The past few weeks have been filled with a LOT of driving to and from Charlotte. I was to thankful that my vacation time was approved. (Even if I am loosing 3 days of vacation since time doesnt roll over to 2013). I took what I could get and ran with it.
I decided to drive to Charlotte to pick up Caitlyn on Friday before Christmas from the airport. Otherwise, she would be stuck there twiddling her thumbs til 3 when my dad could get her. Anyways... plans changed. Her flight was canceled and then she had to rebook and that one was not good so the third time was the charm and she got in at 11 that night. Needless to say, we had grand plans to eat lunch with my mom and then go shopping with all the crazies out there. I talked with Daniel and decided to still go shopping (by myself now) and still have lunch with my mom. So I left early, went to Concord Mills and then some other stores and then off to get lunch. My mom was SO excited to see me since she thought I would bail on her. (Come on! I'm not that flaky am I?)
Lunch was Chipolte. I haven't had that since forever ago. I would assume 2 years.
After lunch, I went to Trader Joes and then Dad and I went to Sweet Frogs for some frozen yogurt. It was delish! My parents really like that place and I almost NEVER turn down ice cream/froz yo.
Dad and I ended up chatting for a good long time in Sweet Frogs and then went to Costco to get pizza for dinner. By the time we got home, we had some time to kill so we talked and read our food/agirculture/nutrition books and discussed topics such as chicken coups, grass fed animals, and how much Evan and I have in common.
Anyways..... We all had dinner and then Mom and I stayed up to go get Caitlyn from the airport.
Her flight came in late so we ended up napping in the car!
Needless to say, we called it a night once we got home.
The next day my mom had to work but Dad was off work. Caitlyn, Patrick, Margee, and myself met to do a crossfit workout (your welcome guys). I headed it up with music, an interval timer, warmup, and of course the exercise. Afterwards, Caitlyn and I went to grab lunch with my mom and do some shopping around. (aka Caitlyn didn't get a Christmas gift for my parents so I drover her around to get one).
We ended up not having dinner til late that night and then watching Elf. Patrick and I ended up watching the back of our eyelids. We both fell asleep watching the moving about halfway through. I guess falling asleep during movies runs in the family.
Sunday was started with a walk with Mom and Caitlyn and then some cookie baking. This is where it got pretty interesting..... So my mom doesn't label her containers with what is inside. No sharpe, no name tags, nothing. The first batch of pb cookies turned out fantastic. I test the batter before actually putting them in the oven for consistancy. The second and third batter we could not figure out what was wrong. I was so discussed that I had to wash my mouth out and eat a cookie to make the awful taste go away. Lets just say that I put a CUP of SALT in the cookie batch instead of sugar. It was all clumped together like how sugar can get and didn't look different. Anyways... two batches in the trash and off to make the 4th batch. Thank goodness we figured it out! I ended up bringing a jar of peanut butter to the house since I wasted so much.
After the famous fail of cookie making, I had to get on my way back to Greensboro.
Christmas eve was at our house. Daniel's mom, stepdad, gma, and stepdad's sister all came over for lunch. Daniel is freeken in love with fresh pasta these days and can make a mean sauce so we did spaghetti for lunch. Everyone had the noodles but me. I really am not a fan of noodles. Anyways, what I decided to do is cut up zucchini for my noodles and boil them briefly.It turned out really well! But the best part is that I got this veggie peeler thingy that I am really looking forward to breaking out this week to make some good stuff. We opened up gifts and then had dessert. I wasn't too fond of the apple pie but the blueberry pie had crumbles on top and that was good and then Debbie brought a family recipe of some things and Daniel LOVED them. (Even if he had them after everyone left) I thought they were good too but I just dont eat too much of that stuff anymore. The cats got some toy which they were fighting over after everyone left. Figures.
Christmas am was started with Daniel and myself going to the Waffle House like every year. We stopped about 1/3 the way down for food and coffee. We got our free coffee at Sheetz and our food at Waffle House. We got to my parents by 11:45 and met Evan's girlfriend and her daughter. They very much seem to fit together and I wouldn't be surprised if its a permanent fit. Anyways.... we had our presents opening once Caitlyn decided to show up. She borrowed my dad's car and said it was too foggy to drive. I think... I mean Val and I think that she had a little too much wine the night before. Anyways.... doesn't matter. She got there safe. It was a lot of fun opening up gifts. My dad is VERY good at putting fake names on the gifts as to and from someone. One gift in particular was to my mom. EVERYONE died laughing. It was from sexy santa to hot momma and the three 50 shades books. HAHA!!!! We had a good time if you cant tell by the writing.
Once 2pm came around people started showing up. My grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, and cousins showed up. Daniel got to fry the turkey and we all just talked and caught up. I was Daniel's helper in the turkey dept. We were a team and showed people how to eat the fried turkey as appetizers, etc.
We ended up rolling out of there at 8. (one hour after I had wanted to but o well!)
I took a doggie bag of leftover food from my plate and from the kitchen. I could not stuff myself silly.
On Wednesday after Christmas, I was off to my parents AGAIN for the following day. I went at night and wanted to be able to spend the day with Valerie, Evan and is new crew. We had fun talking and getting to know them. There was no froz yo this day but we did have lunch with my mom. Val and I ended up going back home at 4ish. I was toast from all the driving and ready to sleep in my bed.
I am really glad I was able to visit so much over the week since it is so rare to see Caitlyn and Evan. Seeing them once a year is a treat but being able to see them more than one day out of the year is even better!
I have pictures.... but they are on Evan's camera and he isn't the most prompt in sending them. O well!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
high emotions
Right now... I am fragile. My emotions are as thin as tissue paper and will tear at anytime. Everything has been setting me off to either be angry or sad. I am wearing my glasses today because yesterday I cried so much that I ruined my contacts and had to throw them out.
I was contemplating on where to go to get my prescription because I have horribly painful cysts and decided on Harris Teeter. The gal there was not particularly nice and then told me the cost. I literally started crying and asked her for my prescription back and that I was almost positive I could get it cheaper at Costco. Its just that I now have to drive there in the cold dark rainy weather tonight.
I have decided to visit the doctor on Friday with question upon question in regards to moving forward with IVF. My condition has deteriorated so fast that the statistics that are shown, do not look promising. If they are in fact what is posted, I am not sure we will move forward with IVF anymore. I hope my age helps but sometimes you never know.
I am thankful that I have someone from my support group who have been so gracious in answering all of my crazy questions. It helps to be able to ask someone who just recently went through it and is well on her way to having a healthy baby in February or sooner.
I have turned off all the Christmas music at work since we are required to play it. It is on in the main house but not in my office. I would rather sit in silence.
I was contemplating on where to go to get my prescription because I have horribly painful cysts and decided on Harris Teeter. The gal there was not particularly nice and then told me the cost. I literally started crying and asked her for my prescription back and that I was almost positive I could get it cheaper at Costco. Its just that I now have to drive there in the cold dark rainy weather tonight.
I have decided to visit the doctor on Friday with question upon question in regards to moving forward with IVF. My condition has deteriorated so fast that the statistics that are shown, do not look promising. If they are in fact what is posted, I am not sure we will move forward with IVF anymore. I hope my age helps but sometimes you never know.
I am thankful that I have someone from my support group who have been so gracious in answering all of my crazy questions. It helps to be able to ask someone who just recently went through it and is well on her way to having a healthy baby in February or sooner.
I have turned off all the Christmas music at work since we are required to play it. It is on in the main house but not in my office. I would rather sit in silence.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Snowball chance in Hell
I went to the doctor today to make sure I
did not have any cysts from this past cycle. Needless to say I had at least 4
that I counted. This is not a good thing.
1. They are extremely painful
2. They can burst at anytime
3. I cant start any other medication until they are gone
So that was the better of the two pieces of news that I got. The really bad news was when I asked if they had received my AMH levels back. To make things elementary, AMH levels detect how much longer a person can have a child. I had my levels checked 18 months ago and then two weeks ago. My levels went down substantially. In fact, so much that I only have a few months left to even be considered a candidate for IVF. (.5 is the cut off and I'm at .65)
So Daniel and I have two options.
1. No kids and/or straight to adoption
2. Try IVF and pray for a miracle.
Needless to say we are heartbroken and will most likely be proceeding with IVF in January since we literally have a matter of months remaining.That is if the cysts go away and my body responds to the medicine.
1. They are extremely painful
2. They can burst at anytime
3. I cant start any other medication until they are gone
So that was the better of the two pieces of news that I got. The really bad news was when I asked if they had received my AMH levels back. To make things elementary, AMH levels detect how much longer a person can have a child. I had my levels checked 18 months ago and then two weeks ago. My levels went down substantially. In fact, so much that I only have a few months left to even be considered a candidate for IVF. (.5 is the cut off and I'm at .65)
So Daniel and I have two options.
1. No kids and/or straight to adoption
2. Try IVF and pray for a miracle.
Needless to say we are heartbroken and will most likely be proceeding with IVF in January since we literally have a matter of months remaining.That is if the cysts go away and my body responds to the medicine.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Disappointed
Well... disappointment strikes again. This will be the second and last month Daniel and I will be doing the shots. My body is not responding to the medication as we all thought and hoped and it has become so expensive that it doesn't make any sense to just do the meds. The cost went from a few hundred bucks to a few thousand bucks in the blink of an eye. Needless to say, financially we might just be better off going with ivf.
Of course if/when we decide to do ivf, I would take shots and then have a laundry list of other stuff afterwards. But we are hoping it won't come to that.
Of course if/when we decide to do ivf, I would take shots and then have a laundry list of other stuff afterwards. But we are hoping it won't come to that.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Thanks
This year, I am in a happier place than last year emotionally. I am not going to even get into how sad and awful I felt last year at this point.
I try to focus on the positives and the list is almost endless.
1. Daniel.... well he is my rock, my reasoning, the one who can take a situation and flip it to be positive when all I see is negative, my support, and the one who pushes me to be better.
2. Alex....even though she is far away now, she is and will always be my very very best friend. She knows me better than almost anyone. She has walked where I have walked and listened to everything that comes out of my mouth. She is the best investigator on the internet of all things medical. She asks me the questions I forget or don't think to ask which further explains different situations. I have fun vacationing at her new digs and have tons of fun traveling with her and Rosalie. She is my non blood family. My family of choice/ not family from birth/marriage.
3. Family. Blood/birth family. Also so supportive in all I do. Always there to listen to my ramblings of nonsense and stories. I am blessed to have married into wonderful family and also have been born into wonderful family. Although our time together is much smaller than I would like, making the most of the time is what matters. I have had so much fun this past year taking a girls trip with Mom. She was so appreciative of the trip and has given so much without asking for anything.
4. Work. Ok... yes I do gripe about work sometimes but who doesn't. I am so thankful to have a job. I love helping those achieve their dreams of homeownership. Also this job provides the basic necessities of living such as a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes on my body.
5. My health. Ok, yes, this has been a topic of discussion for how long now?? But in all seriousness, I do not have cancer, ms, a brain tumor, etc. I do take how healthy I am for granite sometimes due to the black cloud that always hangs over my head but I really am lucky to be able to get up and do almost whatever I want. I can walk, I have all 5 senses, have a healthy heart, etc. So many people have it way worse than me.
Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here is to eating tons of turkey and taking a nap!
I try to focus on the positives and the list is almost endless.
1. Daniel.... well he is my rock, my reasoning, the one who can take a situation and flip it to be positive when all I see is negative, my support, and the one who pushes me to be better.
2. Alex....even though she is far away now, she is and will always be my very very best friend. She knows me better than almost anyone. She has walked where I have walked and listened to everything that comes out of my mouth. She is the best investigator on the internet of all things medical. She asks me the questions I forget or don't think to ask which further explains different situations. I have fun vacationing at her new digs and have tons of fun traveling with her and Rosalie. She is my non blood family. My family of choice/ not family from birth/marriage.
3. Family. Blood/birth family. Also so supportive in all I do. Always there to listen to my ramblings of nonsense and stories. I am blessed to have married into wonderful family and also have been born into wonderful family. Although our time together is much smaller than I would like, making the most of the time is what matters. I have had so much fun this past year taking a girls trip with Mom. She was so appreciative of the trip and has given so much without asking for anything.
4. Work. Ok... yes I do gripe about work sometimes but who doesn't. I am so thankful to have a job. I love helping those achieve their dreams of homeownership. Also this job provides the basic necessities of living such as a roof over my head, food on the table, and clothes on my body.
5. My health. Ok, yes, this has been a topic of discussion for how long now?? But in all seriousness, I do not have cancer, ms, a brain tumor, etc. I do take how healthy I am for granite sometimes due to the black cloud that always hangs over my head but I really am lucky to be able to get up and do almost whatever I want. I can walk, I have all 5 senses, have a healthy heart, etc. So many people have it way worse than me.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Pigging out
So yesterday for some reason I went all out on carb intake. I mean ALL OUT. Breakfast was a granola bar right before blood work followed by homemade pumpkin protein bread with pb2 then I had pizza for lunch and pizza for dinner followed by popcorn. I mean.... if it wasnt for the meat on the pizza and the veggies on the pizza, I would have had nothing but bread all day long.
Anyways.... today... Im paying for it. Talk about carb comma and just feeling weighed down. Normal days are not filled with tons of simple carbs. So after crossfit, I decided to make some fantastic breakfast thing I thought of in my head. Well.... it consisted of spinach, eggs, onions, and bacon fat. Lets just say the spinach blew up in the microwave! That was fun to clean up. But I also did make two successful sweet potatoes in the microwave. (potatos are for later to eat) My breakfast idea ended up with less spinach than anticipated but turned out awesome. I think the real winner were the onions cooked in bacon fat.
O and as for the vampire visits, I am 5 for 5 in not passing out! Also no passing out with the shots either. Maybe I really could make it in the medical field....
Anyways.... today... Im paying for it. Talk about carb comma and just feeling weighed down. Normal days are not filled with tons of simple carbs. So after crossfit, I decided to make some fantastic breakfast thing I thought of in my head. Well.... it consisted of spinach, eggs, onions, and bacon fat. Lets just say the spinach blew up in the microwave! That was fun to clean up. But I also did make two successful sweet potatoes in the microwave. (potatos are for later to eat) My breakfast idea ended up with less spinach than anticipated but turned out awesome. I think the real winner were the onions cooked in bacon fat.
O and as for the vampire visits, I am 5 for 5 in not passing out! Also no passing out with the shots either. Maybe I really could make it in the medical field....
Friday, November 9, 2012
package in the mail
Normally I love mail. I love getting notes, letters, boxes of little gifts, etc. I enjoy going to the mailbox everyday. Today however, not so much. I received a large box from fedex. Inside was a reminder of my struggle. All of my drugs, needles, alcohol wipes, disposal box, etc. I look like I just robbed a pharmacy. The whole things is flat out scary. I know it doesn't hurt to take the shot, its just the concept of doing it that is just strange and not normal. Who would have ever thought that I would willingly be getting shots, mixing drugs, etc.
In other news... I went out and got 2 turkeys today! They are .47 lb so I figured heck yeah! I also went to visit my parents yesterday. I was able to spend most of the day with my mom and then she had to go to work. In the evening I chatted with my dad. Evan was supposed to come in super early Friday but ended up not making it til about 12. I was already gone. He had to pull over because he was too tired to drive any further. I was really looking forward to meeting his new dog. I guess there is always Christmas.
