Real Mail

Yesterday, I went to my mailbox expecting half of the items inside to be junk and hoped the other half wouldn't be bills. I had an envelope with my name handwritten on it, which always intrigues me. Plus, I always get a little excited about "real" mail. Remember how big mail was in college? (My mom was so good at it, sending a letter every other week of so. I never got those big care packages though...) Anyway, guess what was inside? I won a contest (which I had actually forgotten I'd entered)!!!

The daily newspaper always does these little online promotions and I always enter. I figure

someone has to win. Right? Well, it was my turn to win. I won two advance screening tickets to Ratatouille and a gift card to a nice resturant. I'm SO excited. (Not to mention the resturant has a killer dessert I've been craving lately. It's called "tuxedo cake." Think Hostess Ho Ho, only a trillion times better. )

Now, I know I'm an adult, but I love those Pixar movies. And, Ratatouille is one I've been looking forward to seeing. Granted, I'd probably wait until it came out on video, but hey, I get to see it before it actually comes out. Thursday night is going to be date night. :)

*****************************************************

Doctor appointment went okay. More later. Not really ready to talk about yet. I always get a little moody after an appointment, no matter the outcome. I did go the gym. Didn't workout, but I went to the gym. I drove to there, sat in the parking lot and then drove home. Just couldn't muster up the energy or strength to go inside.

Hot construction chic

One of JP's brothers is an architect working on the renovation of the mall near us. He invited us to go through and see what he's been doing and a chance to get a sneak peak at the new mall. A hard hat and safety goggles... should I change professions or what!?! (Ha! I usually wear stilettos everyday to the office...)

Long run update -- No comment

Yep, it was that good. I was in a lot of pain this weekend and didn't do my long run on Saturday. I attempted to do it on Sunday, but that didn't happen either...

I have an appointment at the pain clinic this afternoon, so we'll see what he says.

Week 1 - Almost complete

The first week of training is coming to a close. The one big thing still looming ahead is the weekend "long run." Yeah. The long run. I'm scheduled to do a 10-miler. We'll see about that. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that. I could do it, but I don't want to hurt myself just to prove I can do it. May bump it down to an 8-miler.

Day 3 - Wednesday
Scheduled to do a 5-miler and I was really excited about it. I was in pain all day, so I thought instead of doing a 5-mile loop, I'd run to the nearby high school and do laps. Sounds boring, I know, but at least this way I wasn't too far away from home if I couldn't make it through. I ran the 1 mile-ish to the track, did 3 miles on the track and ran home. It was actually kinda fun being on the track (I miss those high school days) and the time passed quickly. Not sure of my exact splits, but it was a 9:50-10:00 pace. Not super speedy, but I'm not worried about that.

I didn't make it to the gym to lift though... I was drenched in sweat and was pretty tapped out. I know lifting is such a vital part of training, but I just haven't been able to muster both the runs and the lifting. Stupid stomach.

Day 4 - Thursday
Stupid stomach continues. I was in so much pain last night I couldn't do the scheduled 3 mile run. I kept telling myself it's only 3 miles and that I could suck it up and do it. The sensible side then kicked in and told me that if I couldn't sit up without falling back in pain, I didn't think I'd be able to bend over and tie my shoes, let alone run. I figured I would take that as my "rest day" and do the 3 miles tonight instead.*

I have a doctor's appointment at the pain clinic on Monday. My prescription is up and since I don't have any refills, I need to go in and discuss where we are and where we're going. I think I'm going to go in and tell him the meds are working (I can function on a daily basis now, for the most part), but that the current situation is still unexceptable to me. He's going to nod, tell me that these things take time and again go through the list of options. Surgery is still a no! I've been doing some research on my own and there are some questions I have for him. Just thinking about the appointment is making me upset, so I'm gonna leave it at that.

(* Sound overly optimistic and upbeat? Sound nothing like me when I can't get my workout in? You would be right. I was pissed, but what are you gonna do? Good attitude. Repeat: good attitude...)

Anyway, looking forward to the weekend and relaxing a bit. JP's been out of town all week and gets back tonight. Yea!

And so the training begins

First thing is first. Monday, I started training for the TBD marathon. We'll see about this. I still have some reservations. Not because I don't think I can do it. I know I can physically run a marathon, after all, this will be my fourth. What I'm not so sure about is if I'm going to enjoy it. I know I'm going to get upset if/when I miss a workout because of my stomach and I know I'm not going to enjoy a run if there are knives stabbing me in the abdomen for the entire 18 miles. After thinking about it some more, I decided I would regret not trying. And so, the training begins.

Day 1 - Monday
Nice and easy 3 miles (9:40 pace), and some crunches and push ups on the bosu ball. It was technically to be a cross-training day, but I have golf on Tuesday and don't always make it to workout afterwards since we get done a little late. It was freaking hot and humid, but it was a pretty good run. My abdomen hurt a little bit, but not nearly as bad as the weekend (more on that later.)

Day 2 - Tuesday
Cross-training. After 2 hours of golf (we learned how to get out of the sand trap. I was pretty good at it, which is a good thing since I'm sure I'll be there a lot more than on the green.) I did a full body workout on the yoga ball. It wasn't overly strenouous, but strength training and balance is a necessity.

Day 3 - Later today
I'm scheduled for 5 miles. My plan is to start lifting again today, so hopefully that will be what actually happens. :)

This past weekend we went to Chicago to visit JP's brother. They live right downtown, so we walked A LOT. We walked Michigan Ave., went up into Sears Tower and checked out some great resturants. Unfortunately, I was hurting very badly the whole weekend and was doubled over in pain Saturday night. Needless to say, I did not partake in the Chicago nightlife. We have some cool pictures, but they're still on my camera so I'll have to upload them later.

It's a beautiful day out and not as hot as it has been. I'm ready to get out of here so I'll write more about the run and our weekend in Chicago later.

Floating on a Cloud

I was in a lot of pain yesterday, so no working out or golfing. Instead, I took a pain pill and went to bed. (Missed watching the Spurs SWEEP the Cavs last night.) The additional meds make me really groggy, so I'm still a little bit cloudy this morning.

Monday I start formally training for my marathon. I have to accept that I will probably miss some workouts but that I am doing this FOR FUN, so it's okay to miss some runs. I am not training for the Olympics, I am not a professional runner. I run because I enjoy it. (Okay, who am I kidding? I'm gonna be upset if I don't go sub-4:00 hrs.)

