I want to run

Right now, I should be out running. Instead, I'm laying on my bed. Towards the end of the day, I started getting those all-too-familiar sharp pains in my abdomen. Sharp pains as in daggers shooting through my body. Sharp pains as in I started crying at my desk because it hurt so badly. So, instead of working out, I'm laying here doing nothing.

Granted, when I can't work out I want to and when I can I'm not so sure I want to do it. I think that's called a girl's prerogative... :)

I go through stages where the medicine helps and I'm okay. I think that I'm glad it's not horrible all the time and okay to live with. Then, something like this happens and I'm ready to find the leading doctor in the country to make it stop and that I feel 100% again. Someone that will make me feel better so I can continue MY lifestyle. I've said this before and I'll say it again. MY NORMAL lifestyle includes running several miles every day. It is not okay for me to sit around, it is not okay for me to walk 3 days a week, it is not okay for me to cry at my desk (not that I think that's okay for anyone...). Sorry, just upset that I can't go for my planned run.

Hopefully tomorrow... keep your fingers crossed.

wine.woot

Oh no. I just discovered in addition to woot.com., they have wine.woot.com. This could be dangerous...

It's a Woot-Off!

A recently new addiction - Woot.com.

I have to look EVERY morning to see what is the Woot item of the day. And... today's is a woot-off. As soon as one product is sold out, a new one is featured instead of having to wait until the next day. I love it...

Seriously, once you start you will become a woot-addict too. I promise!

Unplanned rest day

Yesterday afternoon my mom called me at work and asked if it was okay if they (my parents and brother, who is in town) came up for dinner. Of course... now what in the heck to I make for dinner? I was only planning on dinner for two! It ended up fine and there was plenty of food. We celebrated Father's Day since we will all be in different states and wouldn't be able to celebrate. And, my brother's birthday, which was last month.

Since they came up, I wasn't able to run. Not a big deal, but I like Friday's to be my rest day and now I need to run to make up for yesterday. Well, I don't have to, but I should.

Went to bed early, again, so I missed the game last night. By the news reports, it's probably better that I didn't. We thought about getting tickets for Thursday's game, but we decided we'd rather watch it closer to home.

Looking forward to a good workout today!

Memorial Day weekend wrap up

First of all, thank you to all those who have served in the military (and those serving our country today). It has become too easy to forget the true meaning of Memorial Day among all of the BBQ's, boating and picnics. So, thank you.

Our weekend was good. JP and I left for Tennessee on Friday afternoon, around 4:30 p.m. We didn't kill each other after being in the car for 8 hours, and safely arrived at 1 a.m. exactly. We checked in our room and promptly crashed.

The next morning we hung out with everyone, since we had a big block of rooms. We ate some good 'ol southern food for lunch and played around in the pool until the wedding. Ah yes, the wedding. The wedding we drove 8 hours for... It lasted, literally, 10 minutes. It was outside, at the Museum of Appalachia. It had some replicas of old buildings, animals and a big grassy area where the ceremony took place. The entire ceremony consisted of: procession, "I do", "I do", short poem, prayer, done. Really. Small reception onsite with finger foods and punch. It was a done a few hours later. Not really what we have up here, but it was still a nice wedding.

We drove back on Sunday and JP powered through - getting us home in 7 hours. Yesterday, we relaxed in the morning and then did our own things. My brother is in town, so I went down to my mom and dad's to see him. After I got home, I went for a run. There is a high school about a mile away, so I went there to see if the gates would be open. It was, so I did a mile, ran the bleachers, ran a mile, ran the bleachers, ran two miles. The bleachers kicked my butt!!!!! Then, I ran home. It was about a 6 mile run, I'm guessing. It felt good and it was kinda fun being on the track. It really took me back to my high school years. Down the straight away, my body automatically responded to my sprinting days. :)

Well, it's back to work and I better get going. Another beautiful day, so it should be a good run tonight.

Relaxing Vacation?

Yesterday's "to-do" list:
- Bake cookies
- Pick up rental car
- Run
- Watch the Piston's game at the bar
- Pack


What I actually accomplished yesterday:
- Pick up rental car
- Watch the Piston's game at the bar
- Started laundry -- can't pack if there aren't any clean clothes

Growing up, my family was the crazy ones that had a rigorous vacation agenda. My mom typically was up late finishing up everything. We usually packed as much as we could into the car the night before and always left at the butt-crack of dawn to get on the road. My dad is an engineer and my mom is a teacher - made for an agenda-filled, learning vacation every summer.