In other news... I went out and got 2 turkeys today! They are .47 lb so I figured heck yeah! I also went to visit my parents yesterday. I was able to spend most of the day with my mom and then she had to go to work. In the evening I chatted with my dad. Evan was supposed to come in super early Friday but ended up not making it til about 12. I was already gone. He had to pull over because he was too tired to drive any further. I was really looking forward to meeting his new dog. I guess there is always Christmas.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Final fishing trip
Officially I went on my first and last "fishing trip" of the season. Yes I have been to the beach at least 4 times this summer and yes I have helped drag fishing stuff to and from the beach but I just sat and read a magazine and did nothing to really help. So Daniel and I went to the beach to actually get on a boat and fish. Jean texted me to bring warm clothes. Thankfully I did. Anyways.. the weather was to be so pretty! We got out of the condo at 7 on Monday to get to the boat and get on the water. This was my first time fishing on a boat. I took motion sickness pills just in case. Anyways.... we got our act together to get out on the water. It was FREEZING on the water. My toes... I couldnt feel them from about 7-12. When we were in the inlet, Randy drove the boat and Jean told him where to go to get baby fish. We caught some with a net and I helped put them in the holding station.The fish were slimey and did not want to work in my favor.
We then went and caught a few larger fish and then went drum fishing. There were quite a few boats out there. We drove around Jean ended up catching a 44 inch drum. But seriously... it could have been bigger. We just did not have a ruler that measured that big! I have never in my life seen such a big fish up close. Totally awesome! It took at least 10 minutes to get the fish in. The fish bent the net as we were getting it into the boat. Anyways... after catching that fish, there were blue's, and some others that were caught but that was really the best part of the day on the boat. I did not get sick at all. Just a bit cold.
Later that day, we ended up going to dinner at Snooky's. All of our food was amazing! Seriously, if we go back again, I am totally going to get the fried green tomatoes as my dinner... and get a side of fried green tomatoes for desert! It came with basalmic reduction and some cheese. By the time we got back to the condo, I went to bed at 830 and slept til 730 the next day. Fishing is hard work!
Day two consisted of me going on a walk, heading to the outlets, then the pool for some r&r. Everyone else went fishing again. I had a great time just having me time. Sometimes at home I get caught up with everything else and forget to make some me time. There is ALWAYS something to do at home. At the condo... not so much. The pool was tech closed so I did not get in the water and I really did not want to get all sandy walking to the ocean. When everyone came back from fishing, we went to get burgers and then froz yo for dinner. I had to scoot out of there by 5 to get home to take care of the cats, get to bed at a decent time, get ready for an 8 day work week.
We then went and caught a few larger fish and then went drum fishing. There were quite a few boats out there. We drove around Jean ended up catching a 44 inch drum. But seriously... it could have been bigger. We just did not have a ruler that measured that big! I have never in my life seen such a big fish up close. Totally awesome! It took at least 10 minutes to get the fish in. The fish bent the net as we were getting it into the boat. Anyways... after catching that fish, there were blue's, and some others that were caught but that was really the best part of the day on the boat. I did not get sick at all. Just a bit cold.
Later that day, we ended up going to dinner at Snooky's. All of our food was amazing! Seriously, if we go back again, I am totally going to get the fried green tomatoes as my dinner... and get a side of fried green tomatoes for desert! It came with basalmic reduction and some cheese. By the time we got back to the condo, I went to bed at 830 and slept til 730 the next day. Fishing is hard work!
Day two consisted of me going on a walk, heading to the outlets, then the pool for some r&r. Everyone else went fishing again. I had a great time just having me time. Sometimes at home I get caught up with everything else and forget to make some me time. There is ALWAYS something to do at home. At the condo... not so much. The pool was tech closed so I did not get in the water and I really did not want to get all sandy walking to the ocean. When everyone came back from fishing, we went to get burgers and then froz yo for dinner. I had to scoot out of there by 5 to get home to take care of the cats, get to bed at a decent time, get ready for an 8 day work week.
Monday, October 15, 2012
One of the most popular questions... answered...
Are you running any races soon?
The answer is no. I am not. Under advice from the docs to try to "fix" one of many parts of what is "wrong" with me, I have given up running. Running was therapy for me over the past few years. I am itching to go for a run right now. When I would feel down, I would go run in the cool breeze and everything would be ok.
Apparently everyone has a different body. (yeah I know..duh) But each body reacts to "stress" differently. Apparently my body thinks running is too stressful and therefore isn't working the way it is supposed to work. AKA stop running.
I miss running.... I miss it so much this week but especially yesterday and today.
Whats a girl to do now? I need a new hobby... and yoga is not my cup of tea.
I guess there is always next year right?
The answer is no. I am not. Under advice from the docs to try to "fix" one of many parts of what is "wrong" with me, I have given up running. Running was therapy for me over the past few years. I am itching to go for a run right now. When I would feel down, I would go run in the cool breeze and everything would be ok.
Apparently everyone has a different body. (yeah I know..duh) But each body reacts to "stress" differently. Apparently my body thinks running is too stressful and therefore isn't working the way it is supposed to work. AKA stop running.
I miss running.... I miss it so much this week but especially yesterday and today.
Whats a girl to do now? I need a new hobby... and yoga is not my cup of tea.
I guess there is always next year right?
Big trip
Last week, I went to AZ to visit Alex, Ron, and Rosalie! Rosalie turned one on Saturday and therefore I wanted to be there for it. I arrived LATE Thursday evening. My plane was delayed. Here is the backstory of me getting there... because for a while I did not think it would happen.
Drove from work to the airport only to get stuck in traffic just 30 min in to the trip. Im not talking slow moving... Im talking NO moving! I was talking with Dad for a while on the phone and then had to be blunt and tell him I was freeking out and had to call Daniel for a traffic report. Daniel said there was an accident. (duh!) Then I called Daniel's Gma to tell her I might not make it to her house so that she could drive me. Right when I got off the phone with her, traffic started moving! PHEW. So I sped (Yes... I did!) to her home and got my things in her car and went to the airport. Well... I was dropped off at the wrong terminal. So I had to walk to the other one. That was fun. (note sarcasm)
I got through security and treated myself to a mocha frap at starbucks because I was so hot, tired, and did not know when my next meal was going to be. (Bad idea) The sweets from the drink didnt go well but none the less, I made it to ATL. There on the tram, I met 2 gay guys and had dinner with them before my plane went out. I ALSO ended up with a good seat by talking with the booking lady. The flight was delayed but I got there ok.
So on to PHX... Got to Alex's car, quick hug, to her place and crashed. Over the next couple days there, we went to the park, zoo, coupon shopping, pool time, etc. We celebrated Rosalie's birthday at the pool. Alex and I went on the hunt for the perfect cake and found one with black and hot pink icing Rosalie loved it and her hands and face were all black by the night end. She did not want to go to bed that night but we contributed it to all the hype and sugar.
Monday-Wednesday we went to the Grand Canyon. After a few stops on Monday, we made it there by mid afternoon and walked around. We did not want to stay til dark because the roads going to the hotel were dark and there are Elk out there.... seriously.. there are.
So we made our way to take pictures at the canyon. What a sight to see. It was packed with people and we had the stroller for Rosalie. When we left, we went to the grocery store for some dinner. We settled on soup. But there just so happened to be a dq outside and we had to get some of that too.
We ate our soup at the hotel and chilled out for the night.
Day 2 there was filled with an unexciting breakfast at the hotel. Pitstop at starbucks for breakfast was in the works along with some produce at the grocery store. We ended up walking over 12 miles on day 2 with the stroller. Rosalie even walked a good bit. She insisted! We had a light lunch with snacks that we brought to the park and got a lot of great photos! That night we went back to the grocery store for some chicken to heat up in the microwave. We knew that Rosalie would not last in the restaurant. That night we also found out why she was being cranky. She was getting 2 new teeth. That night, I did some research on breakfast places. I found a cute little place within walking distance. We could have gone to Denny's but when Daniel and I go out of town, we like to go to non chain restaurants. This was perfect. A mom and pop owned place with award winning pies.
We split breakfast and then ordered a whole pie. (Im not joking)
The pie we took with us for later in the day. We ended up leaving from the hotel and driving back to Alex's place instead of the Canyon again. There really wasn't anything else we wanted to see there. We got Rosalie down for a nap and stuffed our faces with pie and watched a tv show. We both felt so sick after eating all the pie. I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs on this one. The rest of the day was filled with this and that. Ron got back from work so Alex and I went out to dinner together. We had a great time just trading stories of before we met situations. I didn't want for dinner to end. By the time we got back to their place, we had a little time for pie and then I had to go to the airport.
Well... success in crying my eyes out again.
So... this plane ride that I took back. Horrible. Last row of rows. Isle seat by the toilet. I had to sit on my jacket because the seat cushion was gone... or at least it felt like it. I did get back safe and sound on my first red eye flight. (I dont mind the time of flying, just the seat was icky.)
Drove from work to the airport only to get stuck in traffic just 30 min in to the trip. Im not talking slow moving... Im talking NO moving! I was talking with Dad for a while on the phone and then had to be blunt and tell him I was freeking out and had to call Daniel for a traffic report. Daniel said there was an accident. (duh!) Then I called Daniel's Gma to tell her I might not make it to her house so that she could drive me. Right when I got off the phone with her, traffic started moving! PHEW. So I sped (Yes... I did!) to her home and got my things in her car and went to the airport. Well... I was dropped off at the wrong terminal. So I had to walk to the other one. That was fun. (note sarcasm)
I got through security and treated myself to a mocha frap at starbucks because I was so hot, tired, and did not know when my next meal was going to be. (Bad idea) The sweets from the drink didnt go well but none the less, I made it to ATL. There on the tram, I met 2 gay guys and had dinner with them before my plane went out. I ALSO ended up with a good seat by talking with the booking lady. The flight was delayed but I got there ok.
So on to PHX... Got to Alex's car, quick hug, to her place and crashed. Over the next couple days there, we went to the park, zoo, coupon shopping, pool time, etc. We celebrated Rosalie's birthday at the pool. Alex and I went on the hunt for the perfect cake and found one with black and hot pink icing Rosalie loved it and her hands and face were all black by the night end. She did not want to go to bed that night but we contributed it to all the hype and sugar.
Monday-Wednesday we went to the Grand Canyon. After a few stops on Monday, we made it there by mid afternoon and walked around. We did not want to stay til dark because the roads going to the hotel were dark and there are Elk out there.... seriously.. there are.
So we made our way to take pictures at the canyon. What a sight to see. It was packed with people and we had the stroller for Rosalie. When we left, we went to the grocery store for some dinner. We settled on soup. But there just so happened to be a dq outside and we had to get some of that too.
We ate our soup at the hotel and chilled out for the night.
Day 2 there was filled with an unexciting breakfast at the hotel. Pitstop at starbucks for breakfast was in the works along with some produce at the grocery store. We ended up walking over 12 miles on day 2 with the stroller. Rosalie even walked a good bit. She insisted! We had a light lunch with snacks that we brought to the park and got a lot of great photos! That night we went back to the grocery store for some chicken to heat up in the microwave. We knew that Rosalie would not last in the restaurant. That night we also found out why she was being cranky. She was getting 2 new teeth. That night, I did some research on breakfast places. I found a cute little place within walking distance. We could have gone to Denny's but when Daniel and I go out of town, we like to go to non chain restaurants. This was perfect. A mom and pop owned place with award winning pies.
We split breakfast and then ordered a whole pie. (Im not joking)
The pie we took with us for later in the day. We ended up leaving from the hotel and driving back to Alex's place instead of the Canyon again. There really wasn't anything else we wanted to see there. We got Rosalie down for a nap and stuffed our faces with pie and watched a tv show. We both felt so sick after eating all the pie. I think our eyes were bigger than our stomachs on this one. The rest of the day was filled with this and that. Ron got back from work so Alex and I went out to dinner together. We had a great time just trading stories of before we met situations. I didn't want for dinner to end. By the time we got back to their place, we had a little time for pie and then I had to go to the airport.
Well... success in crying my eyes out again.
So... this plane ride that I took back. Horrible. Last row of rows. Isle seat by the toilet. I had to sit on my jacket because the seat cushion was gone... or at least it felt like it. I did get back safe and sound on my first red eye flight. (I dont mind the time of flying, just the seat was icky.)
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Odds and ends
This past week has had it's highs and lows.... here are a few of them.. some funny, some.. well not so much.
Ran over my second animal in the road ever... Sorry animal. (made me cry... seriously I did cry!)
My fav popcorn has been recalled. I zoomed over to the store because today was the last day it was on sale and when I brought it to the register it said recalled. Go figure.
Emotionally, I have had highs and lows this week.
Went to a dinner party on Thursday night and finally played Nintendo Wii... Yes first time EVER. Thank you... I do realize this came out like 5+ years ago. I did end up smoking everyone in all the games except sword fighting. Bowling, canoeing, and table tennis were awesome! I attribute my skills to participating in these sports as a child. Thanks Mom and Dad. :)
The weather has been pretty much amazing. I have been taking walks outside in the nice weather.
I had no traveling this past week and 8 Piece keeps telling me that I am not leaving town by laying all over my suitcase which is in the downstairs bath. (sorry buddy... I will be taking another trip soon)
I picked up my newest book from the library called Wheat Belly. I am just starting it so I am unsure how fast or slow of a read it will be.
I ended up making some awesome bbq in the crockpot last night with homemade sauce. (Daniel did help with the spices)
I also made some homemade tomato sauce with spaghetti squash earlier in the week. Fantastic!
Ran over my second animal in the road ever... Sorry animal. (made me cry... seriously I did cry!)
My fav popcorn has been recalled. I zoomed over to the store because today was the last day it was on sale and when I brought it to the register it said recalled. Go figure.
Emotionally, I have had highs and lows this week.
Went to a dinner party on Thursday night and finally played Nintendo Wii... Yes first time EVER. Thank you... I do realize this came out like 5+ years ago. I did end up smoking everyone in all the games except sword fighting. Bowling, canoeing, and table tennis were awesome! I attribute my skills to participating in these sports as a child. Thanks Mom and Dad. :)
The weather has been pretty much amazing. I have been taking walks outside in the nice weather.
I had no traveling this past week and 8 Piece keeps telling me that I am not leaving town by laying all over my suitcase which is in the downstairs bath. (sorry buddy... I will be taking another trip soon)
I picked up my newest book from the library called Wheat Belly. I am just starting it so I am unsure how fast or slow of a read it will be.
I ended up making some awesome bbq in the crockpot last night with homemade sauce. (Daniel did help with the spices)
I also made some homemade tomato sauce with spaghetti squash earlier in the week. Fantastic!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
In love...
Currently I am so in love with the following....
I just love this time of the year for pumpkin spice lattes and I'm a bit obsessed with coconut anything right now. This coconut cream is soo thick and dreamy. I put it in my coffee, freeze it with a little protein powder for a ice cream type texture, mix it with coconut flour and coconut flakes, the list goes on an on. And the good news.... we are getting a Trader Joes at the end of October so I won't have to make special trips to get this stuff. Its BPA free and sooo yummy!
Its the little things sometimes :)
Its the little things sometimes :)
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Trip recap
To say that I was SO excited to see Alex was an understatement. I might as well have had a countdown calender posted on the wall at home because every day was a countdown. On Tuesday evening, I left work and drove to Daniel's Grandma's place. On the way, I picked up Chickfila for dinner for us and got in at about 745. I made great time. We had dinner together but I had to get up so early so I called it a night before 10pm.
Wednesday at 315 came wayyyy too fast. Sleep was lacking and therefore I made some foolish mistakes.
1. I drove to the wrong park and ride
2. I told the park and ride people I was flying out of Delta.... not the case... o well.
So after grabbing coffee after security (which by the way I was the only one there but they had 5 people working there).
I found my seat to wait for the flight to come in. I got on the flight just fine and off to CLT I went. I ended up not sleeping that leg of the trip because I had chatty Kathy next to me. After getting off at CLT, I walked to the other departure location and boarded there for PHX. This trip, I slept the WHOLE way there. I was not even awake when they were serving drinks and nuts. I did wake up at about halfway through, found my larabar, ate half and slept the rest of the way. I tell you, travel pillows are the BEST!
I got off that plane as fast as I could after landing, put in a call to Alex and by the time I got down to baggage claim, she was there to get me. I was so excited to see her and Rosalie. We put my bags in the car and just started chatting away. Rosalie gave me the stink eye but I knew I had that coming.
Alex showed me around her place, and around the area.