Happy Birthday, Mrs. J

Yesterday would have been JP's mom's birthday. She passed away when he was only 14 from ovarian cancer. To celebrate, we went to the cemetery with her favorite flowers and to clean the headstone. JP is the youngest, and was very close to his mom. We go to visit pretty regularly and he always makes sure the headstone is clean and the grass around it is trimmed. It's so hard for me, not because I knew her, but because it hurts him so badly. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a mother at such a vital time in ones life. So, happy birthday Mrs. J. I wish I could know you, but I love your son and I promise to take care of him for you.

Afterwards, JP had a soccer game nearby. We had planned ahead and during his game I was going to run around the area. Lots of hills and grass/trails, so it was a different type of run. I can feel it in my core how uneven the ground was! It wasn't the "great workout" I was planning on having. I've been in a lot of pain this week and it stopped me short a few times during the run. Urgh. Did I say I was training for a marathon? :)

Anyway... a good workout tonight and hopefully hit the driving range.

Tally: 1 ball down

Last night we learned chipping and full swing during the clinic. Chipping - check. Full swing - after a few tweaks, check. Learning how to actually align myself to the target... not so much. One of the instructors kept talking about the "railroad" lines to line myself up. Huh? I'm not so good with distance and "seeing" a line that's 50 yards away and "drawing" it to where I'm standing. Spacial relations has never been a strong suit of mine.

After half an hour clinic, we got into groups of four for a scramble. My friend and I paired up with two others and off we went to the course. We were with the other instructor and I told her I was having problems with alignment. She did a short mini-lesson that made MUCH MORE SENSE to me. No "railroad lines", whatever that means. And, guess what? I actually shot straight.

The second hole we had to tee off and go OVER a freaking pond. Are you seeing where this is going? I shot straight alright. Straight into something that looks a bit like this:

For one, I had never used the club we used. Second, thank goodness we were playing best ball because one of the girls had a perfect shot and made it over. So far my total is 1 ball lost. Oh well, I'm having fun and really learning a lot. That's what matters!

Our offiical ending time is 7:30 p.m., but we're free to golf until the sprinklers come on at 9 p.m. We went until about 8 p.m. and I was trying to get home to get my run in. Again, do you see where this one is going? It's 8 p.m., I haven't eaten yet, I'm tired because I get up at freaking 5 a.m. and it's almost my bed time. So, I skipped it and vowed to have a good, hard workout today. I need to figure out what that workout will exactly entail, but I'll figure it out. I'm still trying to find a marathon training plan that I like since I need to start soon. Yep, I said it. I'm going to do a marathon this fall. Looks like I'm committed now...

Almost forgot...

Good luck Spurs! (Isn't he hot!) At dinner Saturday night, one of the guys at our table just moved to the RO from Cleveland. We had a great time making fun of LeBron. (okay, even though we lost to him - note: "him" not "the Cavs" - we can still make fun of LeBron.)

Again, isn't Tony Parker hot!?!?!

I love summer!

What a great, sunny weekend. And, the 10-day forecast is all sun and warm weather!

Saturday night some friends went to a Japanese steak house for dinner. It's so much fun to have your dinner cooked right there in front of you. Great food (no steak for me...) and we had a really fun table. Sometimes you worry that you'll get some weirdos, but we were definitly having the most fun. Maybe it had something to do with the sake bombs that one of the guys introduced us to. Mmmmm, so good! It's a small shot of sake in a glass of beer. I was the best sake bomb shooter at the table. JP was so proud... :)

Sunday afternoon JP and I picked up some subs from Jimmy Johns and took our lunch to the park for a little picnic. Afterwards, we rented a paddle boat to enjoy the warm weather. JP had never been paddling boating before, and it was a bigger workout than he anticipated. We had fun and I actually remembered to take my camera. It was a nice, simple afternoon.

Yesterday I was SO tired after work, but I went to the gym for a bare minimum workout. I did 30 minutes on the elipitcal. My abdomen hurt quite a bit, but I was determined to do something. I wasn't really into it, but at least I did something.

Golf tonight and then a 3 mile run is scheduled. I'll need to get my golf frustrations out! :)

Golf clubs and running shoes - Part II

Golf - It was fun and I wasn't the worst one in the group. It's a group of 16 professional women, who realize the importance of golf in the corporate world. About half had never touched a golf club and about half have played around, but want to learn the proper way to golf. We did 45 minutes of clinic and 30 minutes on the golf course. I actually remembered a lot from last summer's lessons! I'm far from consistent though, so I need to continue practicing. It's suppose to be nice this weekend, so I'm planning on hitting the driving range. (Unless we end up going to Chicago this weekend...)

Running - I didn't get a run in on Tuesday. Last night, I went to my "little" cousins (who are taller and heavier than me) 13th birthday party. It was a last mintues decision to go, but I'm glad I did. I didn't leave until about 7:30 p.m., and with an hour drive I didn't think I was going to make it to the gym again. By the time I got home, I was feeling the itch to work out. I had my gym bag in the car, so I headed over to do a short workout. I figured a short run was better than no run at all. Ended up doing a quick 3 miles, and some leg, arms and ab work with the yoga ball and bosu ball. I LOVE the bosu ball. It they weren't so expensive I'd probably own one. But, then again, isn't that what I pay a monthly gym fee for isn't it.

Anyway, glad the week is winding down and looking forward to the weekend. It'll either be a really busy one in Chicago, where we might visit his brother, or a really low-key one where I get a lot done around the house. I'm leaning more towards the 2nd choice, but we'll see. It's suppose to be HOT today, so not sure how the run will go.

Golf clubs and running shoes

Today I start my golf league... I'm a little nervous. I got some golf clubs for Christmas, but they were way too big so I went out and got a set yesterday. I'm so excited! Just hope I'm not the worst one there. It's a professional women's league and I'm in the instructional/beginners league. We play for 6-weeks - 3 weeks of instruction and 3 weeks soley on the golf course. I took lessons last summer, but don't remember a whole lot. I was pleasantly surprised that I remembered how to hold the club last night as I was unwrapping everything. As for where my feet go, how my body is suppose to move, etc. I don't remember. Anyway, it'll be fun.

