If I am grumpy this week it is because…

Thinking of you! Keep busy and think of how good it will be to see her again. I recommend plenty of chocolate and jammie days in front of the tv to help you! ;-) Something good/scary/exciting that has happened to me today is that I have arranged to go for coffee with a guy I have been talking too. Hopefully it goes well! :-)

You will do just fine, even better…you’re strong, you’ve got your support network, and this will give you the chance to be alone, have time to yourself. You might find out that you like it a bit, and you can rest easy while having your alone time because you know that Brooke will be just fine…I can only assume that her father will take the utmost care of her and relish his time with her, so she will be a happy and safe child. You’re doing the right thing, and it will benefit all involved in the long run. You are a fantastic mother!

Go crazy on the hair if you want! It’s a great way to try something different, and if you don’t like it, it’s not permanent and it will give you an excuse to buy a cute hat. :)

One whole week! That sucks. But you are right, it’s the best thing for Brooke. You can just take your bad mood out on us, we’ll take it :) Give your debit card to your mom. I just got back from a bad mood binge shopping trip. I’m afraid to look in my bags though I did score some new Saucony shoes and SEVERAL things from the Under Armour store (outlet mall AND on sale). This will make you laugh I live in Cincinnati and one of my friends as talked several of us into doing a road trip to Punxsutawney, PA on groundhog day to ‘watch the groundhog do his thing’ I guess?? I’m not sure. I haven’t done a road trip like this (drive all night to get there then turn right around and drive back) since I was in college. I will need lots of diet coke!

OK..I have been sitting here about 5 minutes trying to think of something funny or awesome to tell you to make you smile….and dang I haven’t come up with any thing??!!

So, instead I will just tell you we have 17 days until DISNEY!!!!! I guess that works for AWESOME!! ;-)

My 3rd nephew was born yesterday morning and he’s totally adorable!

Also, I photographed a wedding yesterday and it was the first time I wasn’t there when my baby woke up in the morning (she’s 15 months). It was really difficult, so good luck with this week! Just find loooots of distractions! :)

I am always so amazed and inspired by your strength!
Make this and take it to every movie you go see this week!
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/caramel-popcorn-with-marshmallow/

You are such an inspiration and stronger than you may think. I wish I lived near you because I would love to meet up for a movie. Not a run, unless you want someone chasing you while huffing and puffing! :)

Janae,
You are amazing! My parents are going through a difficult but necessary divorce and things have been tough for me. Reading the positivity on your blog makes me realize i can get through this too. Praying for you, keep it up! You are tougher than this.

Ah just think what a wonderful SMILE you’ll get upon reuniting! I’m sure it doesn’t help but this hard stuff only makes us stronger, right?! I was going to recommend you to read from this column http://www.runnersworld.com/mile-markers-kristin-armstrong but something makes me think you already do. Hang in there :)

You seriously seem like the best mother ever! I know this will be tough but it’ll just make you that much happier when you get to see her again

YOU CAN DO THIS!!! You said it yourself, you are doing this for Brookers. Not saying that it will eventually get easier but I promise that you will eventually know how to deal with the distance better.

And I’m just being a little selfish myself here thinking of all the days that we’ll go without a picture of Brook. This is hard for as too you know. Lol

Oh Janae, I know this is going to probably be one of the hardest (if not THE hardest) times of your life. I am here for you- AND you know, a WEEK in Florida may just be the trick to cheering up! You always have a place to stay, AND it’s in the 80’s all week, YES, we will be in the POOL in DECEMBER & JANUARY :D So come visit me & G! We love ya!

I love the idea of a drastic hair change! You’ll feel like a new woman! What style are you thinking?

Listen to this song over and over again. It is so true and so cathartic. I’ve cried my eyes out to this in many situations–when my parents got divorced, when my first boyfriend was an awful person, etc, and it has always made me feel so much better.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garyallan/lifeaintalwaysbeautiful.html

Life aint always beautiful
Sometimes it’s just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life aint always beautiful
You think you’re on your way
And it’s just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggles make you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has its own way of takin it’s sweet time

Also: a random thing that hopefully makes you smile. Tonight I cut onions with sunglasses on to avoid crying. I usually wear contacts and that usually, somehow, protects me from the dreaded onion cry, but today I was wearing my glasses and it was awful. So I put on sunglasses to have better surface area coverage (I think?). The result was…less crying, but still crying, me not having glasses/contacts on so squinting with a large knife in my hand, and the kitchen being a lot darker than it should have been.

I have a funny Primary story! I teach the 4 year olds in Primary and our lesson one Sunday was about how God created animals and how we can take care of them by loving them, feeding them, taking them for walks, etc. So at the end we were reviewing and my co-teacher (she was teaching that Sunday) asked “what do we do with animals?”  One of our little girls raised her hand and said, “we collect them in zoos!” I busted up! Kids are so cute. 

Good luck this week! You’re surrounded by people that love you and will support you. Let them help you. :)

You are so sweet and tough! I know this week will be hard, but you’ve been so amazingly strong that I think you can take this step, too. I recommend taking on a big project this week: like painting a picture that will take several days, sewing a dress (or pants – harder, ha!), cramming for and taking an online test, refinishing furniture, finding a volunteer opportunity and participating, etc. Get your mind busy with a lot of work!
Let’s see – do I have a funny story for you? Well, I can steal one from my friend! She just moved and is trying to furnish her house, and was looking for a bedroom set. She posted a picture on Facebook of a dresser for sale. It was titled, “Chester Draws”!

Arts and crafts! I’m turning into a little Martha Stewart (weirdly enough- I’ve never been like this before!) and actually making a ton of things I’ve pinned on Pinterest. It’s actually a fun challenge! :) I know you’ll get through this week!

