How I spent my anniversary this year.

I really should give myself some distance from this situation before I go and write about it....but I've decided that this must go on my blog right away (rolling eyes).

As some of you may be aware, Jonathan and I have a "curse" of sorts that always strikes around our anniversary, and this year was no exception! Let me refresh your memory on how we have spent past anniversaries.....


8 straight years of anniversary sabotage!


1-Great-Grandma died & we had to travel to IL for the funeral. It was RECORD low temps that weekend and I got a cold.



2-The Great 2002 Ice Storm! We had a 8 week old baby and we spent all our money on a generator because we had no power...oh, and Jon got some wicked flu!



3-I was pg with Chandler and sick, sick, sick!



4-Oh...we did actually get to stay in a hotel this year!!! McKenna had the flu & Chandler was only 7 months old, but my Mom watched them anyway :-)



5- I was pg with Maya this year and still feeling sick because of that. BOTH of the kids got the stomach flu the day before I was going to fly to GA to meet Jon. My mom still watched the kids for me so I could go. The very night I landed in GA to meet up with Jon I got the same bug the kids had & I spent most of our "romantic getaway" puking!!



6- I had the worlds WORST sinus infection that year & couldn't even taste anything at dinner. We skipped going to a movie & instead went to the grocery store on our way home to buy tea, juice, and cold medicine for me :-(.



7-McKenna gets the flu, and we have to cancel all our plans!



8 - CHANDLER GETS ATTACKED BY A DOG & WE GET TO SPEND 5 HOURS IN THE ER!



Yep! This is no lie! I had been trying all week to figure out a day that Jonathan and I could go out to celebrate our anniversary. Several of our plans fell through & then we finally decided to go out on Sunday night. The day started off perfectly as we dropped the kids off at my parents house & headed out to an early movie so that we could catch dinner and a movie before the kids bedtime (it was a school night after all). We did get to see the movie together (only because we had our phones turned off), but as soon as we left the theater & I turned my phone back on I saw that my parents had called my phone about 10 times.



That's when the "fun" began. To make a very long story short...My dad took McKenna and Chandler for a walk around their neighborhood & they saw a little Jack Russel Terrier that looked like Bentley (my parents old dog) & they asked the owner if they could pet the dog. The owner said "sure" and set the dog down & the dog charged at Chandler and immediately bit him on the arm. Somehow, that little 14 lb dog was able to bite through my sons puffy winter coat and long sleeve shirt...and do some pretty good damage. It could have been much, much worse, but everyone acted quickly & the dog only got a few bites in before they got him off. In the end Chandler only had one really bad puncture wound, and the ER doctor said they were not going to do stitches because they wanted to prevent any kind of infection from setting in.



So, that's how I got to spend this years anniversary. Let me tell you, there is just nothing like spending 4 hours in the ER waiting to be seen (with a overstimulated, over-sugared 4 year old who is up 3 hours past his bedtime)! When we finally got to head towards home it was after midnight & Jon and I realized we had just spent all of our anniversary "fund" on an ER co-pay, and our romantic dinner turned out to be overpriced vending machine snacks that we devoured when we realized we were getting shaky from lack of nutrition.



I couldn't help it, but I cried on the way home because sometimes this seems so unfair! I'm still quite angry over the whole thing. I'm not imagining this....EVERY TIME we try to plan something special together it ends up being ruined...and I'm sick of it! SICK. OF. IT! I'm about to give up! I know that we have to keep trying to plan special outings together, but I dread it now. I hate having this feeling that a dark cloud is hanging over us when we try to get away.



As I have said before..."this too shall pass"...and I really do believe that. However, I wouldn't mind a prayer or two. Our actual anniversary is tomorrow (the 29th) & I'm going to try my best to just enjoy the day. I won't let this get me down for long...but today is probably not my best day mentally.



*Chandler was probably the least of us that was traumatized by this event. He kinda liked the extra attention. :-)


Getting all bandaged up.


Side one...

Side two....

Tom = "El Diablo"

Let me explain.....