Now for running -- great workout yesterday. I went to the gym because of the rain, and it was hot and humid inside. Nonetheless, I did five 1-mile intervals on the treadmill. I felt great and I have to say the new Nike dry-fit, "looks like a t-shirt" tanks are awesome! Very comfortable, looks good and does its job well.

Hopefully I'll be able to get in a short run before golf tonight. If not, golf counts as cross-training... right? I joke now, but I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow.

Rain rain go away!

What a depressing weekend. Not only did it rain all weekend, but we're out of the championship run. And, to the Cavs... I hate the Cavs. Well, really, I'm not a big fan of LeBron James. A bunch of us went to the bar to watch the game and, hopefully, see us pull out of the slump. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Everyone was so upset that the bar quickly started to empty during the 4th quarter.

The weekend was pretty low-key, which was a nice change. After work on Friday, I went home and took a nap. I got some rest and it cooled down a little bit. Humidity was still high, but I got off my butt and went for a run. Explored some new areas and got in a pretty good 6 mile run. I say that now, a few days later but, come to think of it, I think it may have been not so good the first few miles. After I loosened up a little bit, I think it got better... :)

JP's brother and girlfriend came into town for a wedding, so we got to spend some time with them on Saturday. We all went out to dinner on Saturday night, which we all miss. Sunday dinner we all (the 3 brothers and the girls) would get together at someone's house. It was always so much fun. I wanted to workout, but the timing didn't work out. Sunday, I was all set to go to a spinning class at the gym (I'm working on my cycling phobia) but something came up and I wasn't able to make it. Really. I'm trying.

Since it was pouring all day, we met up with JP's other brother and girlfriend for lunch. Since we didn't have any plans, we ended up going to a glow-in-the-dark putt putt place. It was so much fun. We just ran around like little kids - putt putt, air hockey, basketball. The unfortunate part? I was wearing a white bra and kept glowing in the dark. As soon as I walked in the door and saw the black lights, I looked down. Yep. There I was. Glowing away. Oh well, made it a little more exciting. :)

Grumpy and tired

That's not a good combo. Pile on the fact that I haven't had my coffee yet and you're looking towards a small disaster.

Went straight home yesterday because I was still in a lot of pain and running was out of the question. I laid down for a little bit and ended up falling asleep. It's a good thing I got a little nap in because it was a late night.

We went to BW3 (mmm.... potatoe wedges with cheese...) to watch the Piston's lose in double OT. It was rough. Then, I was mad I stayed up to watch it. The whole way home I was kicking myself for not going to bed 3 HOUR EARLIER! So, I'm tired this morning and I Starbucks isn't even open here yet... another 8 minutes.

I have my workouts planned for the weekend and hopefully I'll be able to stick to it.

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...)

"You're so vain..."

Okay, so this will probably sound a little vain. Oh well.

As I was leaving work yesterday I was wrestling with the idea of going to the gym and/or going for a run outside since it was so beautiful. I was exhausted and the idea of even walking to my car was strenuous. While going down the elevator, I had a beautiful view of Belle Isle. It looked so different from that COLD AND WINDY day in October. (Ugh. All I could think of was coming back off the bridge, hitting mile 20 and then being nearly knocked over by the wind. What a day for a race.) Instead, it looked calm, beautiful and seemed so inviting.

That, combined with the awful feeling of my butt jiggling faster than my legs while running, made up my mind. I did decide to go to the gym versus an outside run. Not sure why, but at least I was doing it. I jumped on the treadmill and set it for 11 min/mile pace. Slow, yes, but there is no reason to kill myself when I'm just trying to get back into shape.

Half way through, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Hm. Both my legs and my arms looked pretty good. Granted, I'm not in training mode, but there were definitely lines of definition. Sweet! That was the little ego boost I needed. Feeling preety good about myself, I bumped up the speed to my normal speed for the rest of my run.Vain? Yes. Do I care? No. Everyone needs a little pick-me-up once in awhile and this was mine. After not working out for several months, my body didn't turn into complete mush. :) It's the little things in life, ya know. :)

Yay! Sun!!

This weekend was so beautiful! I just love spring time. It's nice outside, everyone is so friendly and in a good mood and things just seem easier.

The weekend was good - busy, but good. Friday JP and I ended up in the RO for dinner. We had a wonderful Thai dinner and then met up with some friends at the bar for a quick drink.

Saturday, I woke up early and walked over to JP's to wake him up. We eat breakfast and took a LONG walk. Absolutely beautiful. Plus, we got to explore the area a little more. After that we decided to divide and conquer to finish our "to-do" list before... ROUND 1 GAME 1. We met up with his brother and his girlfriend at BW3 for the traditional potatoe wedges with cheese snack before the game. YUM! The game was so freaing fun! Regular season games are fun, too, but there is something about playoff time that is so exciting. We ended up seeing tons of people that we knew, so that was cool, too. It was a good game (a little frustrating though due to the officials) and just a good night.

Sunday, my parents game up for church and we took them to the Original House of Pancakes. Home of the monster breakfast. :) We enjoyed their visit for the day and then headed to his brother's for dinner. it was a low key night, but perfect.

Last night, we went out to dinner with his sister and his cousin, who is in town. We both have big families, so there are still a lot of first meetings.

Still working out and trying to get back into running full force. I'm still having health issues, and I'm trying to balance the "get back into it" feeling and the "sit down and don't do it if it hurts" feeling. Tough balance.

Anyway, it's another beautiful afternoon so I better wrap up and get out of here. Maybe I'll go for a run when I get home... :)

My newest addiction

Hello. My name is Sunshine and I am addicted to the Nintendo Wii.

A few weeks ago, we were at JP's brother's to celebrate his birthday. He had been wanting us to come over to check out his newest toy, and this was our first chance. It was getting late and I really just wanted to go home. Besides, I'm not into video games at all. Enter the Wii.

He showed us how to work the controls and set us up for a game that is very similar to the old-school "Duck Hunt." It was so freaking fun! We played well past my bedtime and I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. Sadly, I'll admit, I was sore the next day. I can really see how kids that sit around and play the traditional video games all day are beginning to lose weight by playing with the Wii. It can be quite a workout.

Over the Easter weekend, their brother who recently moved to Chicago came home. Everyone came over to JP's on Saturday and his other brother brought the Wii. Typically, I am against sitting around and playing video games when you can talk and catch up. This is an exception. This is a system that anyone cane play and the games are family-friendly. Everyone from his 9-year-old nephew to his older sisters played. And, we had such a good time.

