Don't Stop Believing

 Guard(en) dog

It has been kind of a long and busy week.  I even missed Wordless Wednesday.  I would have posted the above picture. I'll try to catch up as best as possible without putting you all to sleep.

Tuesday
Went into orthopedics for X rays and chat with a PA. The PA seemed to think my bone was calloused over enough and I could resume normal activity, with reason. She suggested building up to running again, giving myself 3 weeks to do so. The boot got the boot and they don't want to see me any more! 9 weeks is how long it took for the bone to heal enough. It's still healing, but now I can move around without that boot again.

Wednesday
I went in to my usual RU session. I had sent Bryan my very last set of x-rays, and he knew I was good to go. First thing he gives me a big hug because I've been given the OK to resume "normal" life, but then it's business as usual, and I was back to a really good and sweaty workout. He also had me work out longer than normal. My time slot is usually an hour, but I put in about 2 hours, plus I had my foot and shin worked on due to shin splints from the 6 mile walk last Saturday, then ice. The the foot massage still isn't a fun experience, but having the shin worked on was extra special. I really had to dig super deep to find my happy place. He said it would feel better later, but in the mean time he told the PT next to him to hide all sharp objects from me, because I might hurt him after that therapeutic massage. Oww.  All joking aside, I no longer had any foot discomfort what-so-ever because my shin hurt so much after that.

After fun and games at RU, I actually set foot in Costco. I was very aware of foot placement in conjunction to other people's carts. I wouldn't use the term "paranoid." I was just more mindful. It figures that in the time I've been out, they've rearranged where they put some of their items. I couldn't find the only dog treats my dog will eat, but I did discover chocolate Cheerios and big bags of precooked frozen brown rice.

Once I got out of Costco I soon discovered two phone messages from my grandson's school. He's sick and his mommy isn't available, and it's up to me to rescue him. Poor kid. He was pretty miserable with his "throat on fire," but didn't have a fever. The fever kicked in later, though. Mommy took him to the doctor but there's still no infection, it's just a bad cold/flu.

Thursday
I stayed at home with the kiddo. He's feeling good one minute, lousy the next. He camped out on the sofa with a big blanket, some herbal tea and toast while I sat next to him and hemmed my jeans, the ones I bought at AKA Alice's party a over month ago. I actually had some place to wear my new jeans!

Thursday evening Hubs and I went to a MS fundraiser sponsored by RU. It was held at the Double Deuce downtown, only $20 per person, which included 2 drinks, substantial appetizers and a raffle ticket. The Double Deuce is sort of a Western-ish bar/night club, complete with electrical bull riding and a stripper pole. The stripper pole was in the same area as the appetizers and I made the mistake of leaning on it, to which Hubs immediately made some snarky comment. Sheesh. I was able to catch up with a lot of people who ran the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in December '09. People paid to see the PT's ride the bull, with all the proceeds going to the MS Society. I also got to see my PT, Bryan, ride the bull, which was pretty funny, since he was wearing a few pairs of underwear and a pink women's tank top.

He really needs to come out of his shell...

Not just the guys did this.  Jessica, a PT, was amongst several of the women who rode!

Friday
The kiddo is still sick at home. He spent the morning sleeping. I took that time to garden a little, and discovered that some insect got into the roots of my seedlings and killed a whole bunch of them. I did what I could to save the rest and I might have planted a few too early, but with the hopes that they'll do better in the ground.

Friday evening Hubs and I attended a live art exhibit. A friend of ours paints models bodies, methodically and very strategically, then the model lays on a canvas or foam core board to make an imprint. It was quite the event and fascinating to watch.

  It was incredible to watch him work. 

Saturday


I went running with the track club. It started out as a walk/run, with a ratio of 2 minutes of walking to 2 minutes of running. That walk/run thing only lasted for about the first couple of miles. I found it less stressful to actually run, but at a much slower than normal pace. If it were not for the stop lights I probably would have ran the entire way back. I wasn't intending to put in 9.3 miles, but I felt good and just went with it. We also had PERFECT running weather, which was cool and overcast. It felt chilly afterward, while we were sitting on the grass listening to our guest speaker. Even though the speaker was fun to listen to, I was chilled and decided to warm up in the car. My foot feels OK, just a little weirdness in the ankle, but my knees are telling me that there's a storm on the way, but that has been an ongoing issue due to arthritis. I don't feel thrashed or as if I had never run before. 9 weeks is a good chunk of time off from running, and I feared not being able to handle more than the 6 miles I walked last week. I could of handled 13.1 slow miles today.