During the trip we did the following things.... couponed, pool time, grocery store, food joints including a mexican place which was awesome and a sub place, more pool time, and scenic views.
We also had an abundance of ice cream. :)
By day one, I was going to take a nap after watching Rosalie but ended up sleeping straight through dinner and everything. I fell asleep with my contacts in, no face washed, my day clothes on, no teeth brushed. I was a hot mess the next morning. I woke up at 1 something and felt so bad that I had slept through dinner and everything. Alex said that I looked like I needed the sleep.
Thursday was filled with waking up early to go hike a mountain. Yes we are crazy like that and hike mountains in 90+ degree heat. Alex had Rosalie on her back. I carried all the essentials. Sunscreen, camera, keys, money, etc. After climbing, we walked around ASU and grabbed ice cream. That evening, I had Rosalie again while Alex went to work for just a bit. We ate in for dinner and I got some really cute video and pics of Rosalie before she got tired. We all went to bed early that night and Alex slept in the next day. I got up super early on Friday (5am their time) and checked emails and then at around 6 Rosalie and Ron were up I got some coffee and we all hung out. Rosalie decided that she wanted to try my banana and was such a big girl that she ate half of it. She gave me the stink eye when I went to get a bite of it while she was eating it. Her and I hung out after Ron went to work.
When Alex got up, we got settled and went to the pool, had some really good girl time, and some tears. Friday was filled with tears. Its hard to be away from your best friend! We made one last trip to the store before my flight on Friday and I got a cantalope to take home. (19c a lb. Yes please!)
I of course got stopped at security when I was going through, they checked my bag and everything.
Anyways... at the airport, I bawled my eyes out.. both of us did. Im sure all the people in the airport thought I was crazy with my face a hot mess. I found my flight and yes again... there was no one at security so it was a total breeze. The flight to ATL was easy but when I got to the airport there, the plane was late, they changed where we were supposed to board, I was starving (it was almost 11pm est). I got out my larabar, banana, and apple and had myself a picnic at the loading gate. I got in RDU at around 1230 and got to Daniel's gmas at around 1245.
I was totally emotional all of Saturday. It was like water works on and off all day long. I feel a bit more put together today, but I have been researching for the next flight. Im so excited to go back for Rosalie's birthday!!!!!! I really can't believe she is almost 1!
Wednesday at 315 came wayyyy too fast. Sleep was lacking and therefore I made some foolish mistakes.
1. I drove to the wrong park and ride
2. I told the park and ride people I was flying out of Delta.... not the case... o well.
So after grabbing coffee after security (which by the way I was the only one there but they had 5 people working there).
I found my seat to wait for the flight to come in. I got on the flight just fine and off to CLT I went. I ended up not sleeping that leg of the trip because I had chatty Kathy next to me. After getting off at CLT, I walked to the other departure location and boarded there for PHX. This trip, I slept the WHOLE way there. I was not even awake when they were serving drinks and nuts. I did wake up at about halfway through, found my larabar, ate half and slept the rest of the way. I tell you, travel pillows are the BEST!
I got off that plane as fast as I could after landing, put in a call to Alex and by the time I got down to baggage claim, she was there to get me. I was so excited to see her and Rosalie. We put my bags in the car and just started chatting away. Rosalie gave me the stink eye but I knew I had that coming.
Alex showed me around her place, and around the area.
During the trip we did the following things.... couponed, pool time, grocery store, food joints including a mexican place which was awesome and a sub place, more pool time, and scenic views.
We also had an abundance of ice cream. :)
By day one, I was going to take a nap after watching Rosalie but ended up sleeping straight through dinner and everything. I fell asleep with my contacts in, no face washed, my day clothes on, no teeth brushed. I was a hot mess the next morning. I woke up at 1 something and felt so bad that I had slept through dinner and everything. Alex said that I looked like I needed the sleep.
Thursday was filled with waking up early to go hike a mountain. Yes we are crazy like that and hike mountains in 90+ degree heat. Alex had Rosalie on her back. I carried all the essentials. Sunscreen, camera, keys, money, etc. After climbing, we walked around ASU and grabbed ice cream. That evening, I had Rosalie again while Alex went to work for just a bit. We ate in for dinner and I got some really cute video and pics of Rosalie before she got tired. We all went to bed early that night and Alex slept in the next day. I got up super early on Friday (5am their time) and checked emails and then at around 6 Rosalie and Ron were up I got some coffee and we all hung out. Rosalie decided that she wanted to try my banana and was such a big girl that she ate half of it. She gave me the stink eye when I went to get a bite of it while she was eating it. Her and I hung out after Ron went to work.
When Alex got up, we got settled and went to the pool, had some really good girl time, and some tears. Friday was filled with tears. Its hard to be away from your best friend! We made one last trip to the store before my flight on Friday and I got a cantalope to take home. (19c a lb. Yes please!)
I of course got stopped at security when I was going through, they checked my bag and everything.
Anyways... at the airport, I bawled my eyes out.. both of us did. Im sure all the people in the airport thought I was crazy with my face a hot mess. I found my flight and yes again... there was no one at security so it was a total breeze. The flight to ATL was easy but when I got to the airport there, the plane was late, they changed where we were supposed to board, I was starving (it was almost 11pm est). I got out my larabar, banana, and apple and had myself a picnic at the loading gate. I got in RDU at around 1230 and got to Daniel's gmas at around 1245.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
The results
From my previous post... sometime last year if you recall, I was diagnosed with PCOS. All along I really just didn't understand or get it and felt like that was not really the case. I had only a couple symptoms and did not "look" the part.
Fast forward to the beginning of August. I decided to go see a more holistic doc who was highly recommended to me. It took FOREVER to get an appt. I was trying to get an appointment back in June. Anyways.. I got there, did the run of the mill question answer thing with the nurse then the question answer thing with the doc. He started going on and on about how he would be happy to treat me etc etc... then I gave him my results from the past year and 1/2 of blood tests. From there, he retracted everything he said to me. He kept say premenopausal over an over again. I finally lost it and started crying. He then told me that he was not the best person to handle my situation and referred me to another doctor. (who I had happened to have an apt with back in December but ended up canning) So, I left the office, drove to Chickfila, ordered a milkshake, and was on the phone with Alex until I landed at the new doctor's office. I went in and asked for the first available apt. The apt was set for the following week. (I think they saw my face and knew something was up)
I got home and shortly after Daniel did too. He was very matter of fact about the situation and basically said not to cry over it because we dont have all the facts yet and there is nothing we can do to change what they think I have. Its just life. I understand his point of view and also understand it effects me way different than him because I'm the one who has this "situation". But the fact is that none of this made me feel good.
The following Tuesday I went in to the appt. Same drill as before. Lots of questions, weight, height, etc. The doc saw me and was looking over my notes which were about an inch thick. He told me the same thing as the other doc. Plus he said he did not believe I had PCOS but another condition that is similar. Blood tests would confirm this. We chatted about different options on what to do and then he sent me to get blood drawn. The nurse was not super nice at all. I dont think she believed me about my whole I dont like blood stuff. Anyways... almost fainted (of course!). Then the doc sat with me again to go over a couple other things and then I talked with another nurse until I felt ok.
Fast forward to the following Monday. I called to follow up on results. They did confirm that I dont have PCOS. (so I do have this other condition) The also confirmed this whole premenopausal situation. (yeah... NOT!)
Anyways... Daniel and I have had many MANY chats over what to do, how to proceed, when is enough enough, etc. These drugs that they want me to take are no joke. 1. They are super hardcore, 2. They are the most expensive drugs I have ever EVER taken in my life. Its all a gamble. A gamble with my life, with future, with what if things don't turn out the way we hope, emotions, stress, etc. One minute I want to start like yesterday and the next, Im terrified. Daniel feels the same way which doesn't make any of this easier.
Fast forward to the beginning of August. I decided to go see a more holistic doc who was highly recommended to me. It took FOREVER to get an appt. I was trying to get an appointment back in June. Anyways.. I got there, did the run of the mill question answer thing with the nurse then the question answer thing with the doc. He started going on and on about how he would be happy to treat me etc etc... then I gave him my results from the past year and 1/2 of blood tests. From there, he retracted everything he said to me. He kept say premenopausal over an over again. I finally lost it and started crying. He then told me that he was not the best person to handle my situation and referred me to another doctor. (who I had happened to have an apt with back in December but ended up canning) So, I left the office, drove to Chickfila, ordered a milkshake, and was on the phone with Alex until I landed at the new doctor's office. I went in and asked for the first available apt. The apt was set for the following week. (I think they saw my face and knew something was up)
I got home and shortly after Daniel did too. He was very matter of fact about the situation and basically said not to cry over it because we dont have all the facts yet and there is nothing we can do to change what they think I have. Its just life. I understand his point of view and also understand it effects me way different than him because I'm the one who has this "situation". But the fact is that none of this made me feel good.
The following Tuesday I went in to the appt. Same drill as before. Lots of questions, weight, height, etc. The doc saw me and was looking over my notes which were about an inch thick. He told me the same thing as the other doc. Plus he said he did not believe I had PCOS but another condition that is similar. Blood tests would confirm this. We chatted about different options on what to do and then he sent me to get blood drawn. The nurse was not super nice at all. I dont think she believed me about my whole I dont like blood stuff. Anyways... almost fainted (of course!). Then the doc sat with me again to go over a couple other things and then I talked with another nurse until I felt ok.
Fast forward to the following Monday. I called to follow up on results. They did confirm that I dont have PCOS. (so I do have this other condition) The also confirmed this whole premenopausal situation. (yeah... NOT!)
Anyways... Daniel and I have had many MANY chats over what to do, how to proceed, when is enough enough, etc. These drugs that they want me to take are no joke. 1. They are super hardcore, 2. They are the most expensive drugs I have ever EVER taken in my life. Its all a gamble. A gamble with my life, with future, with what if things don't turn out the way we hope, emotions, stress, etc. One minute I want to start like yesterday and the next, Im terrified. Daniel feels the same way which doesn't make any of this easier.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
The longest and shortest week ever...
So this past week I had an appointment. More on that at a later date. I was due some results that I thought I was going to get at the latest Friday. Well.... no such luck. I am trying not to stress over it because 1. There is nothing I can do about it and 2. I can not alter these tests to make them say something different. Its either black or white.
The later part of the week Daniel and I went to the beach for some r&r. Work did consume my time for a few hours at a time but for the most part, it was relaxing and enjoyable. Just waking up, having coffee, and then beach time followed by good food and good conversation. We had pizza one night and went out to a place called The Ice House another night. The trip went by way to fast and I was sad to leave the waves and how much they calm my body.
Daniel ended up catching a lot of fish, 2 crabs, and some sand flea things. (I think they are sand cicadas, not fleas)
The later part of the week Daniel and I went to the beach for some r&r. Work did consume my time for a few hours at a time but for the most part, it was relaxing and enjoyable. Just waking up, having coffee, and then beach time followed by good food and good conversation. We had pizza one night and went out to a place called The Ice House another night. The trip went by way to fast and I was sad to leave the waves and how much they calm my body.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Lazy days with sun and fun
Back in February my company decided to surprise us with a contest of sorts. Make x amount of sales and you get a trip to the Bahamas with a guest of your choice (provided that they were an adult).
In May I found out I was going to be going!! Our trip was at the end of July/beginning of August.
Mom and I had a wonderful time but here is the recap....
I drove to Charlotte on Sunday night and got up extra early to be out of the house by 6. We made it out by 620 "mom time". We drove to Charleston to get on the boat and stopped a few times on the way for food/bathroom breaks/stretches/etc. We were able to get on the boat early and had lunch, then explored, and then got our swim suits on and laid out until dinner.
Dinner was set for 8:15 each night. The first night, there was a cocktail party for the group and then dinner. I was seated with one of my coworkers and her sister, along with some other people who are lenders and their wives. By night two, we ended up switching up the tables a bit.
Dinner the first night was not good. (the food wasn't) I ordered a chicken dish but the chicken was dry and there was pasta all in it. On the menu is had no mention of pasta. So I just ate the chicken. We were all so tired from the day that we called it a night as soon as we could get out of dinner.
Day two was a full day at sea. I made the most of it. Woke up, went to the gym, got breakfast, laid out, got more food, laid out, called it a day from the sun, ate dinner, went to bed. Dinner was better the second night. It was formal night and I was SO excited to wear the dress I had gotten. It was hot pink and form fitting, just above the knee. Loved wearing it!! I had prime rib along with Mom. There was dancing at dinner and the waiters knew all of our names. I was impressed! We tried to make a late show that night but ended up going to an early show instead. It was full of singing and dancing.
Day 3. Woke up, went to the gym, then I walked outside on the deck to see us going into port. It was so pretty. All the different colors from the buildings and the greenery was awesome. We all had a big day ahead of us since work paid for a day at Atlantis. We had to be at breakfast early and then meet our group to then get a taxi to Atlantis. It only took an hour to finally get tickets into the place but man was it worth it! The greenery, the views, the hospitality, the beaches, ahhhhh. Send me back!
Mom and I decided to go to the beach and some of my coworkers followed. We had beach chairs and the whitest sand and bluest water I had seen since St Maartin. After a couple hours at the beach, we were starving and went to the pool in search of food. Mom and I settled on splitting a burger and water and laying by the pool for a couple of hours. After getting unsandy from the beach, we walked around Atlantis before getting a taxi to the port. When we got back to Nassau, we walked around the straw market and splurged on ice cream. We made it back to the boat in time and watched as people were running because they were late.
Dinner was very good this night and there was a lighter crowd. Again at dinner, there was dancing. I ordered lamb and Mom did too. We called it an early night this night too.
Day four was fantastic. I could go on and on about this day. Mom and I booked an excursion to go biking 12.5 miles. When telling people this, they thought we were crazy. We got up early, had breakfast, and then met our group right outside the boat for a fun filled day. They took us by bus to the outdoor excursion place to get our bike and find our bike tour guy. His name was Leroy and we were the "biker family". Before leaving the start line, we got fitted for our bikes, ordered our lunch and got sunscreen on. Leroy gave us all water to take with us and we were off. He stopped us a few times along our route to talk about the culture, land, etc. We saw the dolphin area, tahino beach, and a beautiful garden area. We ended the bike tour at lunch time, got our food and much wanted/needed water. After lunch we went shopping. I got a home made coconut cookie type thing and Mom got a pendent for her necklace.
They had a van come take us from lunch over to the beach. We went to Tahnio beach. Ahhh it was magnificent! Before even leaving to go on the cruise I mapped out where I would like to go in the event that we were out doing things on our own. This beach was the top of my list and it did not disappoint. We had chairs, umbrellas, music, soft sand, and clear water. To top it off, Mom got us some local beer. We drank the beer and at the coconut thing I had bought earlier. It was delish!
We had to meet our van by a certain time so time was short at the beach but so worth it. We were dropped off at a local shopping place and let out to shop and then were transported back to the boat.
Dinner was very good again and I got up and danced at dinner. The waiter insisted.
Day 5 was not so awesome to start off with. We got up and the sky was iffy. So we got breakfast and monitored everything. Lets just say it wasn't beach weather. The weather was so bad that we saw tornados on the water. Thankfully it cleared up by 1pm so then it was pool time. We had another mostly full day laying on the beach reading and sleeping. It was perfect and I did not want it to end. Dinner on the last night was good with Mahi Mahi and my one and only desert on the ship of coffee ice cream cake. YUM! After dinner a bunch of us went to a show called the marriage show. Boy was it funny!! Side splitting funny. It was a great way to cap off the night and the trip.
By Saturday am, we were up early, packed, had breakfast and left to bring out luggage off the ship. The trip was fantastic and it was nice to have an excuse to not answer emails or phone calls.
In May I found out I was going to be going!! Our trip was at the end of July/beginning of August.
Mom and I had a wonderful time but here is the recap....
I drove to Charlotte on Sunday night and got up extra early to be out of the house by 6. We made it out by 620 "mom time". We drove to Charleston to get on the boat and stopped a few times on the way for food/bathroom breaks/stretches/etc. We were able to get on the boat early and had lunch, then explored, and then got our swim suits on and laid out until dinner.