That said, I was a little frazzled yesterday because I wanted everything done so we could leave soon after we both got home from work. I shouldn't have gone to the bar (but SO glad I did ... what a game...) It's a long drive and I'd like to get in as early as possible. JP took me by the shoulders and told me to relax and that we'll get on the road when we get on the road. Obviously, we won't leave at 8 p.m., but there is no need to freak out and think that we HAVE to leave by 3:35 p.m. I literally took a step back and said, "I'm so not used to that. You're right. I never thought about it that way."

He went on to tell me that this is a VACATION and that we are going to relax if it kills us. :) Hmmm... relax on a vacation... I'll have to try that sometime.

"Make it a great day"

A friend of mine always has, "You have reached... I am unable to receive your call... leave your name and number... thanks and make it a great day" on on her voicemail (work and cell) and I think it's such a good reminder to slow down and realize you are in control of your emotions and determining how your day will go. (Yes, I am expecting to start anytime now so I'm all emotional and scarfing down sweets.)

Yesterday, after work, I headed to the gym as planned. I jumped on the treadmill and about 10 minutes into the run, my abdomen started hurting. Hurting like stabbing knives hurting. I thought perhaps it was the impact and that the eliptical would be okay. (See, I'm bound and determined to get back into it!) It hurt and after about 10 minutes, I couldn't take it any longer. I got off and headed to the locker room. URGH!

JP was working late and had to take some co-workers who were in town out to dinner. Ate a little bit (wasn't very hungry) and started getting ready for our weekend trip. We're going down to Tennessee for a wedding. I've suddenly found myself taking over all of the responsibilities my mom always did when we took a trip. Making cookies, laundry so I can pack, making lists of things everyone so no one forgets anything... :)

Anyway, I was in a bad mood after the whole gym thing and I was still in pain, so I went to bed early. Looking forward to a better one today.

Retail therapy

Well... $351.60 later. Make that about $450 later. Yesterday I went to pay the bill for the "parking garage incident" and it really put me in a bad mood. What I should have done was go to the gym for a really good workout to get out all of my frustrations. Instead, I did what any woman in in her right mind would do. I went shoe shopping. Found two really cute pairs of heels (below is one pair I got) and, funny enough, I haven't experienced buyers remorse yet.

After my shopping splurge, I did go to the gym. I'm on a roll - 3 days in a row! I admit I was trying to talk myself out of it, but I sucked it up and went. Ran a mile warm up, lifted and then biked. I was going to run, but I thought my body could use a little something different and that I should mix it up a bit.

I've gained a little bit of weight from not working out and JP is getting a little belly. I cook pretty healthy, but we're working on portion control with him. Anyway, over the weekend I went to Kohl's to get a wedding gift and I thought to myself that I should just see how much those George Foreman grills are and if it was something that would help us a bit. I got the best deal ever! The XXL grill was on sale from $70 to $30, and I had a $10 gift card! I snatched it up and couldn't wait to use it. Last night we used it for the first time. Grilled some fish and it was pretty good. Cleaning it wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but it did take a little bit of time.

Looking forward to another good workout tonight. I'll be back to being buff in no time! :)

We had a great weekend, filled with parties. Friday night, we went to JP's friend's bar to celebrate his birthday. It was packed and we always drink for free when we go there. And by drinks, I mean shots. I think that must have been all they were serving that night. :)

Saturday night, we went up to Lansing to celebrate with one of my friends. She was in town to celebrate her birthday and we had a lot of fun. I haven't been out to a club in a long time and this was the one to make reemerge back into the scene. We were in the VIP lounge, the drinks were flowing and the music was awesome! I haven't been out dancing in so long. We also saw the BIGGEST boobs I have ever seen. I am serious when I say I think they were as big as my head.

In an effort to get off our duffs and get moving, Sunday afternoon JP went to play soccer and I went to the gym. I finally had that really great workout. Yesterday I ran outside since it was so nice. I think I did about 5 miles, and it went by so quickly. I'm still exploring the area and there are some good places to run. I found a little park that has some trails, so I think I'll be there a lot this summer.