So, that's my newest addiction. If I could find one on the store shelves, I think I'd buy it.

Well, need to get back to work. Oh, I snagged a fortune cookie from the kitchen and my fortune today is:

"The future holds great things for you."

Maybe I'll find a Wii... :)

Beer and Basketball...

... it doesn't get much better than that.

Well, I got to pull out the lucky Piston's underwear last night. We had such a good time at the game. It was nice being there again - I just love the atmosphere. Our seats weren't that great, but it didn't matter much to me. I just love being there. (Not to mention the people watching. Seriously girls, some clothes are appropriate for the bar and some clothes are appropriate for going to a basketball game. Learn the difference.)

I didn't make it to the gym last night because of the game, so I'll be heading there after work. I'm still sore from Monday's workout though. Ugh. The joys of getting back into shape. Every time, I swear I'll never get out of shape again. Such a vicious cycle...

Deeeetroiit Baaasketbaaal!

I admit I haven't been the most dedicated fan this season. But, that doesn't mean I have forgotten my boys entirely. I am SO excited that I'm going to the last home game in the regular season tonight. Bring out the lucky Piston's underwear!

And, I also have tickets to Game 1, Round 1 - SO freaking excited!!!

Not much to say about my absence, other than I've been working through some health issues and changes in the career path. Things are okay, just slowly working through it. That's all we can do, right?

Got back to the gym this week (yeah, it's only Tuesday and I can't go tonight since I'm going to the game...) and, again, swear I'll never get out of shape again. I hate when I'm tired after 3 miles. Ah yes, remember when pounding out 15 miles was nothing. I miss those days.

Things are slowly turning around and hopefully I'll be back to my old self again soon. In the mean time... Deeetroiiit Baaaasketbaaaal!

Fairweather Friend

Well, make that a fairweather runner. Today is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Low 70's, sunny and a slight spring breeze. And, since we are in daylight savings time I was able to go for a run after work without running in the dark. Now, I haven't been to the gym in a long time. It's been so crazy this past 3-4 weeks, that I have been cherrishing my sleep. Today, I was anxious to get outside and get some fresh air. Also, since I just moved there was lots to explore.

I ran for about 30 minutes, but then just got tired of running. Not tired, tired of running. A nice walk sounded so much better, so I ended up walking for about 30 minutes. I'm not sure why, but a nice stroll is what I needed. My new place is right near the main street area, so there were little stores, coffee shops and resturants to explore. I can pretty much walk to anything I need. JP and I are planning on doing a lot of walking once it gets nice! I'm kinda bummed I wasn't up for a run, but at least I was able to get outside and move around.

After my post about never wanting to see another moving box, I almost moved to Atlanta. I had a job opportunity to do a short-term assignment in Atlanta. I was SO excited, but it ended up falling through. Sure, I'm not up for a long-distance relationship, but it would only be a few months. I'm still pretty disappointed, but I guess it wasn't meant to be... just like the short-term assignment to NYC didn't pan out this past summer... Something good has to be in store for me, doesn't it? So, instead of Atlanta I got the booby prize. I'm doing a short-term on-site assignment with one of my clients. Not super excited. Everyone keeps telling me that it's only 4-6 weeks. I know this in my head, but it's only day 2 and I'm really dreading tomorrow (and the next 4-6 weeks). I guess anything compared to moving to Atlanta for 10 weeks would seem not as fabulous.

Anyway, it's suppose to be nice for the next couple of days so hopefully I'll get some good runs in. Or walks... those are good, too. :)

Deeetrooit Baaasketbaaal

I have always loved Pistons basketball! So, you can guess how excited I was when I landed... two court side tickets for the Detroit v. Cleveland game!!!!! I'm usually in the nosebleed seats (not that I mind), but these were court side seats. I'm talking on the floor, close enough to smell the sweat.

It was a great game and it went into OT. Unfortunately we lost, but great seats and great basketball.

Unfortunately, I'm in Indy for work. Yep, I had to give up my COURT SIDE SEATS! I cannot believe I finally landed some kick ass seats, and I couldn't go. JP and his brother took the tickets and had a great time. His brother helped us both so much with moving, so I'm glad JP could take him. Ugg... stupid career getting in the way. :)

If I see one more moving box...

It's been an interesting last couple of weeks. Dont' worry, it'll be the short version.

Two weeks ago Monday night, JP's townhouse flooded and the ceiling fell in. No one was hurt, but they lost nearly everything. It was a HUGE mess and lots of long nights and early mornings! The worst part was that we had to go through everything to see what we could salvage and what we had to leave there. Here's a look at it shortly after it all happened:

JP moved that Friday -- For a lot of things being ruined, he sure had a lot of stuff to move. :) It's been difficult unpacking because we're still trying to figure out what is okay and what's ruined completely. And, he has an odd mix of things since he and his brother needed to split things up. Example: He has six spoons, but only two forks. He has the complete set of glasses and plates, but no pots and pans (or any cooking utensil for that matter) to cook.

I moved that Saturday -- It's the first time I've ever lived by myself. So far, so good. I haven't unpacked everything yet, but all in good time. JP has been traveling a lot, so I've been trying to help him on the weekends so I can do my place after work. My commute to work is shorter, so that is definitely a major plus! It's a good size, has a nice kitchen, a full size washer and dryer (this was my deal breaker) and a balcony overlooking a pond. Everyone told me that I was going to love being on my own, but I was hesitant. The morning I picked up my keys, I went to take a look at my new apartment before all the craziness of the move started. When I went in, I had the weirdest feeling and a smile... this was going to be my own place. We'll see how it goes.

JP's brother and his girlfriend moved to Chicago on that Sunday. There was a horrible ice storm, so I was (secretly) a little pleased that we didn't need to go to help. And, if you're keeping count that's three moves in three days. They sent pictures of their new digs -- a simply gorgeous condo on Michigan Ave. Did I tell you how cute my new place is? :)

Anyway, both JP and I are on the road this week for work so no unpacking will be taking place until the weekend. (And, I'm sure you can figure out how much running I have (not) been doing. Lots more has been going on, but I'll save that for later.

