To those that ran Chicago:

To those that ran Chicago, I hope you're safe and recovering quickly. To my friend, Jason, congrats on getting to mile 22 before having to walk the last 4.2 miles. And to the family of the Michigan police officer, my condolences to you and your family.

On non-Chicago, but marathon-related props. Congrats to my friend Linds for her BQ this weekend in a Pa. race!

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The golf outing went fine. I was really nervous, but ended up having a really good time. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, the beer was cold and the team was loads of fun. Although... 18-holes is a lot of ground to cover. I wasn't good, but I definitely improved as the day went on, so what more could you ask for, right? Admittedly, there were a few times being out there was extremely painful and I would be happy anywhere but there at the time. I'm hoping to get out on a couple of 9-holes yet before it gets too cold. If not, at least get to the driving range a few more times.

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Day 1 of vacation today -- kinda. I had an 8 a.m. conference call and I'm sitting in on one right now. It's just a really busy time, and I didn't feel comfortable getting too far out of the loop. Between calls, I went out for a nice approx. 5 mile run. It was so nice, mid-morning run in the nice, cool, crisp air. I could totally do the work from home thing! :)

Hope all is well and everyone is enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Sheer Dread

I don't want to do it. I really don't want to do it. Today is the, now dreaded, golf outing. I know it's all in good fun, but I really just don't want to do it. First of all, this woman who already intimidates me is on my team. Secondly, I heard she's really good and is really competitive. I've never played a full 18-holes before. What the hell was I thinking!?!?!!?! I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of this. Should I call in sick... to golf? But then I'd screw my team for being a player short. Well, actually, it may help them. It's not just that I'm not good, it's that I really don't think this is even going to be fun. I mean seriously, there's not good and then there's me. My team is made up of seasoned golfers. I just took lessons this spring and have only gone to the driving range a few times since. What do I do!?!?!!? Think I can come down with the 24-hour flu right now?

What a day...

Brief recap of my day:

1. 5 a.m. - alarm goes off so I can attempt to go to the gym
2. 5:00:30 a.m. - promptly hit snooze... some how end up turning it off in my sleep
3. Begin dreaming about work
4. Wake up late
5. Get stuck in major traffic
6. Badge doesn't work in the parking garage
7. 9 a.m. - finally get into the office
8. 8 p.m. - finally leave the office
9. Decide not to go to the gym, kick myself all the way home for not going to the gym, stomach growling like crazy
10. 9 p.m. - finally get home
11. 9:45 p.m. - eating tofu for dinner while thinking about the mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to meeting up with a friend for dinner after work. My gym bag is still in the car, so I'm fully intending to hit the gym afterwards. You know, after a healthy dinner and, perhaps, a healthy glass of wine.

Oh, and Friday I'm looking forward to making a complete fool of myself. I allowed myself to get talked into participating in a work golf outing. At first, I allowed myself to think, "This is why I learned to golf. It will be fun and a good networking opportunity." I'm on a team with people that I don't know well, and I'm not sure if that is a good think or a bad thing. Now I'm thinking, "What was I thinking? I'm going to make a complete jack ass out of myself. It's not going to be fun, it's going to be a painful, embarassing afternoon for me. What was I thinking!?!?!"

Anyway... looking forward to another great day. Just living the dream. :)

Glad to be home

I think I've recovered from the trip. I took today off and slept most of the day. All in all, it was good and I'm looking forward to go into the next one with a broader knowledge base. My plan was to go for a nice easy run, just to stretch out a bit and get some fresh air. Yeah. That plan didn't really go into effect. It's 5 p.m. and I'm still in my PJ's. :)

JP and I have reservations for dinner tonight. He's been stressed out, I've been stressed out, and we have a gift card to use up. So, tonight we are having a nice dinner out (and I don't have to cook!) :)

Tomorrow we're heading up to my college Homecoming! It's nice to be back on campus, catch up with old friends and show JP a part of my past. Last year it was really cold, so I think we'll both enjoy this year much better. Fire Up Chips!!!