Didn't watch the game last night because I am trying to go to bed early enough to get more than a few hours of sleep. It sucks, but what can you do? I'm trying to not feel like I got hit by a bus at 1 p.m. :) Looking forward to my workout tonight -- cardio and legs tonight. I'll be sore tomorrow!

A little thing called a conscience

I always (half) joke that it doesn't pay to be good.

Two days ago, I was pulling into a parking space in the parking structure at work. Now, since I get there so freaking early, I always get a good spot. Because I'm so paranoid, I always leave one empty space between me and the next car. Just in case. Yeah. Two days ago I (foolishly) decided to pull right next to the other car. STUPID. Can you see where this is going? Yep, I scraped it. URGH!!!! Not a good way to start off my morning. Especially at 6:30 a.m. with limited coffee in my blood stream. Freaking A*#.

At first I was so mad at myself, then I felt bad for screwing somebody else's day up (although they wouldn't know until the end of the day), and then I was mad at myself again. Enter this little thing called a conscience. I knew I needed to leave a note because it was the right thing to do. GRRRR. I took a picture of it with my camera phone and the license plate (in case the person I just scraped wasn't such a good person) and left my business card and a note under the windshield wiper. All day that was all I could think about. How could I have done something SO stupid? I NEVER park right next to someone! Grrrr. Relieved, the car was still there when I left so there were no means of paybacks or retaliation.

The next morning, I was so nervous to check my email. I didn't want to come to terms that this did in fact happen and I needed to take responsibility. Ignorance is bliss! Nothing. All day. I wasn't sure what was worse -- hearing from the person or waiting to hear from the person.

This morning, I got the dreaded email. Even worse (or better?)... I knew the person. She was my legal contact for a previous client of mine. I had to hit a lawyer, didn't I. I knew she was a nice person and wasn't going to try to completely screw me over. She thanked me for leaving a note and had gotten an estimate for the repair work. About $350 later... Stupid conscience. ;)

(On a side note. Exactly 2 years ago today, I was in the hospital awaiting them to slice my abdomen open. Yep, it's been two long years since this whole stupid mess started.)

My Hot Red Heels

You know how there are certain things that just put an extra bounce in your step? A pair of pants that make your butt look extra good, a bag that everyone admires, a freshly done manicure. Mine is a pair of red heels. I LOVE these shoes and they just make my day a little better. Yesterday was a bad day - it seemed like everything I touched broke - so today I put on my "everything in life is great" shoes.

And, to make it just a little bit better, I'm using the new handbag I bought a month or so ago but just haven't used yet. Normally I use it immediately, but for some reason I saved this one. Guess it was for a day like today. I'm not entirely materalistic, but it's these little things that make me happy sometimes.

Heading to the gym today after work and then to the bar to watch the game. Good luck boys!

Did that just happen?

It was painful to watch. To quote one guy at the bar last night, "What am I watching here? Is this really happening"

Tell me when it's over

That's what I felt like today. After the gym won the inner battle I was having with myself on the way home (go home and take a nap, go to the gym, go home and take a nap, go to the gym...), I was trying to be positive and look forward to a good workout. Yeah. Not so much. Not only was it not fun, it was down right miserable.

I ran a mile warm up (in the freaking hot gym) on the track and thought, "okay, I need to focus here." I was planning on doing arms, so I figured I'd do my cardio workout first, arms, and then cool down with some light cardio. Since running didn't seem to be in the cards this afternoon, I got on the eliptical. After what seemed like 30 minutes, and in reality was about 10, I thought, "Hmm... I really need to get into shape." A few Oprah commerical breaks later, I thought, "Ugh. That's it? This is awful." Closely followed by, "This freaking sucks!"

I thought about all of those times when people told me they hated to work out and I simply sid, "Really? I love it!" all smiley and energy-filled. Seriously. I'm surprise I never got backhanded across the face. I was would have smacked someone if that said that to me today. It was awful! I'm beginning to understand how people can dislike working out so much. It wasn't fun, it was painful and I would have much rather been sitting on my butt or taking a nap.