You CAN do hard things, and even tho it’s not what you ever planned , both you & Ms Brooke will become even better people from the experience ( which, you already know). So that said, it’s okay to be grumpy from these circumstances. God works in such mysterious ways. Sending you love, and comfort – and wishes for lots of family & friends for support – in the upcoming week. Run, Janae, run!

One day at a time! Be selfish, have a pity party, then get moving!! You can do this! Brookers does need her daddy. You know how much you love yours. Be strong and eat fro yo early and often.

you will be able to get through this week, janae! you are SO strong! i know you’re going to miss brooke like crazy (i’m even going to miss seeing her cute face on the blog!), but she’ll be back before you know it… just run lots of miles and eat TONS of froyo to distract yourself ;) xo

You can do this! You can do hard things – I know it!

100 mile week that is AWESOME! I have learned my body really isn’t made for that but I wish it was! Enjoy and I hope you have an awesome week :) Think of how amazing it will be when you are reunited!

Do you ever make New Years Resolutions? That’s something you could do to pass the time. Think up some resolutions for the new year! :)

Yes, you can do hard things! You should cut your hair and do Locks for Love. I did that about 3 months ago (byebye 9 inches of hair) and that will 100% put you in a good mood. :-) Can’t wait to read all of your posts this week!

Something exciting that happened for me was that I made my running goal for the year – to run 2,013+ miles! As of today I’m at 2,027! YAY! I went and saw The Hobbit and Anchorman 2 last night with friends. I haven’t done a back to back movie in a while but we all stayed awake so it was a total success. Good luck this week!

Yay you for supporting Brooke’s relationship with her dad! Don’t forget to remind yourself that you’re a great mom, whenever you need the reminder this week.

You should take Bikram yoga. It will warm you up from the bitter cold outside – and it will honestly take your mind off of things for at least 90 minutes. Maybe it’s the heat and humidity, but there’s something about bikram that helps me be “one” with myself and not think of anything else going on outside the studio. It’s a different challenge than running, and I think it complements running well. The first class will suck – but it’s addicting :)

You should try to do mini vacations while Brooke is with Billy. Maybe come out east to visit all your favorite bloggers! We can definitely keep your mind off of things. And if you’re in the Philly area, I will drive up from virginia so I can treat you with cupcakes from my college roommates store–she did win cupcake wars so they are pretty darn good :)

You’ll make it through! You have an awesome support group behind you so lean on them to push you forward to your reunion with Brookers! So frustrating that the right things to do can also be the hardest.

I’ve never commented before, but I’ve been reading for years and I just wanted to chime in and share something happy to help you get through your tough week. I’m at my parents house sitting by the still-lit Christmas tree, eating sugar cookies and snuggling with their puppy. It’s pretty awesome, and I recommend trying any variation over the next week. Hugs!

So I have kind of a funny story.
I recently went to the DC/Northern Virginia area for the first time to visit my best friend. We were in the car heading from the Amtrak station to her apartment and all of the sudden I spotted my first ever Cafe Rio. I literally screamed at the top of my lungs, “OH MY GOSH, that is Hungry Runner Girl’s place!” Once her and her husband stopped looking at me like I was a weirdo, I told them the story and we stopped there to eat. You were so right, the pork salad is amazing! Now I am sort of mad at you for introducing me to the deliciousness since I am back in Indiana and there isn’t a Cafe Rio within like 2000 miles :)

I’m running the Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana Farber Marathon team, which involved fundraising of $4,000. With the help of some amazing friends, yesterday I met that goal. Now I can just worry about training.

That is tough but you deserve some time to yourself. I am always sad when my son goes to his dads but it’s so nice to have time to myself. Enjoy it and before you know it your baby will be back in your arms!

Ugh so sorry janae:( I’m here to help distract you this week! We should go do our nails or something fun:)

Alright I just had the best sandwich and I am going to tell you a out it because eating it WILL brighten your day. It’s called a Monte Cristo and it is basically French toast for the bread, piled with turkey and ham and drenched in a layer of gooey Swiss. The combinations of sweet and savory plus the textures of the crispy toast with the meat and cheese make for perfection. Highly recommended!

If it makes you feel any better, I have been stuck in bed the past week due to some flu or bronchitis, and I have barely had the energy to shower. Imagine not being able to run for 8 days! That is where I am at. Really hoping my throat gives me some reprieve so that I can actually sleep tonight, and also hoping to be able to get up and MOVE in a day or two. So get out there and cover some miles for me!

You can do hard things!! A hair change is always fun!! Good luck with that. It will look great no matter what you do to it :)

You have such a strong support system around you, you will be fine :)
Tomorrow I’m using all my birthday coupons places have sent me. I’m getting a free donut, pretzel, lunch, ice cream, and noodle bowl. A few of them are BOGO, but since I have my daughter with me it’ll work out just fine.
I’m also picking up my race packet for my run on New Year’s day. I’m having a little anxiety because it’s the first race I have ran by myself.

You can absolutely do hard things! I am sending you positive vibes all week. I’m assuming she will be in the same state as me, so I can keep an eye out. ;-) Your plans sound amazing!

I read your blog more than any other because you are quick, honest an positive! You rock an awesome pace, you have an awesome network and you are an awesome mama! How’s that for awesome?
But seriously, I went through an almost divorce the summer of 2012, we called it off before it was final –> total miracle of God. I am in awe of your spirit. I went down a dark road fast. Our Pastor said today, you wake up and look in the mirror and that is your biggest obstacle of the day. I would say by all of the love and support you get on here, you should feel pretty good! <3
Good news, training for my first marathon in February. (Cowtown Ft Worth, Texas) I am crazy excited and terrified. I spend too many hours a day reading how to not screw it up!