Howdy from Texas

I'm in Texas. It's f-ing hot and muggy. Working long hours. I'm still up working and need to be back up in a few hours. It's a new job and I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. I don't think the Starbucks in my hotel will be open at 5 a.m. I'm tired. JP's sick and I can't be home with him. Tomorrow is going to be a long ass day and I won't land until late. And, I have a bad feeling my flight is going to be delayd. (Yup. NWA.. how'd you guess.)

Okay, that's all the negative thoughts out. Really, this is a good learning experience and since it's my first show, I'm obviously not going to know how things work. I knew going into it there would be some long hours, but it's been awhile since I've had to travel for work and forgot how late the night can go. Well, I'd better be off to bed so I can function tomorrow. No working out on this trip. Usually I'm pretty good about it (especially if I'm training) but I didn't even bring my gear this time. Ugh. Can't wait to get home and back to a more normal schedule. Good night.

Update!

I've been waiting to post so I could throw up some pictures, but I just keep delaying it longer and longer. Anyway, here's a quick (personal pictureless) update on me.

Last weekend, JP and I went up to Petosky, MI for a friend's wedding. It was really cold, but the wedding was beautiful and our friends were the happiest couple in the world. We spent two nights there and then went over to Traverse City so I could show JP some of my childhood vacation spots. We climbed the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, about 3 miles round trip, and played on the beach of Lake Michigan. It wasn't exactly what JP was expecting (climbing mountains of sand for 3 hours), but we had a really good time. I'll add our pictures soon. Seriously, see how little all those people look! It's quite a hike, but I think well worth it. Oh yeah, wondering how JP's ankle held up? Well, he decided this was the weekend he was taking himself off of the walking cast. I was nervous, but he did fine and it didn't hurt... anymore than usual. :) During our 3 hour hike, we had plenty of time to talk. We both thought when we first started dating that we were going to be the adventure couple -- running, soccer, cycling, etc. since we were both big into those types of things. We haven't really become that, but we both want to. So, we rededicated our relationship to be the fun, adventurous type. Can you just decided that? We'll see. :)

I've been running and actually decided to join a relay team for the Detroit Marathon. I was super excited and thought this would be really good for me. But... the girl pulling together the team didn't realize registration had closed for relay teams. She proposed we all run the half together, but I haven't been training and I know I wouldn't be happy to do it "just for fun." Come on, running races isn't for fun! :) Anyway, still working out on my own, but I realized I need to pick at least a 5k to work towards.

This weekend was low-key but nice. We went to a really great resturant with some friends on Saturday night. It's an old mansion turned Japanese and French resturant. What a combo, huh? I've been wanting to try it out for a few years, but I never think of it when we are trying to find a place for dinner. Excelent atmosphere, pretty good sushi and fun with friends. That was really the highlight, but I don't mind after a few crazy busy weekends.

Heading to Dallas tomorrow night for work.... here I come Texas State Fair! :)

Day 1

I did it. I went to the gym after work. Yay me. :)

Did 30 minutes on the elliptical, ran for a little bit to stretch out my legs, and lifted. I didn't get home until around 8 p.m., and JP waited for me to eat dinner. I've decided that I really need to just get up in the morning and get my workout done and over with. Not ideal for me, but that way we can eat dinner before 9 p.m.

So, we'll see how day 2 goes. Good night!

"Miss Out-of-control bachlorette"

That was what the the nice sash my girlfriend from college was wearing this weekend at her bachlorette party. Good times had by all.

We met at the maid of honor's condo in downtown Detroit. I've always admired these beautiful and trendy condo's, but never knew anyone that (dared) to leave there. It's right near the baseball stadium, so not a bad part of town, but no one really lives in downtown Detroit yet. Anyway, games and drinks flowed freely before we hoped our shuttle bus that was ours for the night. We headed over to an awesome Cuban resturant. There were about 20 of us, all decked out, so we attracted plenty of attention as we walked in. The food was great, I had my first Mojitos ever and there were authentic dancers halfway through our meal.