It's not all flowers and romantic dinners

Yep, that was made clear to me last night. Yesterday, I came home from work and was getting ready to make diner for us. However, there was an unexpected twist to the evening. My toilet was clogged. I got out the plunger and worked on it forever! It was so gross and I kept cursing to myself that I was going to make a horrible mother. JP called to tell me what time to expect him and, by this time, I was pretty pissed. He told me not to worry about it and that he would take care of it when he got there.

Now, the issue wasn't that I was embarrassed that he was going to have to take care of this mess. No, it was an issue of me not being able to do something. Something that I'd have to figure out if I didn't have a boyfriend / dad / 24-hour maintenance man at my disposal. No, this was something that any homeowner (hopefully me soon) would need to know how to do. How am I going to rule the corporate world if I can't unclog my own bathroom? I am fiercly independent (sometime, admittedly, to a fault), so this really bothered me.

When JP came over, he gave me a big hug and went to help me out of this mess. About 30 seconds later he came out of the bathroom. Problem solved. Seriously!?!?!? I worked on it for about 2 hours and nothing. Then, he said, "Hon, where do you keep the cleaning stuff? I'm going to clean it for you so you don't have to worry about it." Okay. So here is my loving boyfriend who not only unclogged a very gross toilet for me, but he is offering to clean it for me to boot! If that's not love, I don't know what is. I fell more in love with him last night... and all because of bad plumbing.

Status: In a Relationship (Really)

So. Valentine's Day. A holiday I don't normally celebrate. In fact, it's usually either a.) just another day, b.) just another day to remind me that there are millions of people in the world that are in love... and I'm not one of them, or c.) a good day to drink. This year was different. Not that I need a silly holiday to make me feel respectable that I'm not flying solo, but it was nice to actually have someone on this once hated holiday. It's been more years than I care to share since I've actually been in a relationship on Feb. 14.

Since both JP and I didn't brave the roads yesterday, we were both working from home. Mid-afternoon the roads were better and I decided to go over and surprise him. I got dressed up (I wore a skirt on a day when I could have been in sweats all day. If that's not love, I don't know what is.), ordered lunch, picked it up and headed to his house. I felt guilty for a nano-second for going to my boyfriends, but not the office. Okay, actually a bit longer.

So there I was, all decked out and bearing food. He opened the door and I wish I had a camera to capture his reaction. It actually took a second for the look of confusion to hit his face because he was so shocked. He was actually expecting the maintenance guys. He said it was like the movies -- he started looking at my shoes, working his way up. His first thought was, "what kind of a maintenance guy wears high-heeled boots?"

I was so excited to surprise him! We had lunch and then we both jumped back on our laptops to continue working for the day. It was nice being able to at least be in the same room. Now, like I said, I don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day. And, I find it silly to buy flowers that were 10x cheaper the previous day. But, he surprised me with a beautiful basket of flowers and took me out to dinner. Our seats were close enough to the bar, so we were both watching the Piston's game. Suddenly he looked at me and said, "You're the best girlfriend ever. It's Valentine's Day and you're more glued to the game than me." That being said, we had a very nice first Valentine's Day together. :)

Snow Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

After a horrible 2 1/2 hr. commute home last night, I opted to work from home today. I turned on the news at 6 a.m. and the roads were a mess and traffic was pretty slow. At 6:45 a.m. it wasn't getting any better and I decided to not go in. After all, that's why we have remote access, email and cell phones.

So, I'm sitting here in my PJ's, with my coffee and phone attached to my ear. I couldn't do it every day (I do not have the dedication -- obviously since I'm blogging already), but it's nice once in awhile.

Anyway, better get back to work. Happy Valentine's Day!

"Pencil me in"

I've been looking forward to this night for a while. Why? Because for the last month, all JP and I have been doing some whirlwind traveling. We flew out to Vegas on a Thursday, he flew back on the following Tuesday and I flew back on Thursday. That weekend was filled with birthday celebrations with his family, my family and our friends. He flew out to Lake Tahoe on Sunday and came back on Thursday. We left for Pittsburgh on Saturday, came back on Sunday. He flew out to LA on Monday, I was suppose to go to Chicago yesterday (not disappointed that I ended up not going), and he's flying back tomorrow. So, I've been looking forward to this night because tomorrow he will be home and neither of us are traveling for a few weeks. Whew. Makes me tired just looking at it.



We have dinner plans on Saturday night with some of my friends and some tentative plans with some of his friends. Not that I don't love getting together with friends (although my last post said I don't look forward to social engagements, I generally do. Sometimes it just get in a funk and don't feel like leaving my house.), but do you ever feel like you're constantly making appointments? My PDA is filled and everything has to be color coded: green means work, blue means personal. Okay, I'm a little geeky and super anal (hence the color coding)... Seriously though, why is it that we're constantly scheduling lunches, dinners, drinks, coffee, etc.? And, I actually had to decline two other invitations for Saturday night since we've had these dinner plans for a month now. Again, I fully enjoy spending time with good friends so it will be a good weekend.


As for running... tonight my stomach just hurt to much so I couldn't go. I really wanted to go running, but I knew I wouldn't last long if I did go. So, here's hoping that tomorrow brings a change and I'll be able to go. I miss being at the gym and need to figure out my race calendar for the year. JP and I looked into "Hike for Discovery." He doesn't run, I don't play soccer, so we thought this would be a good thing for us to do together. It's a wonderful opportunity to see some sights and to help raise money for cancer research. We wanted to do the Grand Canyon tour, but just don't have time to dedicate some more into fundraising. Hopefully another time it will work out!!!! So, I guess I should stick to running. :)

Blah Tuesday

It's only Tuesday and already it's been a rough week. Today, I found myself thinking about what's going on with me and wondering if this is really my life or just a funk phase I'm going through. I don't mean for this to sound like my life is horrible and I have nothing in the world -- far from it -- but it's just something that I don't like what I see.

(Hahahahaha... No, that isn't my ass, but the picture made me laugh and helped me to cheer up. How freaking funny!)

Granted, a great deal of this is coming from the meds. The side effects are horrible, but now that it's actually helping a little bit I don't know if it's worth just dealing with. Depression. Check. Anxiety attacks. Check. Losing interest in activities. Check. Muscle weakness. Check. Mood swings. Check. Memory loss. Check. See, this list isn't a good one and making my life not how I always envisioned my 20's to be.

I dread most of my social activities. I hurt too much to work out, and frankly, I don't really feel like it anyway. My mood swings are something else, and these anxiety attacks come out of no where and really scare me. The memory loss is effecting my work, and my career is very important to me. Sometimes I can't say a word correctly and it's like my tongue is all tied up. My balance is still off, but at the moment, that's the least of my worries.