Hubs brought his camera on today's run:

 Mik and AKA Alice

"C group, GO!"

The next couple of weeks are going to be busy ones:

• Getting in what ever running I can get in, within reason, of course.
• Making sure my garden survives.  Some of my seedlings in K Cups were eaten at the roots. Stupid bugs.
• My sister and husband will be in town for a week.
• My in-laws are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary.
• My daughter is graduating from community college with two degrees.
• My nephew will be in and out of town (a few times).
• The pasta dinner with the SDTC is the Friday before the marathon, and it's going to be a full house.  
• The 2010 San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon is in just two weeks.
• My birthday. Edit -- It's not until June
• Life.
• And laundry...  It goes on, and on, and on, and on...

Monday's Song:
Feelin' Alright - Joe Cocker


PEACE

All I Want For Christmas Is You

Sometimes making a plan is over rated. With the help of a friend who works in the hotel industry, I planned a little in-town wedding anniversary get-away, but we actually spent only one full day together. Part of the problems was that our anniversary was on a Thursday. That means two more week days to make phone calls, check on projects, employees, building permits, and so on. My husband also arranged to have the tile guys re-do the tile in the kid's bathroom. He didn't realize that he had planned the tile guys the same week as our anniversary. No, my husband doesn't carry a calender. He arranged for the tile guys to be at our house in two weekends, and never thought to check a calender to see when two weekends would be. Consequently, he had to go back home a few times to drop off supplies, pay the tile guys and check the work.

Next year we're getting out of town.

I also took some pictures, BUT my husband has that camera at work. I did have my camera on me, but didn't have it with me the whole time. Here's a few shots from my camera:

At dinner, we're feeling rather relaxed after a couple of cocktails. This is the only picture I have with that dress I mentioned in a previous post.



Back at the hotel, they have an outdoor beach bar on the second floor. Even though we were a little cold, we sat and watched the full moon rise over the hotel building.



While walking to the downtown credit union, we passed by a Toys For Tots toy drive, and Howie Mandel was the celebrity draw for the event. I asked my husband if he wanted a picture of Howie Mandel. He said he didn't, so I took a photo of this Christmas tree at Horton Plaza instead.


While downtown, I guesstimate that we put in about four miles of walking each day. We walked everywhere.

More photos to come...

Last Wednesday's song:
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Bing Crosby, and many others - Baribe2be

PEACE

I'll Be Home for Christmas

Shopping. Ugh. I did find a nice special occasion dress for $20. Yep. A whole whopping $20. It's even lined and has sparkly embellishments. I just happened to be at the store after the dress had been marked down several times. Score.

I'll be away from the internet or blogging for the next few days, celebrating a special occasion. See you soon!

Yesterday's song:
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? - Elvis Costello - Run-DMZ

PEACE

Again

Today, April 3, marks the 8th anniversary of the actual day I took my fat butt to the gym and changed my life. I still keep in touch with my former first personal trainer. I should give him a call and tell him "happy anniversary." He no longer trains people but I still call him with fitness questions.

Who else didn't get into the Nike event? I'm thinking about running either the San Jose Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon or the Big Sur Half Marathon, both in the Fall. I'm leaning towards the San Jose event because it's flat, although Big Sur is gorgeous. It would be kind of fun to get a contingent of "Not Selected For Nike" runners together for one of these events.

Yesterday's Song:
Answer The Phone - Sugar Ray

PEACE

Same Old Lang Syne

As I bid adieu to 2007, I have a little time left to reflect on the year's mussings...

I actually completed a goal. Not that I hadn't before, but was satisfaction in finishing a year's long physical goal. I completed one run event per month, but I exceeded that goal. On the surface one run event per month is tangible, but I had never done that before. The run events included a marathon, four half marathons, several 5ks, an 8 miler, and a 15K. I've exceeded my goal and did a total of 14 run events.