We headed over to the bar, where we had VIP access. We ended up hanging out with a bachlor party and our groups kinda merged together. I haven't been out dancing for a long time! Since I had to drive home, I ended up only having one drink at the bar. Still had a good time, but liquid courage always makes things just a little better... :) A few of my friends, with longer commutes home, headed out around 1 a.m. and caught a cab back to our cars. I hadn't been drinking that much, but on the way home all I kept doing was burping up those darn Mojitos. It was so gross and I felt like I had been drinking all night. Got home, took off all the glowering jewelry, male-anatomy straws and other incriminating materials, showered and crawled into bed. I was so hungry, but I was trying to wait for JP to return from his night at the bar so he could go get food for both of us. I fall asleep in about 2.6 seconds on a regular basis, so why I thought this night was any different is beyond me. Fell asleep with my tummy rumbling for food. Tonight was not a night to close the bar and stay up until 4 a.m. eating greasy post-bar food. :)

We spent the day with my parents yesterday and some family friends from out of town. Had a nice time, but I was so tired!

Heading to the gym tonight! I'm getting back on track. Hope everyone had a great weekend and a good week to come.

Fog Delay

Not that we have work fog delays, but today was the exception. The fog was so thick this morning, I couldn't see the flowers on my balcony. I made the executive decision to wait it out a little before getting on the road. I'll probably get to the office the same time as I would if I left the normal time.

The holiday weekend was great. We went to the Detroit Jazz Festival, and the Arts, Beats and Eats festival. In other words, lots of good music and lots of really good food! The weather was so nice, our main goal was just to be outside as much as possible.

The weekend (and into this week) also included running. It's nice to be out on the roads again, but it's not as much fun to, "go for a nice easy run," when you're not in that great of shape. Remeber when banging out a 12-miler was an easy run? I've been trying to mix things up a bit by going to the track, running bleachers, etc. I really want to start lifting again, but I can't bring myself to go inside the gym when our nice days are becoming limited.

Work has been getting busy, hence my sporatic blogging and my non-existent visits to your blogs... I promise I'll get back into it soon! Hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend and that this week goes well!

Buckets of Beer!

Great weekend!

Friday night, we met up with one of JP's college friends. She wanted to meet me and JP wanted to meet her boyfriend. We had a great dinner and since the evening was going well, we decided to take in a movie. We saw Super Bad. OMG - It was SO freaking funny! It wasn't one that I would ever choose to see, but it was much funnier than I thought it would be. I wasn't a fan of Arrested Development, but after the performance of ... forget his name... I wish I would have watched it. He is such a great young actor, and he played his part so well.

Saturday night was the long awaited German Park. I've been going every summer for the last few years, and this weekend was the last one of the summer. It's basically a bunch of picnic tables out in a field with BUCKETS OF (German) BEER, German food and polka music. It doesn't get much better than that. :) We had a ton of friends there and we played cards and some sort of dice game. I don't know... I was drinking my bucket of beer. My truck looked like we'd gone off-roading though. With all of the rain we've been getting, the parking area was a muddy mess.

Yesterday, I thought about going for a run and decided not to do it. JP and I went up to a nearby outlet mall and went shopping. We walked forever, so I'd like to think of it as an easy workout. :) Hitting the gym tonight though. I have to get back into it.

So, here is is Monday morning and I have a ton to do. Better get back to work. More later about my great workout that I'm going to have tonight.

Master of the Wii

You know you've been dating for a while when you stay up all night... playing video games. (what were you thinking?) JP bought me a new game for my Wii and we were up until 1 a.m. playing it. There are about 10 different games on the disk and, of course, we had to try them all. They're just short little games and I basically got my butt kicked. I think my record was 4-11. I love the Wii and it's nice that there's actually a video game system we can play together.

I've been trying to get some runs in this week, but I've been in a lot of pain. Ugh. When I don't feel like running, I feel fine. When I want to go running, I hurt. Ironic isn't it.