As I'm writing this I'm thinking, "well, duh. How hard of a decision is this? Clearly the long list of side effects aren't worth it." But... I had a couple of weeks with the least amount of pain I've had since the ordeal started. Seeing it written out doesn't seem like much. But, it's more than you'll ever know.

Anyway. That underwear picture really made me laugh and I'm actually feeling better already. I'd erase this whole blog, but I want to use the picture and nothing really exciting happened to me today. Now I just have to get some of the days of the week underwear. I looked online and this set costs $70.00. That's $10 each day. No way!!!! I think I'll stick to my VS's.

3rd Annual

This weekend was the 3rd annual wine and cheese party. A friend of mine started this while she was in vet school and the tradition has since continued. The first party was a ton of fun, and not quite as classy as you would think of when you hear, "wine and cheese party." In fact, there wasn't much cheese beyond the basic cheese cubes you find at Kroger. Of course, none of us really knew wine very well, if at all, but it was a good reason to drink a lot.

After my friend graduated, she went to work in a clinic in Pittsburgh. This was a good reason to visit her and, again, drink a lot. There is a market strip in downtown Pittsburgh that has wonderful little shops, where we got fresh pasta, fruits and vegetables, awesome breads and cheeses from all around the world. Both the choices of cheese and wine really brought the 2nd annual party to a new level.

This year we were all looking forward to the annual bash. My friend's college roommate is still in vet school at Michigan State, so she drove down to Novi early Saturday morning to meet JP and me. We carpooled down and made pretty good time (under 5 hrs.) despite the strong winds. After visiting for a while and helping with the spread, we got ready for her expected 40 guests. Again, everyone had a great time and the wine and food was delicious. It was an interesting mix of people -- high school friends, college friends, co-workers, her boyfriend's friends and parents -- but everyone mingled and got to know everyone else. It wasn't filled with the drunkeness of last year, but there were still A LOT of empty wine bottles the next morning. Tons of fun and looking forward to next year!

Grrr....

I've been trying to get this to layout properly, but I can't seem to get it. Oh well, at least I got some photos up. I'm definitely getting better! :)

A few vacation photos!

Today was Day 3 of working out. It's been a while, but I'm finally hitting the gym again. Last night, one of the trainers stopped me and said he was glad to see me again. He'd noticed I hadn't been there for a few weeks. I smiled sheepishly and said that I'd been a slacker and that if Ricky could see what kind of shape I was in now, he'd kill me. Lifted for the first time in months yesterday. It was legs, and I don't feel to badly today. I did arms and back today, and I know I'll feel it tomorrow. Hell, my arms feel weak right now.

Here are a few pictures from my trip. I was only going to put a few, but it makes me so happy looking through them, that I added more than I anticipated. It was such a wonderful vacation and I'm looking forward to our next one. :)

Me, outside of New York, New York.

This was at the Shark Reef in Mandalay Bay. JP wasn't much into touching an animal that had killed the Crocodile Hunter... Now I can say I've pet a shark and a Sting Ray.

I can't say this is a job I would want. This is at MGM Grand. Two guys were inside, playing ball with two, very large, lions. The were so much like little kittens playing... except for the sharp teeth and big paws thing.

Best wine cellar. Ever. My guess is the most expensive wines are at the top. The servers literally strap themselves in and use the pulleys to get to the level of wine they need.

A beautiful shot of the city at night. It was an amazing sight and a wonderful place for our first vacation together.

What a trip!

Vegas was such a great trip, although throughly exhausting! We saw all the sights, walked the strip until our entire bodies were sore, ate at the buffets, gambled a bit and stayed up until our eyes wouldn't stay open anymore. You know... the whole Vegas experience.

Flying in at night was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It was just a sea of lights! We were staring and pointing out landmarks from the plane as if we were little kids. We had never seen anything quite like it before. Absolutely beautiful!

We met up with some of my college friends and some of JP's friends a few nights, which was fun. We went to Pure, which is suppose to be the hottest club in the country right now. Although we had VIP passes, it really only meant that we could stand in the VIP line for 2 hours instead of the other line. We tried the whole handshake/money exchange with the bouncers. Notice I said try. JP had a deal all worked out, but one guy was mad that he wasn't getting enough of the cut and wouldn't let us in. Anyway, we spent most of the time up on the roof watching the lights. We didn't see where all the celebrities were partying, but evidently it wasn't where we were. :)

On my actual birthday, it was a bit more low-key which I enjoyed. We ordered room service for breakfast and just spent the day together, not running around too much. That night, we got dressed up and ate at the Eiffel Tower Resturant in Paris. We had the best seats! We were right by the windows, overlooking the strip and looking towards the Belligio's fountains. The food was amazing, the wine was even better and there were too many desserts to choose from. I told JP not to get me a gift, since he was coming out to Vegas. He wanted to take me shopping so I could pick out whatever I wanted, but I declined. Call me crazy, but I just didn't feel right getting a gift on top of everything else.

Contrary to popular belief, we didn't get married while in Vegas. Both of our offices were sure we would come back married. I told him we should find the cheesiest wedding chapel and get our picture taken in front of it, send it back to everyone without a message. We only saw a few of the neon lights, Elvis type chapels and we were always on a shuttle so we couldn't get a picture. I must say, I was very impressed with the other chapels we did see. They were beautiful.

The work portion was a blur, as I was working insane hours on very few hours of sleep. Everything went off without a hitch and I was glad to be returning home. A full week is a long time to be away from hom, but even longer being in Vegas. We took a ton of pictures (nearly 200) so I'll have to post some later.

I'm actually working from home today since I have, yet again, another doctor's appointment. And, after a month of nothing, I started back at the gym last night. It felt so good to be there and active again. No races on the schedule yet, but I need to start training for something. It just keeps me so much more motivated. Anyway, we'll see what the doctor says today. Hopefully I'll be able to keep running.

I've been told what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...

... guess I'll find out.

Yep, I'm heading to the airport in a little bit to catch my flight to Vegas. JP and I are flying out tonight and we're meeting up with some friends over the weekend. I have to be out there next week for work, so I thought why not make it a long weekend. Neither of us have been there, so I'm looking forward to it!