In my quest to complete the run goal, I met many runners, bloggers, and runners who blog. I've met runners at run events who I happen to see every time. We eventually get to talking and always chat after a run event is over. It's nice to see a familiar face. Then there's the internet... Other people would always question my meeting people from the internet. "Is it safe?" "What if they're raving psycho-lunatics?" Meeting all these people was wonderful. I found a very warm and friendly running/workout community within the confines of the internet, and in person these people were/ARE great. I felt very fortunate to have met many in person. We all come from different places, different walks of life, and different beliefs, but the one thing we all share is the sport of running and being fit. It was nice to have conversations about running/working out and not have blank or bewildered faces look back, but a complete understanding about all the things we go through such as training regimens, nutrition, getting a Q time for Boston, our PRs, and tapering. I also was fortunate to get to know a few bloggers who don't run, but who I find intriguing and share the common thread of stuff that happens in every day life. I hope to get to know more of these bloggers in person some day.

My house is definetly a work in progress. The landscaping suffered a bit this past year, but I'm hoping to get it looking more like WOW instead of ick. We did finish off the garage space and turned it into our temporary bedroom. Next on the list, and not by choice, is the plumbing and heating. I wish we were at the point of remodeling the entire house and property, but that won't happen for a few years, if at all. I do love this house, though, even with all the things that need fixing. I feel fortunate to be here.

Family. Sure, there were some bumps in the road along the way, but we all still like each other, most of the time.

My husband and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. Sometimes it's hard to believe that much time has gone by, but it has.

Sure, there's a lot more to 2007 than I listed, but I just wanted to reflect a little. Tomorrow starts a new year, full of hope and a fresh start.

Peace

Feliz Navidad

I'm waiting to leave from San Diego. It had rained the night before and the weather was still cool and blustery. This shot is from the balcony on our stateroom.

First day out at sea. It was extremely windy and a bit chilly out. Even Michael felt the need to hang on to the railing so he wouldn't be knocked over by a strong gust of wind. We spent a lot of time walking around the ship over the course of the cruise, otherwise, we would have turned into slugs!

This is day two, at the first formal dinner out at sea.

It's anniversary day and our first stop at Acapulco! We went on the horseback riding, sunset and champagne excursion. Michael said it was kind of like a scene from the TV show "The Bachelor." They had chairs and tables set up for us with glasses and chilled champagne. It really was very romantic. By the way, the horses pretty much walked, so we didn't become saddle sore... (Everyone who did not do this excursion asked if we were sore afterward.)

Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa - We went with about 20 others on a huge catamaran to a cove to snorkel. It was fun swimming amongst the fish, especially with a few fish who were equally as curious about us as we were about them. We did get underwater photos but those were on a 35mm disposable underwater camera that has yet to be developed...

On the way back from snorkeling at Zihuananejo, other people on the boat were partying. Food and drink were offered and many aboard became rather drunk. I was, ahem, good... I did partake in the festivities but I did not become inebriated.

This is a resort near Manzanillo, where we could have as much food and drink as we wanted, snorkel, kayak, swim, or do absolutely nothing. We kayaked and swam. Oh, and some food and drink... This is a place to keep in mind for a future trip.

Leaving Manzanillo

The obligatory picture of towel origami, which our room attendant made for us.

On our way back to San Diego, they had a Susan G. Komen walk for the cure. It was only a mile walk, which was about 4 laps around the ship. I didn't know this was going to be one of the activities on the ship, so bringing the pink running skirt was purely coincidental. This is a picture of me with the cruise director, Ryan, after the walk.



On our way back home!



There is much more to the trip than just this, and a ton more pictures, but Blogger might explode if I post everything, such as the spectacular dinner and view at the ship's supper club for our anniversary while in port at Acapulco -- it was a religious holiday, complete with processions and fireworks, and let's not forget each spectacular sunsets along the way, dolphins, whales and turtles in the ocean as we passed, and so on. It was a trip to remember.

Peace

I Saw Three Ships

I swear, I did use the treadmill on board the ship's gym! Really! 3 separate times!

We're back from a wonderful vacation. I'll write up a synopsys of the 8 days in a day or so. Today is all about regrouping, going through mail, and doing laundry. I haven't weighed myself yet. I'm kind of afraid to, but I'm hoping the damage wasn't too bad.

Thanks for all of the lovely comments in regards to our wedding anniversary. I'll comment on those comments as well, but later.



