So I've decided to start a blog...

After months of following the blogs of other running mommas, I decided to start one of my own. The only thing stopping me before now? The fact that I don't see myself as being only a running momma! Yesterday, I woke up from a dream with the thought that I could blend my interests into a single blog and go from there. The words Read.Write.Run.Mom. ran themselves through my head and here I am!

I recently quit Facebook and have found myself with a ridiculous amount of time on my hands and it is translating into my exploring my interests and developing my life further. The time sucking void of Facebook had denied me this for almost 4 years (I refuse to say I was addicted, but it definitely wasn't healthy).

So, who am I and why should you follow my blog, you ask? I am Cori. Voracious reader, aspiring authour, fun runner. Even though Mom comes at the end of the name - that is who I am first and foremost. I am the mother of the most gorgeous identical twin girls on the planet. They are almost 18 months old and are an almost constant source of joy in my life. While I love them to death, when I was pregnant I made a pact with myself that I would not stop my life just because I became a mom. They deserve to have a vibrant mother who doesn't put her own life aside for 18 years and then flounder when they move away. I am staying at home with them for the time being and it has been hard to put my career on hold, but it has made me examine my priorities in life and to set goals for my future. For our future.

As a runner, I'll never lead the pack but I am really only competing with myself anyway. I started running in February of this year when a dear friend (a marathoner) was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. The first words that escaped my lips were "I need to find a run for lymphoma and do it!" My husbands response was "but you're not a runner!" to which I replied "then I guess I'm gonna become one!" I started with Couch-to-5K and never looked back. In April, I signed up with Team In Training to do the Nike Women's Half Marathon and I raised over $6600 for the cause while falling in love with being a runner. To keep myself motivated throughout the year, I ran races as I hit certain distances. Two 5K, Two 10K and then my first half. A month later, i ran my second half. It has been an amazing journey and I am glad to have found something I love doing because it will help me keep my weight from creeping up and will show my daughters that it is important to be active.

Now for the writer part. Everyone I have ever known has always said "I totally have a book in me...one day I'll get it out". I really did have a book in me. I started with a title almost 8 years ago and wrote about 1600 words on it before I got discouraged and set it aside. The idea never really left me, but I was always to scared to sit down and start typing. Finally this year I decided to use my departure from Facebook to sit down and get the book out to see if it was worth having out of my head. I had signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) a couple of years ago - found out I was preggo and dropped out. Then thought I'd do it in 2009...but I had 6 month old twins and was beyond busy. THIS year - I'm doing it. I threw out the old manuscript and started from scratch with my original title and an opening line...and now I'm seeing where it goes. I'm at over 30,000 words so far and I don't hate it yet LOL. Maybe I have a best seller in me...or maybe I have a flaming ball of crap. Guess only time will tell, but at the end of November, I'll have written my first novel!

As for reading...I LOVE books. I love words and stories and immersing myself in them. I am never without a book to read (Thank you Sony Reader) and, since discovering blog reading software (yeah - I know. I'm a bit behind there. I blame facebook), I have an endless amount of reading material I can call on at any point in the day. I will read anything that has a great story to it and am always looking for recommendations. I particularly love a good fantasy with an epic quest.

So that is me...hope you'll be back for more.