Last Friday Tom S. came over to our house to pick Jonathan up for a guy's night outing & he brought with him this Walgreen's sack and left it on the counter in our kitchen. When the boys were getting ready to leave I pointed to the sack and said, "what's that?". He laughed and said something about it being a "little snack" for me to enjoy later . Then he opened it up and pulled out about 3 lbs of chocolate in the form of KING size candy bars! There was a KING size bag of peanut M&M's, a KING size Snickers, a KING size 3 Musketeers, and a giant 1 lb Hershey's bar with almonds.

Now, I was feeling rather strong when he first showed me the bounty of chocolate & I was sure I wasn't going to cave and devour it all. I'll admit, I was strong for the first couple of days & then came Sunday.....

On Sunday- We took the KING size bag of peanut M&M's over to Tom and Karen's and I had a small handful (my resolve was weakening....but I was still doing OK). Not too bad...

On Monday- I eyed the giant Snickers all day & then finally tore into it after lunch. I started off with the best intentions though. I cut the giant bar in half & told myself I was going to share the other half with the kids. Then......the first half was so delicious that I had to cut just a little more off the second half (because that first half I ate was probably not even equal to one normal size snickers bar...). Well, the kids didn't seem interested in the bar (probably because it was hidden behind a bowl on the counter top) & it was just a shame to see it go to waste, so I cut just a little more off. By that time there was only a small bite left & I thought "oh....what the heck"...and I finished the dumb thing off! So, by the end of Monday I had polished off the WHOLE KING SIZE snickers!!

On Tuesday- Jon ate half of the giant 3 Musketeers bar...but the second half was calling my name......

On Wednesday- 6 squares of that giant Hershey's bar with almonds sure tasted good with my coffee....

On Thursday (today) - 3 more squares of that Hershey's bar sure tasted good with coffee.....

*I can feel my butt growing as I type this & I'm pretty sure that my jeans were a little tight this morning! Tom (aka "El Diablo"), isn't your birthday just right around the corner? Oh, paybacks are coming.....paybacks are coming! I'm pretty sure I saw a 3 lb bag of peanut M&M's at Target the other day....

Here We Go!

OK....here is my summary of my trip to Orlando!

In the wee morning hours on Thursday, Tricia and I made our way to the airport with one thought on our minds....SUNSHINE! We were both sick of the cold and looking forward to a change of scenery. That's just what we found when we landed in Orlando. In fact, one of the first things we did when we arrived at our hotel was change into our swimsuits and head to the pool!


(You can hate me now.....)

After lounging at the pool for a few hours we went for a beautiful run at dusk around the little "lake" at our resort. It was one of those moments where you say "this is what a vacation is supposed to feel like".
That pretty much wraps up the Thursday activities.

Friday was EXPO day! I love going to the Disney expo, because like all things Disney, even the expo is fun. There is so much to see and do that it's almost too much! I love walking around checking out all the cool running gadgets that I can't afford (but love to dream about)-LOL!


The expo floor.



I think I can beat this kid...

Um.....I think I might have smiled at the finish line....but notsomuch after that!

Enough said.

Friday afternoon was the TNT pasta party at Epcot. This is always such an inspiring time. After you leave the pasta party you feel pumped up & ready to go run your marathon!


Tricia and I at the entrance of the pasta party.

The food line...my big sis didn't miss a single Kodak moment (I have no idea what was so funny).

My "peeps" Jodi and Susan :-)

OK...here is where you look away if you are a law-abiding citizen. Because what we did next may have been a little...well, "sneaky". You see, the pasta party is at Epcot, but we don't technically get to go to Epcot (the party is just at a building on the Epcot property). Sooooooooo, we sort of had to.....

...be a little sneaky ;-)

So there we were, "criminals" in the middle of Epcot (saving ourselves $74), making our way toward the giant "ball" for another photo opportunity.



I'm a little slow on the hand placement technique.

We spent all evening at Epcot, and stayed until the fireworks started.


Tricia is going to be so mad at me for putting this picture on my blog!


Yes....we do think we are cute ;-)


Um...sweetie, I don't think you are supposed to climb on the viking boat. Although, who am I to talk? I'm the one who talked you into sneaking past security to get into this place!


Oh my! I think I really need to visit Italy some day :-).


What a pretty sunset.