Dinner was set for 8:15 each night. The first night, there was a cocktail party for the group and then dinner. I was seated with one of my coworkers and her sister, along with some other people who are lenders and their wives. By night two, we ended up switching up the tables a bit.
Dinner the first night was not good. (the food wasn't) I ordered a chicken dish but the chicken was dry and there was pasta all in it. On the menu is had no mention of pasta. So I just ate the chicken. We were all so tired from the day that we called it a night as soon as we could get out of dinner.
Day two was a full day at sea. I made the most of it. Woke up, went to the gym, got breakfast, laid out, got more food, laid out, called it a day from the sun, ate dinner, went to bed. Dinner was better the second night. It was formal night and I was SO excited to wear the dress I had gotten. It was hot pink and form fitting, just above the knee. Loved wearing it!! I had prime rib along with Mom. There was dancing at dinner and the waiters knew all of our names. I was impressed! We tried to make a late show that night but ended up going to an early show instead. It was full of singing and dancing.
Day 3. Woke up, went to the gym, then I walked outside on the deck to see us going into port. It was so pretty. All the different colors from the buildings and the greenery was awesome. We all had a big day ahead of us since work paid for a day at Atlantis. We had to be at breakfast early and then meet our group to then get a taxi to Atlantis. It only took an hour to finally get tickets into the place but man was it worth it! The greenery, the views, the hospitality, the beaches, ahhhhh. Send me back!
Mom and I decided to go to the beach and some of my coworkers followed. We had beach chairs and the whitest sand and bluest water I had seen since St Maartin. After a couple hours at the beach, we were starving and went to the pool in search of food. Mom and I settled on splitting a burger and water and laying by the pool for a couple of hours. After getting unsandy from the beach, we walked around Atlantis before getting a taxi to the port. When we got back to Nassau, we walked around the straw market and splurged on ice cream. We made it back to the boat in time and watched as people were running because they were late.
Dinner was very good this night and there was a lighter crowd. Again at dinner, there was dancing. I ordered lamb and Mom did too. We called it an early night this night too.
Day four was fantastic. I could go on and on about this day. Mom and I booked an excursion to go biking 12.5 miles. When telling people this, they thought we were crazy. We got up early, had breakfast, and then met our group right outside the boat for a fun filled day. They took us by bus to the outdoor excursion place to get our bike and find our bike tour guy. His name was Leroy and we were the "biker family". Before leaving the start line, we got fitted for our bikes, ordered our lunch and got sunscreen on. Leroy gave us all water to take with us and we were off. He stopped us a few times along our route to talk about the culture, land, etc. We saw the dolphin area, tahino beach, and a beautiful garden area. We ended the bike tour at lunch time, got our food and much wanted/needed water. After lunch we went shopping. I got a home made coconut cookie type thing and Mom got a pendent for her necklace.
They had a van come take us from lunch over to the beach. We went to Tahnio beach. Ahhh it was magnificent! Before even leaving to go on the cruise I mapped out where I would like to go in the event that we were out doing things on our own. This beach was the top of my list and it did not disappoint. We had chairs, umbrellas, music, soft sand, and clear water. To top it off, Mom got us some local beer. We drank the beer and at the coconut thing I had bought earlier. It was delish!
We had to meet our van by a certain time so time was short at the beach but so worth it. We were dropped off at a local shopping place and let out to shop and then were transported back to the boat.
Dinner was very good again and I got up and danced at dinner. The waiter insisted.
Day 5 was not so awesome to start off with. We got up and the sky was iffy. So we got breakfast and monitored everything. Lets just say it wasn't beach weather. The weather was so bad that we saw tornados on the water. Thankfully it cleared up by 1pm so then it was pool time. We had another mostly full day laying on the beach reading and sleeping. It was perfect and I did not want it to end. Dinner on the last night was good with Mahi Mahi and my one and only desert on the ship of coffee ice cream cake. YUM! After dinner a bunch of us went to a show called the marriage show. Boy was it funny!! Side splitting funny. It was a great way to cap off the night and the trip.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Sometimes information sucks
More to come later on this topic... If I so wish to share. But lets just say I got information today that sucked. Big time! I should know more within a few weeks. Fingers crossed.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The month of Craziness
So... July has been.. well... its gone by fast! Here is a recap
Daniel and I celebrated our 6th anniversary and went to the beach for a few days. (I don't post or blog about my adventures until after I get back from them. I am just weird about people knowing that my house is vacant) We tried out a new restaurant and loved it. I took a lot of long walks on the beach without shoes instead of runs and in turn got a blister the size of a half dollar on my foot. It has been so hot this month. Like record breaking temps. Note, that is why there were walks instead of runs. I HATE running in the heat.
I remembered how much I hate running in the heat when I ran a 5k on July 4th. I thankfully found an icepack after the race and had it on my head and neck until I cooled down. I also wore my super fancy capri pants that look like I came out of 1982.
This past week we have had the log company come by and "fix" our home. When you have a log home, heck, when you have any home, there are always repairs. So we have about 50ft of log rot that has to be removed and replaced. We also have had the whole front porch jacked up and the logs ripped from there and new wood replaced. On top of all of this, we are having the home chinked, stained, bug repelled, and sealed. The cats were freaked out yesterday by all of this but today, they were better.
Also this past week, I have been moved to another community. With that being said, I have had the most challenging weekend at work. I now have 12 new people to handle on a daily basis, along with my 8. These are just people who are under contract. I also have all my normal responsibilities to handle. I finally feel like I have things under control and organized so I feel so much better!
Daniel and I celebrated our 6th anniversary and went to the beach for a few days. (I don't post or blog about my adventures until after I get back from them. I am just weird about people knowing that my house is vacant) We tried out a new restaurant and loved it. I took a lot of long walks on the beach without shoes instead of runs and in turn got a blister the size of a half dollar on my foot. It has been so hot this month. Like record breaking temps. Note, that is why there were walks instead of runs. I HATE running in the heat.
I remembered how much I hate running in the heat when I ran a 5k on July 4th. I thankfully found an icepack after the race and had it on my head and neck until I cooled down. I also wore my super fancy capri pants that look like I came out of 1982.
This past week we have had the log company come by and "fix" our home. When you have a log home, heck, when you have any home, there are always repairs. So we have about 50ft of log rot that has to be removed and replaced. We also have had the whole front porch jacked up and the logs ripped from there and new wood replaced. On top of all of this, we are having the home chinked, stained, bug repelled, and sealed. The cats were freaked out yesterday by all of this but today, they were better.
Also this past week, I have been moved to another community. With that being said, I have had the most challenging weekend at work. I now have 12 new people to handle on a daily basis, along with my 8. These are just people who are under contract. I also have all my normal responsibilities to handle. I finally feel like I have things under control and organized so I feel so much better!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Where do I begin?
Lets see... June has just slipped away from me. So many things have happened in such a short amount of time.
1. I have visited Charlotte twice to tend to my Father and his double hip replacement (and steal blueberries and tomatoes from the garden.) He is doing great and now only using a cane.
2. Celebrated Alex's birthday by splurging on an enormous cupcake and other goodies from Whole Foods, and went to IHOP.
3. Spent most of one week helping Alex, Ron, and Rosalie pack up and move to AZ. I painted, cleaned, organized, watched Rosalie, brought food over, packed, and just tried to make the transition for them easier.
4. Went to the pool a few times with Alex and Rosalie. Rosalie is SUCH a water baby! (and a super cutie in her little swim suits!)
5. Found out after doing 100 pushups, that in fact, I could. I was counting but did not put 2 and 2 together until later in the day. It was 6am after all. My brain wasn't working 100% yet. I had this as a personal goal at the beginning of the year but then busted up my elbow and wrist in that nasty fall while training for the first marathon. I still get nerve pain every now and again (when I decide to sleep on my arm)
6. Decided that I could use advise from other practitioners and was told by my general physician that their Endocrinologist did not see a point in seeing me. (Cop out!) So I put it upon myself to make an apt with a holistic nutritionist, and another specialist. Both cant see me for weeks/over a month. So I must practice patience. I figured it couldn't hurt to get another opinion right?
7. I did in fact win this trip through work to go to the Bahamas. My mom is my +1 since Daniel has only 2 extra days off work.
8. I have started my summer reading list. Currently I am reading Sugar Shock. I also have a book called Bloom that I am waiting on, along with Good Calories, Bad Calories, It Starts with Food, and a couple others. Can you tell I am into this whole food thing? The science behind food has really become very interesting to me.
9. Went to the dentist... Still cavity free!
10. Bought a plane ticket to visit Alex, Rosalie, and Ron. I'm going in August! Only 64 more days... but who is counting?
1. I have visited Charlotte twice to tend to my Father and his double hip replacement (and steal blueberries and tomatoes from the garden.) He is doing great and now only using a cane.
2. Celebrated Alex's birthday by splurging on an enormous cupcake and other goodies from Whole Foods, and went to IHOP.
3. Spent most of one week helping Alex, Ron, and Rosalie pack up and move to AZ. I painted, cleaned, organized, watched Rosalie, brought food over, packed, and just tried to make the transition for them easier.
4. Went to the pool a few times with Alex and Rosalie. Rosalie is SUCH a water baby! (and a super cutie in her little swim suits!)
5. Found out after doing 100 pushups, that in fact, I could. I was counting but did not put 2 and 2 together until later in the day. It was 6am after all. My brain wasn't working 100% yet. I had this as a personal goal at the beginning of the year but then busted up my elbow and wrist in that nasty fall while training for the first marathon. I still get nerve pain every now and again (when I decide to sleep on my arm)
6. Decided that I could use advise from other practitioners and was told by my general physician that their Endocrinologist did not see a point in seeing me. (Cop out!) So I put it upon myself to make an apt with a holistic nutritionist, and another specialist. Both cant see me for weeks/over a month. So I must practice patience. I figured it couldn't hurt to get another opinion right?
7. I did in fact win this trip through work to go to the Bahamas. My mom is my +1 since Daniel has only 2 extra days off work.
8. I have started my summer reading list. Currently I am reading Sugar Shock. I also have a book called Bloom that I am waiting on, along with Good Calories, Bad Calories, It Starts with Food, and a couple others. Can you tell I am into this whole food thing? The science behind food has really become very interesting to me.
9. Went to the dentist... Still cavity free!
10. Bought a plane ticket to visit Alex, Rosalie, and Ron. I'm going in August! Only 64 more days... but who is counting?
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Bikers, hookers, and some sun
Yes you read that right.... I saw a hooker!
It all started a few weeks ago when we (Val, Diane and myself) got our schedules together to see when we could to to the beach. It just so happened that it was going to be during black biker week. So here is a tale of our most awesome (I mean interesting) vacation.....
Sunday am we got up early... like as in 5:15 early to get my car packed to then go get Val and then Diane. Val started driving the trip since the first part was the easy part and I would not have to pay attention to every road and turn by turn directions. It was just one road. We drove to Rockingham and then switched and I drove the rest of the way down. I tried to prep Val for the sites that we were going to see. (I dont know why she didnt remember us going down there 6 years ago) So we got there and it was exactly how I expected it. Busy, noisy, and loud. We checked in early and then got our beach stuff together and headed to the beach. The hotel was right on the beach and it had 8 pools and some hot tubs. We packed our lunch for the day so we ate that on the beach and we baked in the sun until 3ish. The only reason we went in early was because I started to notice that I missed some spots and did not want anything to get worse.
We got to our room and all got ready while also unpacking the car. We had big plans to go shopping in the evening at the outlet mall. By the time we got to the outlet it was 5 and they closed at 7. I really had no idea we would spend so much time there. We left the outlet after 7pm but scored some great deals. First off, at Banana R. Val got two super cute tops and Diane got some socks, then at Gap both Val and I got the same pair of shorts, and then at Nike I scored big with two super awesome snug capri pants. One is red and black, the other blue and black. I also got an under armour shirt too. By the time we left, I was exhausted. We decided to just get Wendys for dinner. I didn't even think I could make it though a dinner service and I just wanted a baked potato with chili on top.
After our quick stop at Wendy's, we found a parking spot in the deck and went to the room where we relaxed, had some wine, and watched some tv before hitting the sack.
So on to day two..... Day two started off at 12:30am. We all woke up to some crazy biker noise outside our room. It seemed like they were right on us! I also woke up about 5-6 other times that night. This is not typical since I am normally a heavy sleeper and enjoy sleeping whenever I can. Its one of my fav things to do. So my alarm went off at 6:30am and I got up and found my super cool capri pants to wear with my running shirt and went for a jog. This jog was filled with me seeing a hooker who was wearing... and I kid you not.... Red boyshort panties that were see through and lacy. (NO JOKE) and to add to that, she had a black bra on and some heals and that was it! She also had her pimp with her. So... on my way down the strip, I saw her and on my way back up, I saw her being picked up by some guys in a car. Go figure.
I got back to the hotel, showered, and then went to grab some coffee from starbucks with Val. When we got back we got Diane up and packed our stuff for the beach and to go home. Val and I went to the pool on Monday and Diane stayed in the indoor pool because she was super crispy. We basked in the sun and ate our packed lunch again and read magazines, and saw some really interesting people. I helped a guy send a text message with a video to his daughter and Val was disgusted by some kids that were in the pool. Needless to say the sunscreen I used on day two was terrible. I threw it out. I got pink even though I put it on every hour that I was outside. So.... I got some sun. :)
We ended up leaving the hotel at around 3 and drove back avoiding most storms but not the traffic. We still made decent time considering we were in south Myrtle and had some traffic and stopped once.
It all started a few weeks ago when we (Val, Diane and myself) got our schedules together to see when we could to to the beach. It just so happened that it was going to be during black biker week. So here is a tale of our most awesome (I mean interesting) vacation.....
Sunday am we got up early... like as in 5:15 early to get my car packed to then go get Val and then Diane. Val started driving the trip since the first part was the easy part and I would not have to pay attention to every road and turn by turn directions. It was just one road. We drove to Rockingham and then switched and I drove the rest of the way down. I tried to prep Val for the sites that we were going to see. (I dont know why she didnt remember us going down there 6 years ago) So we got there and it was exactly how I expected it. Busy, noisy, and loud. We checked in early and then got our beach stuff together and headed to the beach. The hotel was right on the beach and it had 8 pools and some hot tubs. We packed our lunch for the day so we ate that on the beach and we baked in the sun until 3ish. The only reason we went in early was because I started to notice that I missed some spots and did not want anything to get worse.
We got to our room and all got ready while also unpacking the car. We had big plans to go shopping in the evening at the outlet mall. By the time we got to the outlet it was 5 and they closed at 7. I really had no idea we would spend so much time there. We left the outlet after 7pm but scored some great deals. First off, at Banana R. Val got two super cute tops and Diane got some socks, then at Gap both Val and I got the same pair of shorts, and then at Nike I scored big with two super awesome snug capri pants. One is red and black, the other blue and black. I also got an under armour shirt too. By the time we left, I was exhausted. We decided to just get Wendys for dinner. I didn't even think I could make it though a dinner service and I just wanted a baked potato with chili on top.
After our quick stop at Wendy's, we found a parking spot in the deck and went to the room where we relaxed, had some wine, and watched some tv before hitting the sack.
So on to day two..... Day two started off at 12:30am. We all woke up to some crazy biker noise outside our room. It seemed like they were right on us! I also woke up about 5-6 other times that night. This is not typical since I am normally a heavy sleeper and enjoy sleeping whenever I can. Its one of my fav things to do. So my alarm went off at 6:30am and I got up and found my super cool capri pants to wear with my running shirt and went for a jog. This jog was filled with me seeing a hooker who was wearing... and I kid you not.... Red boyshort panties that were see through and lacy. (NO JOKE) and to add to that, she had a black bra on and some heals and that was it! She also had her pimp with her. So... on my way down the strip, I saw her and on my way back up, I saw her being picked up by some guys in a car. Go figure.