Obviously, I need to find a new kind of workout. Running and being a gym rat just isn't doing it for me right now. And, to make matters worse, I told myself I really shouldn't have a beer (or two) when I got to the bar to watch the game tonight becase I haven't been working out and I shouldn't take in the extra calories. I've never been a calorie counter, but now that I really don't like to work out, I should watch it a little. :)

Busy!

Quick recap on what's been going on lately.

Wednesday, I got my butt to the gym and ran a few miles and actually lifted. I took it easy. No need to kill myself. It went okay, but I didn't get that great feeling after a good workout.

Thursday, I had an off-site meeting and it put me near a metropark. A friend and I decided to go for a nice, easy run and enjoy the sunshine. We were planning on going 3 miles, but we got to talking so much we lost track of the distance. After 3 miles, we thought we better turn around. So, I ended up going 6 miles. That's more than I've run in a long time!

Saturday was the kick-off to Mother's Day weekend. Yes, my mom decided that she was taking over the weekend as hers. Saturday we went shopping and it was a little disappointing. Neither of us found much to spend our money on... That night I spent getting ready for the next day's dinner. JP went to the bar with friends and I was preparing food and cleaning. Hmmm... what's wrong with that picture. Actually, I ended up falling asleep on the couch watching the Spurs game.

Sunday morning I got up early to continue getting ready for my parent's to come up for the day. We had a nice dinner and spent much of the afternoon at the park, again enjoying the sunshine. It was nice to see my parents, but I was EXHAUSTED by the time they left!

Yesterday I was still tired and there was no way I was making it to the gym. By the time JP got home from work, I had already taken a 3 hour nap! Hopefully today will be better. I hate that I'm not working out, but the whole idea of it just doesn't do it for me. I need to decide soon if I'm going to train for a fall marathon. I want to, but I'm not sure I'm willing (or able) to put in the necessary training. Health-wise, things aren't great and I'm still trying to find that line between pushing myself and letting myself heal. It's been two years and I'm still at this point. It's SO frustrating.

My plan for today is to go to the gym and then get ready for the bar. We're going out to watch the Piston's kick the Bull's out of the playoffs. :)

A beautiful spring/summer night

I think we skipped spring and went right into summer. Yesterday was in the mid-80's. It was so nice outside. No running though. Instead, we met up with friends for sushi. YUM!!!! I had been craving sushi for awhile now... we haven't been in a long time. After our food settled, JP and I went to DQ and took a walk by the lake. It was so nice to out and just enjoy the nice weather with an ice cream cone in hand.

It's suppose to rain today, so I may have to head to the gym after work today. I've been trying to ease into it -- get some cardio workouts under my belt before hitting the weights. While I haven't been that consistent, I think I need to just suck it up and start lifting again. I'm going to be so sore! I can't wait...

Exciting News!

I forgot some exciting news that happened over the weekend -- JP's brother got engaged. They went to Hawaii and he proposed while they were eating dinner on the balcony, drinking wine, overlooking the water, with music playing in the background. I know. It sounds like a movie scene, doesn't it. Very excited for them! JP said the bad thing about such a romantic proposal is that he's going to have to come up with something pretty good... :) They return home next week, and I think we're planning a trip to Chicago to see them. We haven't been to their new place yet, so it should be fun!

Ran outside yesterday. It was sunny and warm and I needed to burn off some anger (work related). I ran for 40 minutes. No idea how far I ran, but I was glad to be out there. The first 10 minutes or so were horrible. But, I started to relax a bit and my body just kinda fell into synch. It was probably thinking, "Finally!" My butt felt like lead and my stomach was pretty heavy. I've been so swollen lately. All I could think of was how it must feel to be pregnant. I wasn't sure if I was going to fall forward or backwards! :) My legs were tight so I needed a good stretch afterwards, but all in all it wasn't too bad. I do miss the days of an "easy 10 mile" run. Oh well, all in good time. Looking forward to another good run this afternoon.

Gotta love it!

Good game on Saturday night. We had fun at the bar -- watching both the Piston's and the Tigers win. Sorry Ben... we're doing just fine without you... :)

Afterwards, I became hooked on the arcade basketball game there. I've always been intimated (and I haven't shot a basketball since high school), but it was so fun.

Yesterday, we went to church and enjoyed the beautiful weather outside. It was a little chilly with the wind, but still a nice day. We ended up getting ice cream and going to the park. It was nice not to be running around all weekend.