Well, better get back to work!

Sick Day

Ugg. I'm home sick. This morning when the alarm went off, my body was not cooperating with me. At first, I thought I was just tired (like every Monday morning) and hit snooze. My body was sore and my legs felt "weird" and I knew that I wasn't going to make it into the office. Around 7:30 a.m., I called in and went back to bed. Fast forward to 1:45 p.m., when I finally woke up and got out of bed.

Now, since I'm like most of the world, even though I'm not feeling well and my head feels like it's going to explode, I dragged out my laptop and jumped online. Why do we do this? I'm all about new technology, but when did it become acceptable to constantly email, check voicemail, call into meetings when we're on vacation or sick? Anyway, that's another post all togeher. I did a few emails, but my client yelled at me and told me I better not be on our 2:30 p.m. call. I've already looked ahead to tomorrow and it's going to be a monster of a day!

Quick recap on the weekend. Saturday, JP went to Cedar Point and I enjoyed the day to myself. I went running and did a ball workout, went shopping, cleaned, read a magazine and just relaxed. Sunday was pretty low-key. JP and I went grocery shopping and made dinner for his family. I don't get freaked out like I used to, cooking for a party of seven. I'm getting better and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I may not freak out, but I still get nervous as everyone is taking the first bit. It's especially challenging since I don't eat meat, so I can't taste test the food before serving. :) It's always a good ego boost when people request seconds.

Well, my head is about to explode so I better turn off the computer to get some rest. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Why I love my job

10:24 a.m.
Grab a latte at the coffee shop downstairs (great office building -- everything from Starbucks to a dry cleaner to a Hallmark to clothing stores to the post office)

10:37 a.m.
Run into Borders and buy a stack of magazines

10:52 a.m.
Return upstairs, settle in and start reading.

Yep, part of my job entails that I'm familiar with a wide variety of media outlets. No, this isn't what I do all day everyday, but it's a part that I enjoy. My profession isn't brain surgery, but I just want to stress that it isn't a cake walk either. Now, I better get back to it. :)

Perfect Saturday Night

I went for a nice, easy run this evening. I know, shocking isn't it! About 20 minutes into it, I started to feel it a little bit. About 30 mintues into it, I really noticed how not in shape I am. Ended up going for about 50 mintues, and actually enjoyed it. With no pressure, I think running will become enjoyable again. I even went as crazy as thinking that I should do a couple of 5k races this summer yet. I know come fall I'm really going to wish I would've trained for a marathon but there's always next year.

JP's out with the boys tonight and I thought about making it a girls night at the bar but decided against it. Sitting at home watching TV and drinking a glass of wine just sounded good to me. Not a wild and crazy Saturday night, but it sure sounded perfect... :)

TGIF!

I received a phone call from my doctor's office this morning. Apparently the crazy shrink and my pain doctor had their weekly meeting and my case was on the agenda. The crazy doctor recommended to the pain doctor that he thinks I should continue treatment with him since, "I seem to have a lot of stress in my life." Who doesn't? No thanks. I think I'll try something else that does not involve someone telling my the source of my chronic pain is that I'm a perfectionist.

TGIF! Can't wait for the weekend to begin in a couple of hours. Should be low-key. Although, my family reunion is on Sunday, so JP will get a chnace to meet a bunch of the extended family. Should prove to be entertaining. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Here I Am!

Well, after a brief stint of being MIA I thought I'd better do a quick entry to say that I'm alive. (And no, David, I haven't left you all behind to become a card carrying memeber of the BPC!) I've recently been assigned two new accounts at work, which is like learning two new jobs at the same time, which has been the main culprit. I'm so mentally exhausted after work, logging on the computer at home is about the last thing I want to do.