I've been MIA for a while -- been in a bit of a slump. My health hasn't been very good, and it sometimes puts me in a hibernation stage. I don't like going out, I don't like seeing anyone, I basically want to be miserable by myself... I think I'm getting out of it, and hopefully the change of scenery will help jump start it.

Happy New Year!

Happy, happy - as I would say when I was about 3 years old. My parents always had parties and, at midnight, everyone was toasting each other and giving kisses to everyone. Apparently, I wanted in on the action too and walked around saying, "happy, happy' with outstretched arms so people would pick me up and kiss me, too.

Yesterday, we started off the day with a fabulous brunch in Birmingham. There, I received a very generous gift from his dad, as all the girlfriends did. From there, as tradition for the family, the girls went shopping (which was the purpose of my gift) and they men went to do their thing. We ran around Sommerset for a few hours and I didn't find a single thing to wear for our New Years Even dinner. I hadn't really thought about what I was wearing until the mall closed and I still had nothing. Not that I don't have a million things in my closet, but it's always nice to have something new.

I managed to pull something together and we had dinner with his family, as is their tradition, at Andiamo's in the RO. It was a lovely, several course meal. Complete with a champagne toast at midnight. Although I can't drink (which has really sucked with his dad in town, because he orders some really good wine at every meal), I snitched some wine with my dinner and fully enjoyed my champagne (yum! my absolute favorite). Started to feel a little sick, but no spinning rooms like the last time I thought it would be a good idea to mix alcohol and meds...

In Haiti, today is their Independence Day. It is a big day there and everyone has a huge meal with their family. Think our Thanksgiving. So tonight is another big meal. Back to the gym... ?

First meeting - a success

After feeling like I had elephants instead of butterflies in my stomach, I'm happy to report that the first meeting with JP's dad went very well. We had a nice visit and dinner out, and I must say, I'm thinking about taking a French class now. JP was VERY good about being my personal interpreter. When put on the spot, I busted out the few phrases and random words I knew, but other than that I was pretty much at JP's mercy to follow a conversation.

Later tonight is dinner again, which should be fun. His dad is such a nice guy and I think is confident (already) that I am taking good care of his youngest son. However, he did give me a list of fruits and vegatables, with instructions that I must incorporate more of these in JP's diet. Thank goodness, too. I've been trying for quite a while, with limited success. :)

On another note, I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to be getting a dog anytime soon. I'm dog sitting a friend's dog, Oscar, while they are in Florida. I've had Oscar here before, and never had any problems. In fact, he kept me good company shortly after my surgery. This time is another story. Let's see. First, he VOMITED ALL OVER MY ROOM LAST NIGHT. Yeah, vomited in four spots on my bedroom floor. I was rushing around trying to get ready for dinner, and had to stop to clean up dog throw up and try to comfort Oscar since he clearly wasn't feeling well. GROSS!!!!! My room pretty much has smelled like dog since he got here, but that was icing on the cake. This afternoon, since it was pretty nice outside, I opened a bunch of windows in attempt to air out our apartment. I cleaned, have had candles burning and spraying Febreze (best invention ever) at regular intervals. Not sure how excited I am to get a dog, or have children for that matter... :)

Oh yeah. Running...

... as you can probably tell by the title, I haven't been running a whole heck of a lot. It's not that I don't want to. It's more like, other things seem to get in the way. Working late, the holiday frenzy, it's dark outside and going home to put on comfy clothes sounds so much better... You get the point. Actually, I was pretty good about getting to the gym last week but not so good this week. I need to sit down and figure out upcoming races so I have some goals ahead of me.

At my last doctor's visit, he told me I could definitely continue working out, but no marathon training. My body needed some time to rest and try to heal. Bullshit. I don't need to "rest" for a year and a half now. Does he want me to apologize that my "normal activies" just so happen to often including going on 10 mile+ runs? I'm sorry, but that is not my fault. If anything, to me, it seems like that should have helped prevent this all. (Yes, I know it doesn't actually make sense, but throw me a bone here.) I love working out and the feeling of being in tip, top shape. It's a sense of accomplishment and a sense of who I am as a person.

I got the okay today from the doctor to up my little white pill dosage. I'm pretty sure it's going to make me pretty groggy in the morning, but we'll see how it goes. I HATE being on meds, but if it'll bring some relief I'm okay with it. No changes so far but, as always, I'm trying to work on my patience.

So, I'm going to get back into it full force. I dread going to the gym though - with all of those who's New Year's resolution is to workout and get into shape. I think it's great that people want to be healthy, but it is so crowded for the first few weeks of the year.

Merry Christmas

Hope all had a wonderful holiday! Mine was absolutely wonderful, although very exahusing! Christmas Eve started with church with my family, dinner and opening gifts with my extended family. JP fit right in, and my little cousins became very attached to him. From there, we drove the hour back home to spend the rest of the night with his family. Their tradition is to open gifts at midnight. It was a lot of fun, but made for a long day. I think we got to bed around 3am. His whole family spoiled me and gave me some wonderful gifts.

Christmas morning, a mere five hours later, we woke up and headed back down to my parents. We had breakfast, opened gifts and had a huge dinner. Later that afternoon, we drove back home and had dinner with his family. By this time, both of us were completely exhausted and feel asleep at his sister's house. We felt so bad, but there was no way either of us could keep our eyes open for one more second.

We have enjoyed being able to spend so much time together this week, as both of us are off of work. And, with friends home for the holidays! And... since his gift didn't arrive on time, Christmas has been extended a little. It just came this afternoon, so he'll get it tonight when he comes over for dinner. Finally! :) He was so good about it when I broke the news to him. Actually, he ended up comforting me more than anything because I was so bummed. I did print out a picture and wrapped it up. And, since I felt so bad I ended up getting him a book, too, so he'd have a little more to open on Christmas Eve.

His dad comes into town tomorrow, so the next few days should be fun. Still really nervous about meeting him, but also looking forward to it. I'm sure some interesting tales to follow.

Worst girlfriend ever

Yes, I am the worst girlfriend ever. JP LOVES Christmas. Like, little boy loves it. And, my gift to him isn't going to be here on time. Ugh! Yesterday, I was upset because I didn't think it was going to be here. Today, it's pretty much confirmed. I have a few smaller gifts that were going to be from Santa for Christmas day at my parent's, but his main gift won't be here. I printed out a picture of the gift, and I might give that to him, but it won't be the same. I'm so disappointed! And, well, a procrastinator. I always have to have the "perfect" gift and sometimes that puts me in a bind. When it comes to work, I always meet my deadlines. Always. But, with my personal life I always seem to be late. Not quite sure what I'm going to do yet, but hopefully I'll think of something soon.