I could feel those fireworks behind me!!

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OK....Let's move on to Sunday - race day!

The night....um, I mean morning started at 2:15 am, when I rolled out of bed to get ready for the big event! At Disney you have to catch buses to the start line around 3:00 am (whee!). The race starts at 6:00 am, but the buses quit running at 4:00 am - so you have to be at the bus stops early if you want to make it to the start line. Tricia was very skeptical about the necessity of this insane middle-of-the-night ritual, but she went along with it (like she had a choice). This year it was more fun watching all the first time Disney goers moan and groan about our 4:00 am coral line up. I didn't take as many pictures this year, but Tricia got plenty of 4:00 am video footage.


The TNT Disney gang!

Tricia with her sharpie sign.


At the start line!

Entering Magic Kingdom. How do you like my new little running skirt? I feel so...girly ;-)

My "fan club" :-). Let me just say that I LOVED having my sister there with me this year. It really is so motivating to know that you have someone out there cheering just for you. Thanks, sis....you're the best!

*After this point I have very few pictures. By mile 18 I started feeling really, really sick to my stomach. I had not felt 100% all day, but after mile 18 things went down hill quickly! I had trouble breathing at one point & freaked poor Jodi and Susan out pretty good. After that episode everything felt like a struggle. I couldn't get into a groove, my i-pod broke, my stomach started to cramp, and each mile began to feel longer and L-O-N-G-E-R!

By mile 22 I realized that it was taking me much longer to complete each mile & I was not going to PR. That's when I decided to stop and just walk for a little while. I even stopped and asked a volunteer to dump a bottled water over my head. I could feel myself slowly shutting down & I knew I needed to get to the finish line soon. In retrospect, I should have stopped at a med tent at that point, but being the stubborn brat that I am I refused to do that, because I knew they would probably make me stop. I wasn't going to let that happen! I had made it to mile 23 & and dang it....I was going to finish this dumb thing!

So, I basically ran slowly when I could and stopped and walked when I felt the urge to puke! Yep, no glorious finish here....no heroic thoughts, deep insights, or surge of energy at the end of this race! I did however pass by these two characters at mile 24 & I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get these pictures to show Chandler. So with my last ounce of energy, I found the will to crack a few smiles for these pictures....

MR. INCREDIBLE!


POWER RANGERS!

After these pictures it was 2.2 agonizing miles to the finish line...and I'm happy to report that I MADE IT! That's about all I can say about my marathon finish this year...I FINISHED!

Now that I'm a few days out from the race & I've had the opportunity to reflect on this race, I will say this...I am so blessed! I really am. I got to do something that many people would LOVE to do, but are unable to do either because of health related issues, or they do not have the time and resources to take on this sort of endeavor. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful family & a husband that has sacrificed months of Saturday mornings so that I could train on the weekends. Without that kind of support I would NEVER be able to do any of this.

I feel slightly guilty for being such a brat about the whole marathon experience this year...but I've allowed myself to "mourn the loss of my expectations" & I've moved on now. It's never fun to feel like you fell short of your goal, but in the end I can still say I have this marathon experience under my belt now. Each marathon does teach you something...and this one taught me patience. Patience with myself, my body, my stage in life, and my abilities as an endurance athlete.

In the end I think this was a great learning experience for me. This probably put me back in my place and has taught me the value of "respecting the distance" of a marathon. Sometimes 26 miles doesn't sound like that much....until you get out there to run it! One thing is for sure....26.2 miles will show you what you are made of!

I've had a LOT of people ask me why I want to do these marathons if I can't finish them in a "decent/slightly competitive" time frame (you can imagine how much I love such inquiries...sigh). I know I lot of people don't understand why I do this to myself for a 5:39 finish time. To that I've learned to say "you just don't understand". I guess I don't know how to answer that question for others. I'm not sure what they are looking for when they ask that. I guess for some people, finishing a marathon in OVER five hours would be humiliating...but I suppose I don't feel like I've got anything to prove-LOL!