I got back to the hotel, showered, and then went to grab some coffee from starbucks with Val. When we got back we got Diane up and packed our stuff for the beach and to go home. Val and I went to the pool on Monday and Diane stayed in the indoor pool because she was super crispy. We basked in the sun and ate our packed lunch again and read magazines, and saw some really interesting people. I helped a guy send a text message with a video to his daughter and Val was disgusted by some kids that were in the pool. Needless to say the sunscreen I used on day two was terrible. I threw it out. I got pink even though I put it on every hour that I was outside. So.... I got some sun. :)
We ended up leaving the hotel at around 3 and drove back avoiding most storms but not the traffic. We still made decent time considering we were in south Myrtle and had some traffic and stopped once.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
recap....
This week... A lot of things happened but this is the recap...
I started Crossfit on Tuesday am with the ladies. I accomplished three classes with the second class being the hardest....
Recap of classes... The first class we did 5 squats 5 situps 5 deadlifts and 5 pushpress for 20 minutes nonstop.
Day two was much more interesting. We started off with Tabata (you can google that) and then went into our routine of 10 second handstand holds or pushups (I did the push ups on my head, upside down.) Then after that we had a 400 meter run. We did this circuit 6 times through non stop. BUT one of the trainers named Mark thought that I would be up for a challenge and added a rope climb up and down twice in between the handstand pushups and the run. I told him game on. I secretly think he wanted to see what I was made of and how to place me with the group.
Day 3 was a group effort. 400m row, 50 squats, 50 pushups, 50 pullups, and 50 situps. The whole group had to to a total of 150 of each exercise so I ended up helping complete a couple of the items. We beat the other group!
Earlier in the week, the cats were sitting together on the couch and I decided to take a picture. Its rare that they all sit next to each other and look so darn cute! (note the fried chicken that is on the table. Daniel was holding up a piece so that they would all look at it!)
Wednesday and Thursday Alex and I had dinner together. (And Rosalie too of course!) She fell asleep while we were eating frozen yogurt. Also, earlier on Wednesday Rosalie said YUM at Ihop! So cute!
After giving up running for a few weeks, I have run a total of 8 miles this week. That is the most I have run since my half marathon over a month ago.
I started Crossfit on Tuesday am with the ladies. I accomplished three classes with the second class being the hardest....
Recap of classes... The first class we did 5 squats 5 situps 5 deadlifts and 5 pushpress for 20 minutes nonstop.
Day two was much more interesting. We started off with Tabata (you can google that) and then went into our routine of 10 second handstand holds or pushups (I did the push ups on my head, upside down.) Then after that we had a 400 meter run. We did this circuit 6 times through non stop. BUT one of the trainers named Mark thought that I would be up for a challenge and added a rope climb up and down twice in between the handstand pushups and the run. I told him game on. I secretly think he wanted to see what I was made of and how to place me with the group.
Day 3 was a group effort. 400m row, 50 squats, 50 pushups, 50 pullups, and 50 situps. The whole group had to to a total of 150 of each exercise so I ended up helping complete a couple of the items. We beat the other group!
Earlier in the week, the cats were sitting together on the couch and I decided to take a picture. Its rare that they all sit next to each other and look so darn cute! (note the fried chicken that is on the table. Daniel was holding up a piece so that they would all look at it!)
Wednesday and Thursday Alex and I had dinner together. (And Rosalie too of course!) She fell asleep while we were eating frozen yogurt. Also, earlier on Wednesday Rosalie said YUM at Ihop! So cute!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Personal growth
Since I last completed my half marathon in April, I have had no goals in mind for the future. With summer comes the heat and the lack of long races. (so I have no races on the calendar... insert sad face.)I have been feeling lost in a way of having no goals. I wake up and go to the gym but have no motivation to run more than a couple miles here and there. So after thinking about ideas in what to do, I have contacted the local cross fit community to see about the class times, pricing, etc. To say that cross fit is inexpensive would be a lie. It is kind of pricy. Part of me wants to join knowing that I will be in a group of people who are supportive and all aiming for fitness goals and then there is a small part of me feeling guilty to spend that kind of money for classes. In all reality, it is cheap if you think of it as group personal training 4 days a week. I could work out with certain people but I have my reasons as to why I do not. So here I am wanting to better myself but torn over the cost. I think I'll be sleeping on this one for the next few days. I just need to do some soul searching...
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Strawberries....
For a couple weeks Alex and I have been trying to plan a strawberry picking trip for Rosalie and myself. Heck... we talked about it last year before she was even born and how much fun we were going to have. We had planned for a week ago but that did not work out. I had an eye doctor apt and it was just too much at one time. So this past week we planned for Thursday. I monitored the weather and Ron planned to meet me at Harris Teeter to transfer Rosalie to my car. She was in such a good mood and Ron dressed her in a strawberry outfit! Too cute! I was shown how to properly put an infant carseat in a car and off we went. I had two places planned out to go to but the first choice would not pick up their phone so I went to the one that did. The day before and night before it has rained VERY hard and it was still overcast on Thursday.
We were off and arrived in no time to the farm. I had a good idea where it was and only needed GPS for a couple minutes. This farm I had never been to. We arrived and went to go find a bucket and then drove to the picking site. It was a very bumpy ride with a lot of dirt, mud, and rocks. I got out the the car and went to the other side to get Rosalie. She was wide awake and ready to go. I took a picture before she got out and then off we went. Phone, keys, money, child, bucket, check!
Right when we got up to the field, I had a terrible site and was worried for our picking adventure. Since it had rained so hard the night before, the field was FLOODED! Seriously, I had doubts. There were workers in the field but I figured they had to have some rain galoshes on or something. It was that deep with water.
We ended up walking most of the field to find a row that was not flooded with water or weeds. We found a few and kept going in and out of rows for about 10-15 feet picking select strawberries. Rosalie sat on my right thigh while I was stooping down picking berries. She did not get the concept but liked picking at the strawberry plant leaves and the weeds and flowers that we encountered. I gave her a strawberry but she did not understand tasting it so we just put them in the bucket. While out in the field her and I chatted. (mostly me). We talked about how much she loved when Alex would eat fruit and how she (Rosalie) would tumble around in the womb after Alex was eating the fruit. Especially pineapple. We talked about bugs, weeds, strawberries, molding strawberries, and how much fun we were having. Before we knew it, the bucket was full and we left the row of berries. I really wanted to capture some pictures of our trip so I took off my jacket and laid it on the ground for Rosalie to sit on and put the bucket of strawberries in front of her.
She went for the strawberries very fast. She wanted to help squash them in the bucket. (I am sure she thought they were toys). I got some very cute video and super cute pictures. Right when we got back to the car, I was putting her in her seat (Alex would be proud, she didn't cry) and saw some terrible clouds ahead. We packed up fast, paid the lady and drove to daycare. Not but 100 feet after we left the farm, big drops of rain started to come down and then the sky fell out. It was a crazy thunderstorm. I drove slow, turned off the radio and was super alert. Having a baby on board is no joke! Alex called and I only picked up because it was her. She said to be careful because of a storm coming and I told her we were driving through it and I would call her once we got to the daycare. When we arrived at daycare, Rosalie was out like a light. She slept through the whole storm. We sat in the car for a little while so that the storm could pass and finally made a run for it. I took two trips into daycare. The first with her and the next with her stuff and some flowers for one of the teachers. (she was getting married over the weekend)
After dropping her off, and putting her things away, Rosalie was out playing around in daycare and I was off to meet Alex for lunch at the farmers market. We both got the endless veggie platter and both agreed it was so good. I gave Alex some strawberries since we were not able to pick a whole bucket for her too. (due to the crazy thunderstorm)
We were off and arrived in no time to the farm. I had a good idea where it was and only needed GPS for a couple minutes. This farm I had never been to. We arrived and went to go find a bucket and then drove to the picking site. It was a very bumpy ride with a lot of dirt, mud, and rocks. I got out the the car and went to the other side to get Rosalie. She was wide awake and ready to go. I took a picture before she got out and then off we went. Phone, keys, money, child, bucket, check!
Right when we got up to the field, I had a terrible site and was worried for our picking adventure. Since it had rained so hard the night before, the field was FLOODED! Seriously, I had doubts. There were workers in the field but I figured they had to have some rain galoshes on or something. It was that deep with water.
She went for the strawberries very fast. She wanted to help squash them in the bucket. (I am sure she thought they were toys). I got some very cute video and super cute pictures. Right when we got back to the car, I was putting her in her seat (Alex would be proud, she didn't cry) and saw some terrible clouds ahead. We packed up fast, paid the lady and drove to daycare. Not but 100 feet after we left the farm, big drops of rain started to come down and then the sky fell out. It was a crazy thunderstorm. I drove slow, turned off the radio and was super alert. Having a baby on board is no joke! Alex called and I only picked up because it was her. She said to be careful because of a storm coming and I told her we were driving through it and I would call her once we got to the daycare. When we arrived at daycare, Rosalie was out like a light. She slept through the whole storm. We sat in the car for a little while so that the storm could pass and finally made a run for it. I took two trips into daycare. The first with her and the next with her stuff and some flowers for one of the teachers. (she was getting married over the weekend)
After dropping her off, and putting her things away, Rosalie was out playing around in daycare and I was off to meet Alex for lunch at the farmers market. We both got the endless veggie platter and both agreed it was so good. I gave Alex some strawberries since we were not able to pick a whole bucket for her too. (due to the crazy thunderstorm)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Coffee Talk
Since the beginning of January when I really started to train for my marathons, Daniel would meet me on Sunday morning for coffee talk. I would run 10-15-18 miles or whatever the plan was for the day and then he would bring me coffee. This Sunday was the first one with no extreme run followed by coffee talk. Instead, we just had coffee talk. It is nice to just sit without a distraction and talk. No tv, other people or cats interrupting. No cell phone or computers. Just talk. I do miss my long runs but there is no extreme distance that I am going to be training for in the foreseeable future. (But.. I might just find a longer race in May.... Still undecided/haven't found anything yet)
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Better late than never
I try to post events that happen in my life in a timely fashion so that I don't forget details, etc. BUT work has been a zoo this week and after work, my brain is so fried that I don't want to touch the computer.? Anyways... I ran in a 1/2 marathon this past Sunday morning. I left work on Saturday evening late of course and drove to Daniel's Gma's place to spend the night. We had a really good time sharing photos, videos, letters, and stories. We of course had green beans (they are my fav!) for dinner along with sandwiches and potatoes. I had to call it an early night because I was going to get up at 5am.
5am came way too early but I did only wake up once during the night which was good since in the past I have had troubles sleeping the night before a race. This is the second time in row (I think) that I have not had trouble sleeping. I think my mind/body is getting used to the nerves and excitement. I gave myself 30 minutes to get ready in the am and was ready within 26 minutes. Out the door I went and to the race start. I allowed a lot of time to make sure that I was not standing in a long registration line and that I had time to scope out the area and find the restroom. I made it to the race start with no problems. The roads were pretty clear and the line for registration pickup was very short. SO.... I had an hour to kill before the race started. Unfortunately they only had large and extra large shirts left so I took a large. I went back to my car, put my stuff away and drove closer to an exit for after the race. A bunch of cars were flooding in and I wanted to be prepared for then end of the race. I hung out in my car and read some and then about 30 minutes before the race decided to find the line for the bathroom. Thankfully I did not wait a minute more and that I picked a fast moving line. There were only 10 stalls to use for over 1000 half runners and who knows how many 5k runners. Needless to say, I had to run... i mean sprint back to my car to grab my race water bottle and music because I had just a few minutes to spare after moving though the line.
The race started smooth. There was no delay which was nice but there were no mile markers. Not a single one out there anywhere. I felt bad for some people who were just doing their first race and knowing that they might not have a good judge on time/distance. Thankfully, my trusty Garmin came along with me and I was telling people where they were in the course. (only because they were asking the volunteers and they didn't know anything). Overall, there were a few very big and long hills. We traveled through a greenway for a good bit of the race. There were very very few spectators because there was no good place for them to stand, but the water stations were manned with enough to drink and enough people to hand out water. As far as doing this race next year.... Im not sure. It was not my favorite but all proceeds went to an excellent cause. (the puppies and kitties at the shelters)
5am came way too early but I did only wake up once during the night which was good since in the past I have had troubles sleeping the night before a race. This is the second time in row (I think) that I have not had trouble sleeping. I think my mind/body is getting used to the nerves and excitement. I gave myself 30 minutes to get ready in the am and was ready within 26 minutes. Out the door I went and to the race start. I allowed a lot of time to make sure that I was not standing in a long registration line and that I had time to scope out the area and find the restroom. I made it to the race start with no problems. The roads were pretty clear and the line for registration pickup was very short. SO.... I had an hour to kill before the race started. Unfortunately they only had large and extra large shirts left so I took a large. I went back to my car, put my stuff away and drove closer to an exit for after the race. A bunch of cars were flooding in and I wanted to be prepared for then end of the race. I hung out in my car and read some and then about 30 minutes before the race decided to find the line for the bathroom. Thankfully I did not wait a minute more and that I picked a fast moving line. There were only 10 stalls to use for over 1000 half runners and who knows how many 5k runners. Needless to say, I had to run... i mean sprint back to my car to grab my race water bottle and music because I had just a few minutes to spare after moving though the line.
The race started smooth. There was no delay which was nice but there were no mile markers. Not a single one out there anywhere. I felt bad for some people who were just doing their first race and knowing that they might not have a good judge on time/distance. Thankfully, my trusty Garmin came along with me and I was telling people where they were in the course. (only because they were asking the volunteers and they didn't know anything). Overall, there were a few very big and long hills. We traveled through a greenway for a good bit of the race. There were very very few spectators because there was no good place for them to stand, but the water stations were manned with enough to drink and enough people to hand out water. As far as doing this race next year.... Im not sure. It was not my favorite but all proceeds went to an excellent cause. (the puppies and kitties at the shelters)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Grown up
Well Mom and Dad..... you will read it here first... I ACTUALLY ATE lima beans on purpose the other day! Can you believe it?! That's a long way from swallowing them whole, hiding them in a napkin, feeding them to the dog, and my favorite.... trying to scoop mixed veggies out of a large bowl while trying to avoid the dreaded bean. I ate them for a few reasons... 1. I accidentally bought them in a bag of mixed veggies at the store. 2. I will not throw away perfectly good food just because I want to act like a child, and 3. I was not going to return it to the store. That would have been just a waste of gas money.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Finishing out 28 years
Ok yes... I did just turn 28 but I have completed 28 years on Earth. To start my 29th complete year I did the following... got up early and went for a run. This run was very unsuccessful. I am not sure why, but I stopped at mile 3. I had a side stitch that would not go away and there was just no point in pushing it if it wasnt enjoyable.
I went to IHop with Daniel for breakfast and then went to our rental property to do yardwork. (I HATE yard work!) but it had to get done. I worked in the backyard while Daniel mowed the front yard. My project ended quicker than his so I left to go run some errands (Harris Teeter) and then went home to do more yard work! This yard work was a bit more enjoyable since I was in the garden and I got to get some sun while wearing my bathing suit. :)
Last week I went to Home Depot and bought 13 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants. I have high hopes for this season!! Due to the high volume of tomatoes, I decided to expand my garden bed. I dug up dirt for a 12x4 extra bed. I did just have a 4x8 bed before. After fumbling a few times and cutting my foot and leg, I decided it was best to go inside and forget about anything further. Plus there was no point in acutally putting the plants in the garden in case there is a frost that comes.
I decided to take a 3 hour nap which was nice and when I got up, Daniel had started cooking pork chops, peppers, and onions. I finished off the night by talking about dreams with Daniel. (plans for the future, trips, goals, etc) And of course watching The Killing! (second best show on tv until next week after Justified is off the air)
Last week I went to Home Depot and bought 13 tomato plants and 5 pepper plants. I have high hopes for this season!! Due to the high volume of tomatoes, I decided to expand my garden bed. I dug up dirt for a 12x4 extra bed. I did just have a 4x8 bed before. After fumbling a few times and cutting my foot and leg, I decided it was best to go inside and forget about anything further. Plus there was no point in acutally putting the plants in the garden in case there is a frost that comes.
