year!! 29.12 - I was pretty pumped about it.  I did run a 28.59 at the Robinson 5K in Nov, but according to my GPS watch that race was really only 3.05.  Today's race was 3.17.  My next best time was 29.32.  So, Hip, Hip Hooray for me!  It was a decent race, with tons of people, so it was hard in the beginning to get going - it was a narrow course so we were really packed in at the start, but I found my way and ended up doing just fine.

One race down…

Welcome 2013

We celebrated New Year's Eve in Mt. Burnside Way Style!  We ate until we were ready to puke and then we got dessert out!  The big kids played Xbox in the basement, the men watched football in the living room, the ladies hung out at the table solving all the world's problems and the little ones ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, spilling things, spreading toys every where and in general having a great time. It was great!  I had lots of craft supplies ready for everyone to make their own hats, but sadly no one was very interested.  I does make me a little sad when fun traditions fall by the wayside, but I just had another 15 cookies and it was all fine!  Most everyone left about 930pm, a few die hards made it until 10pm and Zoey and I hung on until the ball dropped.   Brenna has had 3 college friends spending the weekend and they were just heading out as the rest of us were winding down.  Oh to be young again.  We're so lucky in the friends we have and the place we live.   Where else in the history of the world, would you find 6 different families who's husbands all get along, wives all get along and kids all get along.  I mean that just doesn't happen, but it does on Mt. Burnside Way!  It's like the Leave it to Beaver life I always dreamed about when I was a kid moving around all the time. 

Austin, Evey and Laney

Like pigs at a trough

Brenna and roommate Brooke, Jack and Zack

Me and my midnight buddy

2012 was a very good, uneventful year and here's hoping that 2013 is more of the same.  Excitement is over-rated!  

I don't generally believe in doing New Year's Resolutions, mainly because it's not the date that makes a person ready to make a change, it's an internal thing.  But I have decided to go with a 2013 goal... I will attempt to run 1 - 5K every month this year.  I really don't think it will be that hard, but we'll see.  I finished by 5K trainer program, so I'm feeling a little pleased with myself.  I can't believe that I ran for 35 minutes.  I still have to stop and walk once or twice, but never more than a total of 60-90sec.  That's pretty good!  At least in my book that's awesome.  Never in a million years did I think I would be able to run for that long.  Sometimes, even while I'm running I can't believe it!  I've dropped 14 lbs and kept them off through the holidays.  Down to 120 lbs, I don't think I've weighed this since I was a freshman in high school and I gotta be honest - it feels pretty good.

Bring it 2013!    

A New Tradition

I never got around to getting the annual Christmas letter together this year.  So, I've decided that an Annual New Year's Letter is a much better idea!  So much less stress... so here it is....

Happy New Year 2013!

                        Welcome to the 1^st annual Hyzy New Year letter!  Totally better idea, after all who needs another Christmas letter, less stress for me and the postman has something to do after Christmas.  Totally planned – Yep, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

            Brenna is a sophomore at Radford and totally kicking it’s ass.  She successfully completed her first year at college, voted for the first time and moved into an apartment.  She is the treasurer of The Wildlife Society,  does bat trapping and research with her wildlife biology professor, participated in mussel rescue and local river cleanup.  Last spring she went to the Virgin Islands on a biology trip and this spring she’s heading to the Galapagos!  I’m pretty sure she will be running Radford by the end of the year.  Who knew that when we started calling her the Wonder Child it really would turn out to be true!

            Zack is a freshman in high school and totally kicking it’s ass.  He is in the engineering program at school and loving it.  Much to everyone’s delight, he has decided to row.  I’m not sure he’s ever worked so hard or enjoyed something so much. We now own stock in Advil.  I’m still having trouble adjusting to the fact that my baby boy is in high school.  He spends all his time in his room, eats nothing but waffles and Fruit Loops and sleeps late into the afternoon.  Unbelievably, when we do get to see him he is pleasant and funny.  We have yet to see the horrible hormone storms that generally rage at this stage.

            John is kicking ass at work.  He recently changed jobs.  He left Booz Allen Hamilton and is now working for Spectrum Healthcare.  He’s running two Army satellite health clinics like they’ve never been run before.  He is the Golden Boy, the Fixer of all Things – the Man with the Plan!  He’s happily planning a summer trip to Alaska with both the kids, and somehow talked Brenna into hunting with him twice this year!  He really is a miracle worker!

            I’m not kicking ass, more like getting my ass kicked, especially by all my volunteer obligations,  but I am quietly and secretly planning my exit strategy.  The biggest change for me is I’ve started running.  I hesitate to call myself a runner since that would imply that #1 – I like running and #2 – that I’m good at it, neither of which seem to be the case, but at least I’m out there slugging along.  First 5K in a week and then 2013 goal – one 5K a month!

            It’s been a kick ass 2012.  We are very lucky and very blessed in all that we have - family, friends, safety and security!  Hope 2013 finds you and your family healthy, happy and enjoying each other.  If you are ever in the DC area, our door is always open!

 John, Julie, Brenna, Zack