I was in a lot of pain this weekend, so no workouts for me. It really sucks, and I think I need to make another doctors appointment. The meds aren't working like they should be and the side effects are kicking my butt. Not that there are many options left for me...

Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to do something today.

Round 2 Game 1

Quick note before I head off to watch the game. We decided not to get tickets for this game, and wait until a little bit later into the series. Instead, we're heading to our friends' bar to watch the game.

We went to see Spider-Man last night with JP's brother and his girlfriend... along with everyone else in the world. We bought our tickets, went to dinner and then got in line about 45 minutes before the movie started. It was pretty long, but at least we weren't outside the door. It was really good and a fun date night.

Well, gotta get going ... Deeetroit Baasketbaaal!

"I'm leaving on a jet plane..."

Well, not me. But everyone else I know seems to be leaving. Just today JP's brother and his girlfriend are leaving for Hawaii, his cousin is leaving for New York and two of his sisters are leaving for the Caribbean. And, a friend left for Paris a couple of days ago. And I'm in the office. At 6:30 in the freaking morning.

Dinner went well last night. I made turkey breast with a cream sauce, seafood (shrimp)/veggie shish kabobs and rice. Since I don't eat meat (well, except for seafood) we eat fish 1-2 times a week. Everything came out nice and it was just a good, low-key night. I love hanging out with his family and it's been nice getting to know his cousin.

Lots of pain yesterday, so the gym was out of the question. Hopefully today I'll be able to make it, or at least take a walk outside. Today isn't starting out too well, but I have the whole day for the pain level to go down. Positive thinking. The mind is a powerful thing

Round 2 Game 1... I might be there tomorrow. We're going to try to get tickets to see my boys take on Chicago. I haven't been to Piston v. Bulls game since Big Ben left. Should be exciting!

Everyone have a safe and fun weekend!

Lopsided

Yesterday, I was pretty swollen and hurt a lot. My stomach looked funny to begin with, but the right side was more swollen then the left side. It looked so funny. At least I can laugh about it... I was in quite a bit of pain yesterday and there was no way I was going to the gym or out for a run. I could barely make dinner without having to lay down.

For awhile, the meds were working (although the side effects are HORRIBLE) but within the last couple of weeks I've been in more pain. Granted, the pain level isn't near what it was before the meds, but it's still bad enough to effect my daily life. Urgh! It's been almost 2 years. I should be completely healed by now. I should have forgotten all about it by now. Urgh!

Still hurt today and I'm still lopsided swollen. :) My pants barely fit this morning and it isn't because I've gained weight. It's bad enough when your pants are a little tight, but no woman EVER wants to wake up one morning and, literally, have nothing to wear! :) Too bad I can't wear my comfy sweat pants to work!

Tonight I think we're having dinner with JP's cousin, brother and his girlfriend. Kim is leaving for New York on Friday, so we're trying to spend as much time as possible with her. So... I need to figure out what I'm making between now and then. I'm still experimenting with recipes for JP and feel pretty comfortable, but I get a little nervous when I cook for others. I really like to cook, so I'm excited about our little dinner party! Keep your fingers crossed it all tastes okay.

Slowly, but surely

So, I keep telling myself that I am a runner and that means I should, well, run. I'm not sure if I'm burned out, out of my routine so I'm feeling a bit lazy or if my health is affecting me a little more than usual. Or a combo of the three.

Anyway, I did a hill workout yesterday. Felt okay (although huffing a little more than usual) but didn't get that great runners high. I'm trying to "shock" my body a little bit to get it into gear and I'm still playing with the idea of a doing a tri, so I did a few miles on the bike. Ugh. My legs felt like dead weight! Cooled down, abs and arms, and then a good long stretching session. Slowly but surely. I'm not going to force myself into running. It should be fun and something I love to do, not a chore.

After the workout, I did some grocery shopping and went home to make dinner. Seriously, we're like an old married couple. The typical routine is I come home, make dinner, JP comes home, we eat, HE DOES THE DISHES, we work a little bit more and/or watch a movie or something, get ready for the next day. Repeat. Honestly though, I love that we're in a routine and in this stage of our relationship. To me, it means that our lives are becoming intergrated into each others. It's a good feeling. :) (Okay, I'm still in the goofy grin phase...)