I decided to take a 3 hour nap which was nice and when I got up, Daniel had started cooking pork chops, peppers, and onions. I finished off the night by talking about dreams with Daniel. (plans for the future, trips, goals, etc) And of course watching The Killing! (second best show on tv until next week after Justified is off the air)
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Finding the silver lining
Year 27... It came and its about gone. It definitely did not turn out how I had envisioned it. Some parts it did but most parts, it did not. There were some highlights ( Beach trips, Rosalie, Vegas, California, 2 marathons, a couple half marathons, a 10k, and even one 5k.) Lowlights... well... we are just not going to go there. Tomorrow is a day to celebrate my life and thank my parents for not giving me away/go crazy when they found out "there were two!" in the delivery room. HA!! What a surprise! Its a day to thank my parents for being so patient with me, help guide me into the person I have become, teach me good morals, and encourage me to (in my fathers voice) "never lower your standards." I have always thought that even though I get the birthday wishes, my parents should really be the ones getting the high fives and a great big THANK YOU for everything.
Anyways... year 27 has ended much like it has begun... at the doctor's office. I went back after months of deciding not to go/have a break. The doc told me what I already knew. My body is still wacky, I am completely healthy but for some reason my body can not produce Progesterone the way "normal people" can. SO.... we are trying to get this regulated. (still)
On another note.... next weekend I have an awesome half marathon! This race benefits all the puppies and kitties who have no forever home in Raleigh. No dogs are allowed on the race course but I can't help but have a soft heart for these animals. So fingers crossed it will not rain that day. :)
So tomorrow... what am I going to to.... RUN!!!
Anyways... year 27 has ended much like it has begun... at the doctor's office. I went back after months of deciding not to go/have a break. The doc told me what I already knew. My body is still wacky, I am completely healthy but for some reason my body can not produce Progesterone the way "normal people" can. SO.... we are trying to get this regulated. (still)
On another note.... next weekend I have an awesome half marathon! This race benefits all the puppies and kitties who have no forever home in Raleigh. No dogs are allowed on the race course but I can't help but have a soft heart for these animals. So fingers crossed it will not rain that day. :)
So tomorrow... what am I going to to.... RUN!!!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
12 weeks goes by fast
Tonight was our last small group class for couples who are struggling with impaired fertility. It was bittersweet but there were some GREAT quotes that were said. I am only allowed to say so much due to confidentiality. But here was one of the quotes... we were talking about child birth...
"Thinking of life as a whole and giving birth to a child, it is just a moment.. just a moment out of so many other wonderful moments in time. Don't let the lack of that moment spoil all the good moments that you can have with life". We were talking about adoption at this time and the quote really hit me hard. (But this does not in any way discount the wonderful experience of childbirth. Because I know that is must be a wonderful experience... and hard one too!)
There were a lot of other quotes tonight as well and I learned a lot about IVF. I was given two great books to read and other reading material and sources to pull from. This class was beneficial to both Daniel and myself.
"Thinking of life as a whole and giving birth to a child, it is just a moment.. just a moment out of so many other wonderful moments in time. Don't let the lack of that moment spoil all the good moments that you can have with life". We were talking about adoption at this time and the quote really hit me hard. (But this does not in any way discount the wonderful experience of childbirth. Because I know that is must be a wonderful experience... and hard one too!)
There were a lot of other quotes tonight as well and I learned a lot about IVF. I was given two great books to read and other reading material and sources to pull from. This class was beneficial to both Daniel and myself.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Congrats! You have a messed up lip
To save everyone from gagging... I am not posting a picture of my lip. And no... I did not get into a fight but I did get my first bloody lip today compliments of Daniel. (and no it was not intentional)
So the morning started off with Daniel slamming his arm into my head and then onto my mouth where he busted open my lip. He was asleep and I was too. I of course woke up at 5:45 and yelled but not too loud because I was totally off guard. He woke up instantly and was apologizing until the cows came home. I really did NOT want to get up but did because it dawned on me that I might have blood going everywhere. Sure enough... I did. Thankfully everything is just inside the corner of my lip and it really doesn't hurt as bad as I would have thought one would hurt. I tried to go back to bed because my alarm wasn't supposed to go off for a while but I just could not shake it. I got up and did some laundry, ran the dishwasher, and clipped coupons. My Tuesday started off with a bang.
So the morning started off with Daniel slamming his arm into my head and then onto my mouth where he busted open my lip. He was asleep and I was too. I of course woke up at 5:45 and yelled but not too loud because I was totally off guard. He woke up instantly and was apologizing until the cows came home. I really did NOT want to get up but did because it dawned on me that I might have blood going everywhere. Sure enough... I did. Thankfully everything is just inside the corner of my lip and it really doesn't hurt as bad as I would have thought one would hurt. I tried to go back to bed because my alarm wasn't supposed to go off for a while but I just could not shake it. I got up and did some laundry, ran the dishwasher, and clipped coupons. My Tuesday started off with a bang.
Monday, March 19, 2012
The good, the bad, and the after
So... The race was done. First off, my official time that I just got was 4:42:50... very nice.
I needed to walk. Diane was the first person I saw since she could just scoot around people without a stroller and baby. Her and I walked until everyone else caught up with us. My legs were tight, my lower back hurt, and I was ready to try to find something that was no sweet. I had enough gels and shotblocks for a week.
I managed to find a diet coke and a beer and 2 things of cookies but I saved those for later. I downed about half of each drink. (yes I know that sounds absolutely awful of a combination) Anyways... I walked around the inside of the tent with Alex and Diane but we ended up loosing Diane somewhere in the mix. Alex and I had a recap of everything. She told me I did great which was so nice to hear. (who doesn't like a compliment!?) We then walked around outside. I saw a pizza truck but no pizza insight. There were a lot of massage tables and medical (they were doing some nasty things there and made me want to gag) Think suction cup on leg, steroid shots or something to that look, taping up people's legs, etc , etc. Needless to say, we all got together outside and chatted about the race and then I decided it was WAY too cold (only 60ish) to stay outside and needed a shower asap. So we walked to the car. I was told it was a long way away. It didn't seem that far away. I enjoyed walking and talking even though Ron offered to push me in the stroller. HA!! I think I would break that. Plus apparently I smelled like death according to Val and Diane. I swear I wore deo! We got back to the hotel and low and behold, I asked for late checkout and they were already cleaning the room. This did not stop me from going straight in there to get a shower. After cleaning up, we went and met Alex, Ron, and Rosalie at PT's Grill. CHEESEBURGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer.... I LOVE cheeseburgers but after racing for that amount of mileage, my stomach doesn't know what to do. I was not hungry but I was. Regardless, the cheeseburger was amazing!
We chatted for a good while and Rosalie was fighting a nap a good portion of the time. Alex rotated Rosalie around to Val, Diane, and myself. We all had a great time with her. Val was very smitten. (who wouldn't be?) 2pm came a bit too fast but we had to get back home. I was getting tired and knew we had a 4 hour drive back home.
We all said our goodbyes and I took the backseat with Diane's pillow and rested my eyes and the rest of my body for the ride home. While in the car, I managed to force a banana, pineapple, grapefruit, and some peanut mms in my mouth in between resting my eyes.
We all had a great short weekend. We all wish it could have lasted longer and now MUST take a summer trip at some point!
When I got home Daniel's mom and grandma were here to visit. We all ended up going out to Ham's for dinner. Once again, not that hungry but the food was soooo good. Salmon and double broccoli. mmmmm.
After I got home, I unpacked and then dropped like a fly on the couch while watching tv. I didn't mean to, but my body was ready to quit for the day.
I needed to walk. Diane was the first person I saw since she could just scoot around people without a stroller and baby. Her and I walked until everyone else caught up with us. My legs were tight, my lower back hurt, and I was ready to try to find something that was no sweet. I had enough gels and shotblocks for a week.
I managed to find a diet coke and a beer and 2 things of cookies but I saved those for later. I downed about half of each drink. (yes I know that sounds absolutely awful of a combination) Anyways... I walked around the inside of the tent with Alex and Diane but we ended up loosing Diane somewhere in the mix. Alex and I had a recap of everything. She told me I did great which was so nice to hear. (who doesn't like a compliment!?) We then walked around outside. I saw a pizza truck but no pizza insight. There were a lot of massage tables and medical (they were doing some nasty things there and made me want to gag) Think suction cup on leg, steroid shots or something to that look, taping up people's legs, etc , etc. Needless to say, we all got together outside and chatted about the race and then I decided it was WAY too cold (only 60ish) to stay outside and needed a shower asap. So we walked to the car. I was told it was a long way away. It didn't seem that far away. I enjoyed walking and talking even though Ron offered to push me in the stroller. HA!! I think I would break that. Plus apparently I smelled like death according to Val and Diane. I swear I wore deo! We got back to the hotel and low and behold, I asked for late checkout and they were already cleaning the room. This did not stop me from going straight in there to get a shower. After cleaning up, we went and met Alex, Ron, and Rosalie at PT's Grill. CHEESEBURGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer.... I LOVE cheeseburgers but after racing for that amount of mileage, my stomach doesn't know what to do. I was not hungry but I was. Regardless, the cheeseburger was amazing!
We chatted for a good while and Rosalie was fighting a nap a good portion of the time. Alex rotated Rosalie around to Val, Diane, and myself. We all had a great time with her. Val was very smitten. (who wouldn't be?) 2pm came a bit too fast but we had to get back home. I was getting tired and knew we had a 4 hour drive back home.
We all said our goodbyes and I took the backseat with Diane's pillow and rested my eyes and the rest of my body for the ride home. While in the car, I managed to force a banana, pineapple, grapefruit, and some peanut mms in my mouth in between resting my eyes.
We all had a great short weekend. We all wish it could have lasted longer and now MUST take a summer trip at some point!
When I got home Daniel's mom and grandma were here to visit. We all ended up going out to Ham's for dinner. Once again, not that hungry but the food was soooo good. Salmon and double broccoli. mmmmm.
After I got home, I unpacked and then dropped like a fly on the couch while watching tv. I didn't mean to, but my body was ready to quit for the day.
3,2,1 you are with your thoughts for hours!
Sunday at 510 came too early! I was VERY surprised that I had such a good night sleep. I do not know what to contribute that to, but Ill take it! I had everything placed out the night before so it was just bodyglide, clothes, brush teeth, out the door. UNTIL... I was putting on my socks and realized they were both for the same foot! These are toe socks so you really can not substitute. Thankfully, I packed both pairs. So I was digging though my bag to try to find the other match. That was super nerve racking! We were out the door right on time. (We were on time all weekend)
Alex met Val and myself outside. Diane stayed back to sleep a bit more and Ron and Rosalie as well. Anyways, Val and Alex dropped me off at the trolly pickup where the expo was and where the finish like was. They walked me to the drop off and waited for me to get on the bus. Im not sure why but I always get emotional before a race. This was the case again. I am sure it is because you never know what the future holds and people die from these sorts of things. (heart attack)
I thought maybe I would find someone nice to talk to on the bus and calm my nerves. This was not the case. The gal that was sitting next to me was on her phone the whole time and everyone else seemed to have a buddy. We were dropped off at the start area but had to walk through muddy wet grass to get to the portapotties. This was not good. I was just hoping for non wet shoes. The forecast was very promising but it did not start off that way. It was cold and misting at the start line. There was a huge screen up with the countdown til the start. I had about 35 minutes from when I got there. I finally turned on my watch and my watch said 6:23 but the clock said I had 17 more minutes. Clearly I was on time but others were not. Anyways, the race ended up starting 10 minutes late and I started 2 minutes after the horn was sounded. It was very dark out during the start At the start line, there were strobe lights with different colors.
So the gun went off and off we went. I started up my music and came across a very fitting song so stayed on it for a while and to calm my nerves, stuck with very upbeat songs for the first 5 miles or so. I knew the first few miles were going to be tough for me. I tend to get terrible cramps on my sides at around mile 2ish and have only not gotten them once before.
So... while we were all running around this famous 3 mile loop, I saw some interesting characters. (what I am about to type was no joke) There was an army man with red white and blue short shorts and he was caring a backpack with camping stuff. There was a lady who had a cow bell attached to her and it rang the WHOLE race. She was wearing tiny purple wings, a headband with ears on it, a purple skirt thing, and purple glasses. There was another girl with huge fairy wings, there was someone with a wolfpack outfit on, and some interesting pants that girls wore. O yes, and of course there were the people who did not check to see if their underwear would show through. (I am not joking!) What else am I supposed to do for 4+ hours?
So back to mile one and two... at every intersection, there were people with different dogs. Each dog had a yellow bandana on. It was nice to focus on the excitement on what the next dog would look like. They were all so friendly looking! Mile one and two came and went very fast. I was pretty relieved of this. And then.... my shoe came untied. I had to stop to fix this. I got up and started out again. I focused on breathing, my pace and not someone else, and then focused on the fruit snacks I knew I was going to get at mile 5. Just as expected, I met Alex, Val, and Diane at mile 5. Val had whatever I wanted. I thought I would need sunglasses but it was still very misty so I just took the gushers. I also thought I would need chapstick but didnt. I gave Alex my jacket and then got the gusher and was on my way. At around mile 6-7 I heard that I had to travel to the right because the half marathon winner was coming though. No joke, there were some kids coming right by me. They finished Im sure just over an hour 10-15 min.
I was by myself until mile 12. There were some times I was thinking... I dont know what else to think about! All the aid stations were so great. Most of them were college teams. There was NC State, Carolina, Duke, LSU, WV, UNCW and Im sure there were others. Also, there were high school kids there. I saw a high school band, and a lot of friendly homeowners. I came around the corner to start mile 10ish and passed the NC State team which was SO friendly, then I passed Carolina. I thought to myself... (I should just throw my cup on the ground. It had gatorade in it) BUT I was super nice and did put it in the trash can EVERY time. I then saw the girls. I only got one shot block because the aid stations were already handing out gels. This was a big change from the MB marathon. I was able to get a gel every 2 miles or so. At around mile 14 this guy stopped me... well really just started up conversation because I wasnt stopping and asked what mile I was on. At this point, there were people who were running their second lap of the loop I was on and there were signs that were a bit confusing. I let him know and he asked if he could run with me for a little while. I of course was like SURE!! Ill always take someone who is going to talk my ear off and I can listen and not have to think about anything else. His name was Donald and he worked at a lab and has 2 girls and a boy. All are my age or around my age. He talked about his fishing trips, his boat, his kids, his families love of swim bike run, his running club, etc. He was very entertaining. So I turned off my music and we ran together until just after mile 21. He then said he was going to try to pick up the pace and try to finish under a 4:30. I wished him luck and we split. By this time, I knew I was going to see the girls one last time before the end and was thankful that I had about an hour left. I ended up running with Val for a little bit and asked for some gossip (aka her to talk to me so I could listen). She gave me my bread which was awesome! She ran with me until about 22.75. Anyways... Right after we parted, I dropped my bread. Thankfully it was in a bag so I sure did turn around and get it.
I had just a few miles left by myself. It was out and back and I would be done. At about mile 24, there was gravel road. I took this as an opportunity to WALK. My first thought was gravel in my shoes equals me having to stop to get it out and sitting on the ground = me not wanting or able to get up. My next thought was twisting my leg, ankle, etc. It was not worth it. So after the gravel, I knew that I would be back to it on the way back and ran as much as I could knowing I would have to slow my pace later. I saw Donald at this point since it was an out and back course. We high fived and wished each other luck. I am sure he finished at his goal time. At the last .3 miles (according to my garmin) I was picking up the pace. I saw the finish line but then it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. Right before the finish, I saw Val, Diane, Alex, Ron, and Rosalie! I ran as fast as I could to the finish. Finish time according to garmin was 4:42... and 26.47 miles.(Overachiever) I dropped 7 minutes according to my garmin from my last race last month. This I was SO EXCITED OVER!!! To know I just did this distance a month ago and improved that much was awesome!