Peace

Without Your Love

My husband and I are taking an 8 day cruise along the western coast of Mexico, which leaves tomorrow. Part of the reason for the cruise is that my husband really needs a vacation, and we're celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on December 11. It's hard to believe it has actually been THAT long. There's so many memories from that time in 1982. I recall the weeks before the wedding, when Michael called me from his apartment in Montclair, near where he was attending college, to let me know that he and his roommate went hiking at night, and underestimated the snow on Mt. Baldy, then fell off a ledge, twisting his ankle. I'll never forget when he came home with crutches. His mother just about had a coronary because he didn't tell her about the ankle prior to him returning home for the wedding... Luckily, he had me to lean on after the wedding ceremony, and the limp was just about unnoticeable... 25 years later we're still leaning on each other.

25 years ~ December 11, 1982 ~ 2007

You can show me the way
give me a sunny day
but what does it mean without your love?

And if I could travel far
if I could touch the stars
where would I be without your love?

Whenever I get to feel
down and out
I think about what what you said
and then I give out

If I could fly away
if I could sail today
where would I go without your love?

You can show me the way
and give me a sunny day
but what does it mean without your love?

And if I could travel far
if I could touch the stars
where would I be without your love?

And if I ever wander away too far
you come and looking for me
with open arms

I could forget my home
feel like a rolling stone
but who would I be without your love?

And what does it mean without your love?

Where would I be?

The above song was played at our wedding instead of the traditional wedding march.


Peace

I Started A Blog Nobody Read

Sunday was my Blogiversary! I missed it!


Peace

Living In The Past

Gym workout today. It wasn't pretty but I did it. I did light weights, high reps for my UBW. I attempted the treadmill, but the one I happened to use kept shutting off. I think I only got in a full mile. I was trying to do speed intervals, but when I attempted to go faster, the machine would slow down or shut off.

April marks the anniversary of when I decided to take control of my well being and get fit through exercise and proper nutrition, and not go on a "diet."

It has been about 7 years since I've decided to live a healthier lifestyle. This first photo, with my brother, was taken on Father's Day -- about a couple of weeks after my 39th birthday and being in a car accident. This was THE photo that made me realize I should do something before I let my weight and health get out of control.

This next photo was taken a few months later, sans cast, while on vacation at Fallen Leaf Lake, near Lake Tahoe, CA. Those shorts I'm sporting in the photo were a size 10, and I was barely squeezing into those. My weight was topping off at 150+, and I'm only 5'3"... It wasn't THAT bad (in my mind) but prior to weighing in at 150+ pounds and squeezing into a too small size 10, I was wearing a size 6, even after having 2 kids. How did this happen to me? How did I get a fat gut, butt, and back fat????? For me, this was another photo showing me that I needed to do something, even though my dear husband said both photos weren't that bad... I knew otherwise. I was loosing control of my weight and only I had the power to do something about it.

I became fit the old fashioned way, through exercise and proper nutrition. There was no magic pill or special diet. As I had mentioned in the past, I had followed Body For Life. I did hook up with a personal trainer with my gym membership, but it was up to me to do the work. It took me a good nine months to lose 30 pounds. I had gained muscle, felt more healthy and energetic than ever, and fit comfortably into a size 2. I had never EVER been a size 2 before. I'll never forget being in the dressing room trying on size 2 pants for the first time. I was so used to my fat ass barely getting into a 10, and now I was sliding into a 2. Only stick figures wore a 2. I wasn't a stick since I was now carrying arond some lean muscle mass, and I weighed more than I had in the past, before kids. I had to keep rechecking the label to make sure I wasn't halucinating. I think I did my own little happy dance in the dressing room.


The running thing evolved out of being more fit. I never did team sports as a kid or in high school. I did enjoy swimming, but the running grew on me. It was something that I could do on my own, and I eventually began to run in events, and my hubbie began to run with me.



7 years later and I'm still sticking with a healthier lifestyle. It doesn't mean that I won't splurge from time to time, or that my weight won't go up and down, or that I expect everyone else to jump on board with me. It's not like that. I love chocolate cake/candy and an occasional martini, I can gain and lose up to 10 pounds in one week when carb loading for a run, and if someone wants to run or exercise with me it's great ~ but if not, it's okay.

PEACE

Downtown

Hubbie and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary on December 11th. We traveled a whole 4 miles (or so) to Downtown and stayed at the usual place we stay, only because we can get a suite at the regular room price... It's nice having a friend who works in the hotel business... It was a nice diversion and do things we don't normally get to do, like drink and eat without any regard to healthy lifestyle. I feel fluffy now, but it was our anniversary.

Back to reality, I had my son move my weight set so I have to use it. I also signed up for that half marathon next month. I'd better get off my butt and run.

Peace