At the end of the day I am left with this...I LOVE what I'm doing. I can't expect everyone to understand, and I'm not going to try anymore. I'm also not going to answer the infamous question "so what was your time?" anymore either. I'm not ashamed of my finish...I'm freaking proud of it! BUT, I don't feel like I've got to prove anything either. I am what I am (a slow marathoner)& you either get it or you don't. I'm sure I'll have better marathons than this one...but even if I don't I'll shuffle on and enjoy the ride!

I'm Back!

Hello, all! I'm back from sunny Orlando & I sure do miss the sunshine...but I'm happy to see my family again :-). I'm still suffering from the "marathon hangover", so it will probably be a few days before I do my big post about the trip. I'm still trying to process it all.

I've had better running experiences, but I'm still glad I did this marathon again. There was a little bit of drama that unfolded this year....(ending with me in the medical tent) but all in all it was still a good experience. They say every marathon teaches you something, and I think that's an accurate statement in my case. I did learn a couple of things about myself this trip, and I'll try my best to share those thoughts with you at a later date.

However, one of the best parts of this trip was getting to have some fun time with my sister. I got to feel like a kid again, which was one of the highlights of my entire trip. We soaked up the sun & had a couple of really good laughs together. I'm sure this is a trip we will both remember for years to come:-).

Check you later....

It's that time again....

Time for another Orlando MARATHON! I'm packing my bags as I type this & getting ready to head down south for some warmer weather, and hopefully a great race day! This will be marathon #2 for me, but I'm just as excited this time around as I was for the first one.

My sister is coming with me this time, so that is going to be a ton of fun. I didn't get to have any family with me last year, so this really means a lot to know that I'll have my sister cheering for me along the course. You have no idea how wonderful it is to see a familiar face when you are weary and ragged at mile 18...and you still have another 8.2 to go! Sometimes it's motivating just to know you have a "fan" out there just for you :-).

So...here is to a great race day...warmer weather...and great memories!

-Wish me luck!

(This is a short video clip of my little running group at the starting line last year. Watch out...I was running while filming...hehe!)

New Year's Resolutions.

I have to admit that I don't really like to make New Year's resolutions because it just seems like the sort of thing you do to set yourself up for failure. You make a "resolution" and then you tell everyone about it & then you....try to keep it up for a month or two. Then what? Then.....you usually hope no one remembers what you said your resolution was & you give up on said resolution that has become nothing more than that annoying monkey on your back. End of story. Rinse. Wash. Repeat every year. Right?

Well, this year I AM making a New Year's resolution & I think I can keep it :-). I have decided to keep doing what I love...an do it with excellence! You see, I really decided to do this a long time ago, I just never thought of it as a "resolution". In the last 18 months I have made big changes in my life, some of which were pretty hard (even painful at times). I did those things because I wanted to see big changes in my life. I was so tired of doing the "same old things" which resulted in the "same old outcome". I knew I had something better inside of me & I went searching for it.

In many ways I'm still very much searching for the "better" part of me. I still stumble and fall & I get irritated with my lack of self-control at times. However, I have to say the last year has been a very "reflective" one for me & I feel a little more "clear" starting this new year. I feel very clear about what I want. I feel very sure of what my goals are. I feel very optimistic that I will be able to reach many of those goals & succeed at doing them with excellence.

Just to be clear....NO, this years resolution does not solely pertain to running! I love that I took up the sport of running, but to say that my life revolves around that would be entirely inaccurate & altogether untrue. I do LOVE running, and I see that change in my life something of a change turned into habit. I think I'll enjoy running for many years to come, so I've moved on to looking at improving other areas of my life and turning those new changes into habits as well. What running did for me was show me that with enough hard work you can accomplish more than you think!
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Now.....if you must hear me make one of those New Year's resolutions, here goes.................

I resolve to NEVER have this sort of laundry situation happen in my house....EVER again!
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Did I mention that my family generates 12 loads of laundry a WEEK! I'd say my family is making a HUGE "footprint" on this planet with the amount of water we are using to wash our freaking clothes. Geez....wear it twice people...if it passes the "sniff" test Hang. It. Up. That's all I have to say about that.


Oh, and while I'm at it...I'll never drink another one of these...


or eat another one of these. Nope! NEVER again!


Happy New Year!











And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I Peter 5-10-11