Alex met Val and myself outside. Diane stayed back to sleep a bit more and Ron and Rosalie as well. Anyways, Val and Alex dropped me off at the trolly pickup where the expo was and where the finish like was. They walked me to the drop off and waited for me to get on the bus. Im not sure why but I always get emotional before a race. This was the case again. I am sure it is because you never know what the future holds and people die from these sorts of things. (heart attack)
I thought maybe I would find someone nice to talk to on the bus and calm my nerves. This was not the case. The gal that was sitting next to me was on her phone the whole time and everyone else seemed to have a buddy. We were dropped off at the start area but had to walk through muddy wet grass to get to the portapotties. This was not good. I was just hoping for non wet shoes. The forecast was very promising but it did not start off that way. It was cold and misting at the start line. There was a huge screen up with the countdown til the start. I had about 35 minutes from when I got there. I finally turned on my watch and my watch said 6:23 but the clock said I had 17 more minutes. Clearly I was on time but others were not. Anyways, the race ended up starting 10 minutes late and I started 2 minutes after the horn was sounded. It was very dark out during the start At the start line, there were strobe lights with different colors.
So the gun went off and off we went. I started up my music and came across a very fitting song so stayed on it for a while and to calm my nerves, stuck with very upbeat songs for the first 5 miles or so. I knew the first few miles were going to be tough for me. I tend to get terrible cramps on my sides at around mile 2ish and have only not gotten them once before.
So... while we were all running around this famous 3 mile loop, I saw some interesting characters. (what I am about to type was no joke) There was an army man with red white and blue short shorts and he was caring a backpack with camping stuff. There was a lady who had a cow bell attached to her and it rang the WHOLE race. She was wearing tiny purple wings, a headband with ears on it, a purple skirt thing, and purple glasses. There was another girl with huge fairy wings, there was someone with a wolfpack outfit on, and some interesting pants that girls wore. O yes, and of course there were the people who did not check to see if their underwear would show through. (I am not joking!) What else am I supposed to do for 4+ hours?
So back to mile one and two... at every intersection, there were people with different dogs. Each dog had a yellow bandana on. It was nice to focus on the excitement on what the next dog would look like. They were all so friendly looking! Mile one and two came and went very fast. I was pretty relieved of this. And then.... my shoe came untied. I had to stop to fix this. I got up and started out again. I focused on breathing, my pace and not someone else, and then focused on the fruit snacks I knew I was going to get at mile 5. Just as expected, I met Alex, Val, and Diane at mile 5. Val had whatever I wanted. I thought I would need sunglasses but it was still very misty so I just took the gushers. I also thought I would need chapstick but didnt. I gave Alex my jacket and then got the gusher and was on my way. At around mile 6-7 I heard that I had to travel to the right because the half marathon winner was coming though. No joke, there were some kids coming right by me. They finished Im sure just over an hour 10-15 min.
I was by myself until mile 12. There were some times I was thinking... I dont know what else to think about! All the aid stations were so great. Most of them were college teams. There was NC State, Carolina, Duke, LSU, WV, UNCW and Im sure there were others. Also, there were high school kids there. I saw a high school band, and a lot of friendly homeowners. I came around the corner to start mile 10ish and passed the NC State team which was SO friendly, then I passed Carolina. I thought to myself... (I should just throw my cup on the ground. It had gatorade in it) BUT I was super nice and did put it in the trash can EVERY time. I then saw the girls. I only got one shot block because the aid stations were already handing out gels. This was a big change from the MB marathon. I was able to get a gel every 2 miles or so. At around mile 14 this guy stopped me... well really just started up conversation because I wasnt stopping and asked what mile I was on. At this point, there were people who were running their second lap of the loop I was on and there were signs that were a bit confusing. I let him know and he asked if he could run with me for a little while. I of course was like SURE!! Ill always take someone who is going to talk my ear off and I can listen and not have to think about anything else. His name was Donald and he worked at a lab and has 2 girls and a boy. All are my age or around my age. He talked about his fishing trips, his boat, his kids, his families love of swim bike run, his running club, etc. He was very entertaining. So I turned off my music and we ran together until just after mile 21. He then said he was going to try to pick up the pace and try to finish under a 4:30. I wished him luck and we split. By this time, I knew I was going to see the girls one last time before the end and was thankful that I had about an hour left. I ended up running with Val for a little bit and asked for some gossip (aka her to talk to me so I could listen). She gave me my bread which was awesome! She ran with me until about 22.75. Anyways... Right after we parted, I dropped my bread. Thankfully it was in a bag so I sure did turn around and get it.
I had just a few miles left by myself. It was out and back and I would be done. At about mile 24, there was gravel road. I took this as an opportunity to WALK. My first thought was gravel in my shoes equals me having to stop to get it out and sitting on the ground = me not wanting or able to get up. My next thought was twisting my leg, ankle, etc. It was not worth it. So after the gravel, I knew that I would be back to it on the way back and ran as much as I could knowing I would have to slow my pace later. I saw Donald at this point since it was an out and back course. We high fived and wished each other luck. I am sure he finished at his goal time. At the last .3 miles (according to my garmin) I was picking up the pace. I saw the finish line but then it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. Right before the finish, I saw Val, Diane, Alex, Ron, and Rosalie! I ran as fast as I could to the finish. Finish time according to garmin was 4:42... and 26.47 miles.(Overachiever) I dropped 7 minutes according to my garmin from my last race last month. This I was SO EXCITED OVER!!! To know I just did this distance a month ago and improved that much was awesome!
Pre race
So... about 3.5 weeks ago Alex asked... "What is your next race going to be?" It shocked me. I had no plans for after the marathon in Myrtle Beach. It got me thinking. I had to have another goal. I thought.... why not another marathon. So I did a lot of research, listened to my body, and signed up for the Wrightsville Beach Marathon. That was about 14 days ago.
I had a great long run (16 miles) but terrible shorter runs until my last short run. I was so thankful that my last short run (4 miles) on Thursday was great. I got my mindset back, focused, and was preparing mentally for the big day.
I finished packing on Friday (yes big shock since Im normally prepared weeks in advance) and we headed out on Saturday am at 730. Bags packed, car packed, Val and Diane came over to my house and we were on the road right at 730, not a minute late. We ended up stopping at Sheetz for a breakfast english muffin and then back to the road because we had BIG plans. We stopped at the Duplin Winery in Rose Hill on the way down. Our server was great. His name was Ronnie and he had amazing tales of dinner parties and I asked if we could all come over for dinner (I was joking!) Anyways, we tried many different types of wine. Most I liked but some were not too awesome. We learned a lot from him. He had great knowledge about all sorts of things.
Afterwards, we were going to eat there (we packed a lunch) but we were not hungry so we just kind of munched a little bit. We got to Wrighsville at 1, just like we planned and found the expo. To say I was disappointed, that would be a true statement. There were just people there selling sports drinks, protein powder, etc. BUT I did get a pretty nifty cool pair of teal and yellow tube socks that say 26.2 on the side and a super cute and soft tshrit that says the marathon on it.
After leaving the expo we went to Harris Teeter to get some icecream. This next part was a VERY bad idea. We ended up finding some icecream cones on closeout and I had a coupon so it made them 20 cents each. We all had 2 each. What a deal! UNTIL.... we found out it contained splenda and we all had terrible repercussions from this. NO COMMENT!
Lets just say none of us will be eating those anymore. :)
After our little icecream run, we met Matt (friend from High School) at Chickfila and well all sat outside for a little while and caught up with him. I also ended up getting sunburned. O well.
After leaving, it was past 3 so we could check in at the hotel. I first wanted to go and drive by where the race start would be. I knew what it looked like because Alex was there in previous races, but it just helps calm my nerves.
So well all went to the hotel after driving around and all were doubled over in pain but still made a great effort to go out shopping and ended up at Marshals. I found some running shorts and debated on wearing them the next day but I did hear a little bird in my head say "don't do it".
After Marshals, we went to get pizza for dinner at Costco and then back to the hotel to meet Alex, Ron, and Rosalie for dinner there. Ron and Rosalie stayed until 8 and Alex stayed until a bit before 10. I wanted to be in bed at 10 and pretty much was. Lights out!
I had a great long run (16 miles) but terrible shorter runs until my last short run. I was so thankful that my last short run (4 miles) on Thursday was great. I got my mindset back, focused, and was preparing mentally for the big day.
I finished packing on Friday (yes big shock since Im normally prepared weeks in advance) and we headed out on Saturday am at 730. Bags packed, car packed, Val and Diane came over to my house and we were on the road right at 730, not a minute late. We ended up stopping at Sheetz for a breakfast english muffin and then back to the road because we had BIG plans. We stopped at the Duplin Winery in Rose Hill on the way down. Our server was great. His name was Ronnie and he had amazing tales of dinner parties and I asked if we could all come over for dinner (I was joking!) Anyways, we tried many different types of wine. Most I liked but some were not too awesome. We learned a lot from him. He had great knowledge about all sorts of things.
Afterwards, we were going to eat there (we packed a lunch) but we were not hungry so we just kind of munched a little bit. We got to Wrighsville at 1, just like we planned and found the expo. To say I was disappointed, that would be a true statement. There were just people there selling sports drinks, protein powder, etc. BUT I did get a pretty nifty cool pair of teal and yellow tube socks that say 26.2 on the side and a super cute and soft tshrit that says the marathon on it.
After leaving the expo we went to Harris Teeter to get some icecream. This next part was a VERY bad idea. We ended up finding some icecream cones on closeout and I had a coupon so it made them 20 cents each. We all had 2 each. What a deal! UNTIL.... we found out it contained splenda and we all had terrible repercussions from this. NO COMMENT!
Lets just say none of us will be eating those anymore. :)
After our little icecream run, we met Matt (friend from High School) at Chickfila and well all sat outside for a little while and caught up with him. I also ended up getting sunburned. O well.
After leaving, it was past 3 so we could check in at the hotel. I first wanted to go and drive by where the race start would be. I knew what it looked like because Alex was there in previous races, but it just helps calm my nerves.
So well all went to the hotel after driving around and all were doubled over in pain but still made a great effort to go out shopping and ended up at Marshals. I found some running shorts and debated on wearing them the next day but I did hear a little bird in my head say "don't do it".
After Marshals, we went to get pizza for dinner at Costco and then back to the hotel to meet Alex, Ron, and Rosalie for dinner there. Ron and Rosalie stayed until 8 and Alex stayed until a bit before 10. I wanted to be in bed at 10 and pretty much was. Lights out!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Cat and mouse
Just when I thought things were winding down this week, there was a turn of events. I had been very busy at work this past week and all I wanted to do was take a nap. I love.... I mean LOVE my naps! I laid down on the couch to snooze for a couple hours. (I like snuggling with 8 piece on the couch and he is not allowed in the bedroom) Anyways... Daniel got home at around 8 that night and went to turn on the lamp and it would not turn on. The lamp is on a timer and he thought the timer was broken. He then asked if I had broken it. Of course I had not. I was sleeping. Come to find out, one of the boys decided/learned to unplug things from the wall. hmmmmm.... very interesting. Time went on and the boys would not leave the area where the lamp was. There is a dvd shelf right by the lamp. This got me thinking... what could possibly be SO interesting?
I got out my phone which has a flashlight on it and pointed it behind the dvd shelf. Well... go figure. There was a tiny mouse behind the shelf. I told Daniel who then went to get one of the fireplace tools to poke the mouse out. I got Country Biscuit (he is the best guard kitty) and held him while Daniel poked the mouse out. Out ran the mouse and Country Biscuit was after him. We didn't know where the mouse went but it did not take Country Biscuit but 30 seconds to hunt him down and rule himself winner at the game of catch. I of course did not want him to actually EAT the thing so I went after him and praised him. He tried to get away from me but Daniel and I got him in the hallway. The mouse was still living but was severely "broken". Daniel asked me to take some photos and then took the mouse outside. I think Country Biscuit was a bit upset that his new friend was given the boot. So....
I gave him and the other two kids wet food. (and of course praised him)
You see... Daniel so wanted Country Biscuit to look at the camera... He was thinking.... heck no.. my new toy is going to get taken from me. Can't fool a smart cat!
I got out my phone which has a flashlight on it and pointed it behind the dvd shelf. Well... go figure. There was a tiny mouse behind the shelf. I told Daniel who then went to get one of the fireplace tools to poke the mouse out. I got Country Biscuit (he is the best guard kitty) and held him while Daniel poked the mouse out. Out ran the mouse and Country Biscuit was after him. We didn't know where the mouse went but it did not take Country Biscuit but 30 seconds to hunt him down and rule himself winner at the game of catch. I of course did not want him to actually EAT the thing so I went after him and praised him. He tried to get away from me but Daniel and I got him in the hallway. The mouse was still living but was severely "broken". Daniel asked me to take some photos and then took the mouse outside. I think Country Biscuit was a bit upset that his new friend was given the boot. So....
I gave him and the other two kids wet food. (and of course praised him)
You see... Daniel so wanted Country Biscuit to look at the camera... He was thinking.... heck no.. my new toy is going to get taken from me. Can't fool a smart cat!
Friday, February 24, 2012
When did it become Friday?
O Friday... how I normally LOVE you! Today.... I have to work, no little fun and lots of housework all crammed into little time. Thankfully Daniel did the dishes. That was a real relief!
I have been out of town most of the week in Charlotte doing training for work. I left Monday and went to visit my parents. I spent the night there and then got up super early to get ready for my conference. Tuesday was Soooooo long! It started at 8:15 and I got out of there close to 6. I had zero time to talk to Daniel. Went to the wrong hotel (thanks manager) and finally arrived at the correct one at 630. I had to get a quick dinner at the hotel (it was free) and then off to the festivities that were provided and pretty much mandatory to go to. The only thing I did not like about going out was the expensive parking! 10 bucks an hour. The place was Strike City and it was very nice. I liked it way more than the cowboy bar we went to the year previous. It was more laid back and more active. (you could bowl and play pool)
I stayed until about 8:30 and then had to get to the car so I did not go over the hour. Peggy and Toni came with me back to the hotel and we all went to our rooms and relaxed. Apparently Caitlyn knew this guy in college who facebooked her to say that I was at his hotel eating. I cant escape the O'Donnell-ness!
Lights out for Tuesday and early am for Wednesday. Our class started at 8 and we had to get breakfast and drive there! Once again, it was an all day event. 5:15 came and I bolted out of there. I was so ready to get home to see the kitties and Daniel. 8 piece acted like I did not live there anymore. He normally is the best greeter but he ignored me. He finally came around a bit later... when food was in front of him. :)
So on to the rest of the week. Lots of errands and cleaning and now its Friday.... uggggg.
I have been out of town most of the week in Charlotte doing training for work. I left Monday and went to visit my parents. I spent the night there and then got up super early to get ready for my conference. Tuesday was Soooooo long! It started at 8:15 and I got out of there close to 6. I had zero time to talk to Daniel. Went to the wrong hotel (thanks manager) and finally arrived at the correct one at 630. I had to get a quick dinner at the hotel (it was free) and then off to the festivities that were provided and pretty much mandatory to go to. The only thing I did not like about going out was the expensive parking! 10 bucks an hour. The place was Strike City and it was very nice. I liked it way more than the cowboy bar we went to the year previous. It was more laid back and more active. (you could bowl and play pool)
I stayed until about 8:30 and then had to get to the car so I did not go over the hour. Peggy and Toni came with me back to the hotel and we all went to our rooms and relaxed. Apparently Caitlyn knew this guy in college who facebooked her to say that I was at his hotel eating. I cant escape the O'Donnell-ness!