Today is a "work from home" day. I was suppose to have all week off, but due to work load, I needed to go in. Tankfully, I was far enough along to be able to not go in today. Our office is closed next week, and hopefully I won't have too much to do from home. We hired a few new people that start at the begining of the year, and I'm anxious for some help.

It really doesn't seem like Christmas is this weekend. I usually have this week off, we don't have our tree up yet, I haven't been able to help my mom bake cookies and I haven't wrapped my gifts yet. Oh, and it's raining instead of snowing. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to Christmas!

Well, better finish up some work and start doing all the things I've been neglecting lately.

Any ideas!?!?!

So... I thought all of my Christmas shopping was done. Then, I realized I had one that I would like to get. You see, JP's dad decided instead of flying everyone down to Florida, he'll come up to Michigan. He's coming in on the 28th and leaving after the first of the year. It just dawned on me that a small, simple gift would not only be appropriate, but that I'd like to do it. (You know, bribe him a little bit into liking me.) Here's the problem: I have no freaking idea what to give him. Here's some examples of gifts that would normally be perfect, but won't be for this particular instance:

* A nice bottle of wine -- He can taste a sip of wine and tell you what flavors are in it, date and region of the vineyard.

* A CD of his favorite type of music (jazz) -- He was a professional musican and owned a radio station.

* A gift certificate to a favorite resturant -- He lives in another country.

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Little White Pills

So here's the lowdown (briefly) on what's been going on in my life:

Well, I went back to the doctor on Monday for a follow up appointment. The general story is that, after the nerve block, I had about a 30% reduction in pain for about three hours. While it was the lowest pain level I've had since the surgery, it didn't last long and the procedure itself was horribly, horribly painful. The good news is that since there was a reduction in pain, he is pretty sure it is nerve damage that we're dealing with here. One option was to do another diagnostic nerve block, but hit two nerves on each side of my back. The other option, to go back on medication.

I wasn't crazy about another nerve block. I just couldn't justify, in my mind, going through that again (only this time, it would be double the pain) for such a small rate of return. I wasn't crazy about meds either, since last time I felt like the side effects were going to kill me. I opted for the lesser evil and am back on meds to see if it'll help. This week hasn't been great, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The side effects haven't been as severe since I'm taking them in a different way. One thing about being on these meds is no alcohol. Not a huge deal, but it is the holidays. I got bombarded with questions at my office party last night because I didn't have a drink in my hand. I ordered water and everyone kept bugging me. I really don't want everyone to know, although it would probably be much easier, so I kept trying to avoid the situation. I was getting really pissed off though. Okay. I know it's unusual for me to not drink, but LEAVE ME ALONE! I did tell one group that I was NOT pregnant, only because they looked at each other with a funny look, looked at me and didn't say a single word. Good god. That's all I need - rumors going around that I'm pregnant.

In all seriousness though, I do hope my body adjusts to the meds in the next couple of weeks. I don't want to be out of it for Christmas and New Years. Oh no. No drinking on New Years! I just realized that. Hmmm.... would it hurt if I just didn't take a pill that day or can I still not drink because it's in my system from the other days. Hmmm... I know you don't have to drink to have fun, but come on - New Year's Eve!?!?!!? I'm going to have to come up with a plan for this one.

Started running again tonight. I haven't been to the gym for about two weeks now. Partially because of my abdomen hurting so badly, and partially because it's so easy for me to be lazy right now. Ran 4 miles on the treadmill and felt so great. I lifted some and was still feeling good, so I jumped on the eliptical for a little bit. Okay, I'll admit having, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" on the TV during my workout helped.

Work is crazy busy. So crazy busy that I ended up turning in 5 days of vacation. Guess I have to work for that promotion I just got... :) We did end up hiring two new people (one being a friend from college), so I'm really looking forward to them starting after the first of the year.

That's really about it. JP had a boys night tonight, so I'm enjoying catching up on some of my stuff. Hopefully, early to bed tonight so I can get to the gym early tomorrow morning.

Lots of Holiday Cheer...

Last weekend was JP's company Christmas party. Lots of fun, and it was great meeting everyone he works with. It was (way the hell) over in Port Huron, but his company graciously put everyone up in the Thomas Edison Inn, which overlooked the Blue Water Bridge.

Lots to good stories of our first trip together, but here's a picture to show how I made a fool of myself in front of a room full of strangers. I was terrified when I learned we would be playing "games" throughout the evening. Rightfully so.

More to update on what's going on, especially with my health, but it'll have to be at a later time...

Only 20 shopping days left

And, I only have two gifts so far. People are so hard to shop for. I'm one of those people that has to find the perfect gift for each and every person on my list. As though that isn't hard enough, everyone just goes ahead and buys everything. Seriously. Whatever happened to waiting for Christmas so Santa could surprise you?

We went into Toy's R Us this weekend with JP's brother and his girlfriend. The boys were like two little kids who had just experienced Toy's R Us for the first time. They were pulling things off shelves, calling one another to come look at the G.I. Joe/Transformer/Lego set/etc. they had in their hand, putting gifts in the cart... for themselves. It was pretty funny. JP really wanted a G.I. Joe that was similar to the one he had as a little boy.

In my best "mom" voice I told him, "Okay. We can get the G.I. Joe if you are good while we're here. You have to hold my hand, no wandering away, no putting toys in the cart that aren't on our list, and you need to listen to me while we're here." He and his brother (now and architect) did end up getting some Lego sets, but otherwise they were pretty good. True to my word, I bought him a G.I. Joe.

After our shopping trip, we met up with his other brother and his girlfriend and we all had dinner together. The girls were all in the kitchen getting dinner ready and what were the boys doing? They were all sitting on the floor, putting together the fire truck Lego set. It was so cute, and pretty funny. After dinner, the first thing they did was pull out the remainder of the set to finish it. And then proceded to play with it. After all of this, JP looked at the box and noticed it said for ages 5-8. Great. I'm dating a 5-8 year old. :)

Well, I've procrastinated enough and need to get back to studying for the GMAT. Ugh. I. Hate. Math.