Lights out for Tuesday and early am for Wednesday. Our class started at 8 and we had to get breakfast and drive there! Once again, it was an all day event. 5:15 came and I bolted out of there. I was so ready to get home to see the kitties and Daniel. 8 piece acted like I did not live there anymore. He normally is the best greeter but he ignored me. He finally came around a bit later... when food was in front of him. :)
So on to the rest of the week. Lots of errands and cleaning and now its Friday.... uggggg.
Monday, February 20, 2012
after....
Well... after the race was done the first thing I wanted was a beer. I hadn't had one in ages and it just sounded like a good idea. So I found my beer, chocolate milk and potato chips. Recovery for athletes! HA!
I had half of all the items. I just wasn't in the mood. My parents were lucky enough to get late checkout so after the race I walked over to their car and went to the hotel and got a good quick shower. It was super short but just good to get the salt off my body and out of my eyes.
We did have plans to go eat bbq after but apparently there was a sandwich shop that was pretty close so we went there for lunch instead. I still wasn't hungry but made myself eat a grilled cheese sandwich. (kids meal)
So all of us sat down and enjoyed lunch. Unfortunately my parents had to leave pretty early but that gave me time to get back to the condo and drop everything and then get a pedicure. My feet were looking really bad. In fact, the week previous, I went into the salon with flip flops and I apologized for my nasty toes that were just pathetic. So Randy, Jean, and myself went to the salon and got a little pampering. I should have taken a before picture because the after picture looks fantastic! I now am the proud owner of pretty pink toe nails.
Later that afternoon, I slept for an hour to relax and then got up to go to dinner. We all went to this seafood hut and grill. Daniel and I had gone before and it was good. This time... same thing.. good. But no one wanted to share the fried cheesecake so I will just have to wait until the summer when someone will share it with me. Instead, Daniel and I went to get free frozen yogurt. I had a coupon for free food if I showed my bib number. Fortunately I kept it so free food for us! We then went out to Target and then back to the condo to crash.
That night I had a terrible night sleep. I just could not stay asleep past about 4am. So I woke up with puffy eyes and had to place a cold water bottle on my eyes.
Jean had to get to work again that morning and I waited for Randy so we could go out looking at homes and get breakfast to bring back. We splurged and got donuts and coffee. :) The breakfast of champions!
After Daniel got up, we cleaned up the condo and then made our way to the outlet malls. Val had texted me to let me know snow was coming. So we had to book it to get to the shops that Daniel and I wanted to go to. Daniel found some killer deals and I did as well. We also said our goodbyes at the outlet and then made out way back home.
We were lucky enough for the snow to hold off until the very end of our trip. PHEW!
I had half of all the items. I just wasn't in the mood. My parents were lucky enough to get late checkout so after the race I walked over to their car and went to the hotel and got a good quick shower. It was super short but just good to get the salt off my body and out of my eyes.
We did have plans to go eat bbq after but apparently there was a sandwich shop that was pretty close so we went there for lunch instead. I still wasn't hungry but made myself eat a grilled cheese sandwich. (kids meal)
So all of us sat down and enjoyed lunch. Unfortunately my parents had to leave pretty early but that gave me time to get back to the condo and drop everything and then get a pedicure. My feet were looking really bad. In fact, the week previous, I went into the salon with flip flops and I apologized for my nasty toes that were just pathetic. So Randy, Jean, and myself went to the salon and got a little pampering. I should have taken a before picture because the after picture looks fantastic! I now am the proud owner of pretty pink toe nails.
Later that afternoon, I slept for an hour to relax and then got up to go to dinner. We all went to this seafood hut and grill. Daniel and I had gone before and it was good. This time... same thing.. good. But no one wanted to share the fried cheesecake so I will just have to wait until the summer when someone will share it with me. Instead, Daniel and I went to get free frozen yogurt. I had a coupon for free food if I showed my bib number. Fortunately I kept it so free food for us! We then went out to Target and then back to the condo to crash.
That night I had a terrible night sleep. I just could not stay asleep past about 4am. So I woke up with puffy eyes and had to place a cold water bottle on my eyes.
Jean had to get to work again that morning and I waited for Randy so we could go out looking at homes and get breakfast to bring back. We splurged and got donuts and coffee. :) The breakfast of champions!
After Daniel got up, we cleaned up the condo and then made our way to the outlet malls. Val had texted me to let me know snow was coming. So we had to book it to get to the shops that Daniel and I wanted to go to. Daniel found some killer deals and I did as well. We also said our goodbyes at the outlet and then made out way back home.
We were lucky enough for the snow to hold off until the very end of our trip. PHEW!
The BEST orange ever!
This weekend.... I ate the best orange ever.... Ill get to that in a minute but FIRST!!!!
This past weekend was my marathon weekend. After that day in December when I just threw my hands up about my medical stuff, I decided to sign up for the marathon. It was the 31st of December. Talk about goal setting for 2012. I researched a doable training program for my marathon and came up with one. I already had run a 10 mile run so I was OK to have a shorter training schedule.
Lets just say that this past week went by so fast, that I still am having a hard time knowing that today is Monday. Tuesday I sold a home and Wednesday was countering back and forth. Thursday am I had to get into the office at 7ish to get some paperwork printed out to then go to the corporate office to hand in the contract that I never thought would actually come together. (no comment)
I drove to Fayetteville to drop off my car and then to drive with Randy the rest of the way down. I was on the phone almost the whole way. The first half I was calling and taking calls and the last half (since I was not driving) I was emailing, texting, sighing a lot, etc.
I felt pretty bad about the lack of conversation but work had to get done and I was hopeful that it would be done and then like clockwork, I got an email or a phone call and then I was back working again. Thankfully, I have understanding in laws.
On our way to the beach we stopped at Smithfield's to get food. I had been eating Paleo for the whole month but was starting to transition over to processed foods for the race. That Brunswick stew was SO good! I always get it.
After we got to the condo and unpacked and did MORE work, Jean showed up. We then got ready to go to the expo. I always like a good expo before a race. But this time, I got super nervous. Butterfly city in my stomach. There were quite a few vendors there but here is the recap. Chickfila was the main sponsor but was no where to be seen the whole weekend. :(
A rescue dog took my dollar and put it in a can and then got a dog treat, I got some pretty neat ear warmer things made out of bathing suits, and I picked up my race bag and stuffed it with lemonade packets, pita chips, and sunscreen.
That evening, we went to a Mongolian grill for dinner. It was very good.
The next day we got up and went to breakfast and had amazing french toast. Jean and I went to the outlets and Randy went to visit with some people. Gap was my fav store at the outlet. I was a big spender and got 4 shirts for less than 11 bucks.
After retail therapy, we went back to rest up for the race that evening. Randy and Jean ran the 5k along with 1100 other people. Randy took 2 minutes off his time thanks to Doug. (Thats another story) We went to 5 guys for dinner and met Daniel there. He had to come later due to work. I brought my own food just in case there would be food poisoning. (Considering I did not do the full marathon last time I tried because of a terrible cold, I was not going to take any chances). Anyways, we called it an early night since the next morning was going to be SO early!
I set my alarm clock for 5am. As always, I did not sleep until my alarm went off. I got up at 315, 330, 345, 4, 420, 430, 440, 455 and then just thought that the last 5 minutes didnt matter.
I packed my breakfast for the road and had all of my stuff together. The night before, we had mapped out where I was going to meet Randy and Daniel for my food. My parents were going to meet me at 4 and 9. Randy and Daniel were to meet me at 11.5, 14.5, 21.5 and 23.
Our drive to the race was distracted by internet on the telephone. Anything to get gitters out!
We found a parking spot amongst the other 7000-8000 people there at Broadway at the Beach. I ran to use the restroom and then came back to get my stuff. I took a picture of before hand and then said my goodbyes. I walked away and started crying! I was nervous, scared, excited, happy, sad, etc etc. People DIE doing these things and I signed up for it! I was hopeful that I would find someone I knew at the start line. I knew of about 5-10 people who were running. Thankfully I dried up my tears in time and happened to find my old coworker Jeremy. He didn't really train for the race so he said he would run with me.
First off, the race started 2 minutes late because a fuse blew.hahaha. figures.
Anyways, I started, along with the other 7-8000 people there. Just like clockwork, I saw my parents at mile 4 and my Mom handed me granola bars. Then at mile 9 I gave away my jacket for an exchange of skittles and starburst. There was a TON of candy and I was thinking to myself, how in the world would I ever eat all this candy.... (just wait)...
Then at mile 11.5 I saw Randy and Daniel and actually turned down the food that I asked them to give to me. I was having to force myself to eat what I already had. I just was not hungry. I did swallow a few powerbar things that I had brought from the beginning and also some skittles. (because who doesn't like skittles). I then saw them again the next time and was SO excited for my shot blocks. It was margarita flavor with extra salt and boy was it yummy.
About mile 16, Jeremy and I split up and I put my tunes on and kept running. I could tell my pace was getting slower which I expected and still was pushing through it. I was so excited because food station was supposed to be soon. I ran by the food station.... and NO FOOD! They only had water. (every 2 miles was supposed to be water and powerade and then mile 16 and 22 food) I was so disappointed! By this point I really wanted some food.
I met the guys at mile 21.5 and got my baby food and bread. I tried to eat the baby food but just couldnt. I then tried to eat the powerbar stuff and about threw up. So bread it was. I was so excited about the food station that was about to be coming up only to be disappointed again. FINALLY mile 23ish was water, powerade, and the BEST oranges ever! I ran past and ate my orange only to wish I had another piece. I was actually thinking about yelling to the volunteers to throw me another one at the turn around point. (I passed them again just .2 miles later)
THANKFULLY there was more!!!!! That orange really gave me a bit of happiness. You see... around mile 22 my calves got so tight. I was loosing too much salt and so I had to do the whole walk a little and then run as much as I could until I had to walk some more. This went on until mile 26. At mile 26 I saw Randy. Then I was coming down the cattle corral (that is what it looked like) and saw my parents. Then Daniel and then Jean (she had to work). I finished in 4 hours 49 minutes and just a couple seconds. I started crying. (again). I was just so happy I completed what I set out to complete. To know that all the hours, miles, early mornings, cold weather... it all paid off. I had a goal that I could control (mostly) and was able to complete it. And.... I slashed my old marathon time by about 45 minutes.
I contribute my faster time with these things....
1. better training plan 2. experience 3. support along the course that gave me food 4. a flat course and 5. more determination than ever to prove I could do it again.
This past weekend was my marathon weekend. After that day in December when I just threw my hands up about my medical stuff, I decided to sign up for the marathon. It was the 31st of December. Talk about goal setting for 2012. I researched a doable training program for my marathon and came up with one. I already had run a 10 mile run so I was OK to have a shorter training schedule.
Lets just say that this past week went by so fast, that I still am having a hard time knowing that today is Monday. Tuesday I sold a home and Wednesday was countering back and forth. Thursday am I had to get into the office at 7ish to get some paperwork printed out to then go to the corporate office to hand in the contract that I never thought would actually come together. (no comment)
I drove to Fayetteville to drop off my car and then to drive with Randy the rest of the way down. I was on the phone almost the whole way. The first half I was calling and taking calls and the last half (since I was not driving) I was emailing, texting, sighing a lot, etc.
I felt pretty bad about the lack of conversation but work had to get done and I was hopeful that it would be done and then like clockwork, I got an email or a phone call and then I was back working again. Thankfully, I have understanding in laws.
On our way to the beach we stopped at Smithfield's to get food. I had been eating Paleo for the whole month but was starting to transition over to processed foods for the race. That Brunswick stew was SO good! I always get it.
After we got to the condo and unpacked and did MORE work, Jean showed up. We then got ready to go to the expo. I always like a good expo before a race. But this time, I got super nervous. Butterfly city in my stomach. There were quite a few vendors there but here is the recap. Chickfila was the main sponsor but was no where to be seen the whole weekend. :(
A rescue dog took my dollar and put it in a can and then got a dog treat, I got some pretty neat ear warmer things made out of bathing suits, and I picked up my race bag and stuffed it with lemonade packets, pita chips, and sunscreen.
That evening, we went to a Mongolian grill for dinner. It was very good.
The next day we got up and went to breakfast and had amazing french toast. Jean and I went to the outlets and Randy went to visit with some people. Gap was my fav store at the outlet. I was a big spender and got 4 shirts for less than 11 bucks.
After retail therapy, we went back to rest up for the race that evening. Randy and Jean ran the 5k along with 1100 other people. Randy took 2 minutes off his time thanks to Doug. (Thats another story) We went to 5 guys for dinner and met Daniel there. He had to come later due to work. I brought my own food just in case there would be food poisoning. (Considering I did not do the full marathon last time I tried because of a terrible cold, I was not going to take any chances). Anyways, we called it an early night since the next morning was going to be SO early!
I set my alarm clock for 5am. As always, I did not sleep until my alarm went off. I got up at 315, 330, 345, 4, 420, 430, 440, 455 and then just thought that the last 5 minutes didnt matter.
I packed my breakfast for the road and had all of my stuff together. The night before, we had mapped out where I was going to meet Randy and Daniel for my food. My parents were going to meet me at 4 and 9. Randy and Daniel were to meet me at 11.5, 14.5, 21.5 and 23.
Our drive to the race was distracted by internet on the telephone. Anything to get gitters out!
We found a parking spot amongst the other 7000-8000 people there at Broadway at the Beach. I ran to use the restroom and then came back to get my stuff. I took a picture of before hand and then said my goodbyes. I walked away and started crying! I was nervous, scared, excited, happy, sad, etc etc. People DIE doing these things and I signed up for it! I was hopeful that I would find someone I knew at the start line. I knew of about 5-10 people who were running. Thankfully I dried up my tears in time and happened to find my old coworker Jeremy. He didn't really train for the race so he said he would run with me.
First off, the race started 2 minutes late because a fuse blew.hahaha. figures.
Anyways, I started, along with the other 7-8000 people there. Just like clockwork, I saw my parents at mile 4 and my Mom handed me granola bars. Then at mile 9 I gave away my jacket for an exchange of skittles and starburst. There was a TON of candy and I was thinking to myself, how in the world would I ever eat all this candy.... (just wait)...
Then at mile 11.5 I saw Randy and Daniel and actually turned down the food that I asked them to give to me. I was having to force myself to eat what I already had. I just was not hungry. I did swallow a few powerbar things that I had brought from the beginning and also some skittles. (because who doesn't like skittles). I then saw them again the next time and was SO excited for my shot blocks. It was margarita flavor with extra salt and boy was it yummy.
About mile 16, Jeremy and I split up and I put my tunes on and kept running. I could tell my pace was getting slower which I expected and still was pushing through it. I was so excited because food station was supposed to be soon. I ran by the food station.... and NO FOOD! They only had water. (every 2 miles was supposed to be water and powerade and then mile 16 and 22 food) I was so disappointed! By this point I really wanted some food.
I met the guys at mile 21.5 and got my baby food and bread. I tried to eat the baby food but just couldnt. I then tried to eat the powerbar stuff and about threw up. So bread it was. I was so excited about the food station that was about to be coming up only to be disappointed again. FINALLY mile 23ish was water, powerade, and the BEST oranges ever! I ran past and ate my orange only to wish I had another piece. I was actually thinking about yelling to the volunteers to throw me another one at the turn around point. (I passed them again just .2 miles later)
THANKFULLY there was more!!!!! That orange really gave me a bit of happiness. You see... around mile 22 my calves got so tight. I was loosing too much salt and so I had to do the whole walk a little and then run as much as I could until I had to walk some more. This went on until mile 26. At mile 26 I saw Randy. Then I was coming down the cattle corral (that is what it looked like) and saw my parents. Then Daniel and then Jean (she had to work). I finished in 4 hours 49 minutes and just a couple seconds. I started crying. (again). I was just so happy I completed what I set out to complete. To know that all the hours, miles, early mornings, cold weather... it all paid off. I had a goal that I could control (mostly) and was able to complete it. And.... I slashed my old marathon time by about 45 minutes.
I contribute my faster time with these things....
1. better training plan 2. experience 3. support along the course that gave me food 4. a flat course and 5. more determination than ever to prove I could do it again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)