Also, I think I've been avoiding facing the fact that I'm not training for Detroit. It's hard to face it, but now just isn't the right time. Partly, I think I'm a little burnt out with running. The thought of running for four hours (really, even 2 hours sounds absolutely horrible to me right now) just doesn't do it for me and if you're going to run that long you should enjoy it. (Right, Mendy!?!) The other part, as you all know, physically I think it's too taxing on my body right now. I managed to do it last year, but I think I really pushed it and I need to let my body take its time to heal.

There. I've said it. I'm not training. I still feel a little bit like a failure, but as JP kindly reminded me, running does soley definine me.

Anyway, need to get back to work and I promise I'll be better about posting. Here's a quick picture of our one year anniversary date. JP suprised me and we did a beautiful, sunset dinner cruise on the Detroit River. Thanks to everyone for being there for me! Missed you all, too.

The Beautiful People Club

Last night I partied with a "beautiful people" club. It was one of JP's friend's birthday and so we went to the bar to celebrate with her. I hadn't met these friends yet, so I was looking forward to it. I tease JP that he's a part of the "beautiful people" club. Most of his friends are very attractive and what I would consider out of my league. (At least they're the nice beautiful people instead of the snobby beautiful people.) As we're approaching the bar, he slides in that I'm going to think these are the BPC. Great. Now I'm a little nervous. I'm a pretty confident person, but I never want to be the couple that people look at and think, "Really? He's with her?" We had a great time and it was the perfect summer night to be at a patio bar. Everyone was so nice, I met some really great people and fit in well.



Well, the birthday girl had a bit too much to drink and needed someone to drive her home. Since she doesn't live too far away from us, we volunteered. I was going to drive her car and JP was going to follow behind. We went to valet to get our cars and hers pulled up first. Yeah... it was a $100,000+ BWM. So, not only was I with the "beautiful people" group, I was with the "rich, beautiful people group." JP's BWM pulled up behind and, as much as he loves his car, he was SO jealous that I was driving this one! His friend and I gabbed the whole way home and she's such a sweet girl. We're traded phone numbers and we planned on setting up a driving range date sometime soon. Not sure how drunk she was, or if she'll remember, but nonetheless, I drove a $100,000 car. It was a good night. :)

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Getting ready to go to the thing most women dread throughout their adult lives -- a wedding shower. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my dear college friend, but no matter how much you adore the bride-to-be, showers suck. I'm going to guess this, "Garden Party" won't have those stupid games, but keep your fingers crossed. Nothing like ooohing and aahhing about what a great set of bowls she registered for...

My commute home

Since I've been on this assignment with weird hours, I don't check the traffic report before I leave - no rush hour traffic at 2:30 p.m. Apparently I should check it. Yesterday afternoon, around noon, a water main pipe broke and flooded one of the major expressways. Nearly 4 feet of water! Of course, it was the expressway that I take home. Traffic was re-routed and it took about 1 1/2 hours to go 30 miles. Thankfully no one was hurt!

Complete Waste of Time

Let me start this blog entry by saying that I am in full support of those that need a psychologist and the psychologists that are able to help them. That said, the psych eval that I went to yesterday was A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.

When I arrived, I was taken into a small room with a desk to take a questionnaire. A 576-true/false questionnaire. Going in with an open mind, I tried to over look that this was going to take me forever. Some of the questions I could completely see being a part of the evaluation. Questions related to alcohol use, if I've considered harming myself, etc. Some of the CRAZY questions include, "I think someone is trying to take control of my mind", "I see people or animals that no one else can see", "I have a fear of dirt." Yes. Those were really on the form. (I started thinking though. If I really did see people that weren't there, would I actually admit it on a true or false scantron?)

Then my psychologist came in the room. I thought he would be friendly, try to build a repoire with me, etc. Nope. He came in with a legal pad and started with a constant stream of questions. He asked the typical questions - relationship with family, friends, boyfriend; how I liked high school and college; how I like work; etc.

He got to the question of when the pain started. I replied it started 2 years ago. He asked if I've had any medical problems within the two years. Okay. Did you not read my file. Yes, I had my freaking abdomen sliced open. He asked for a few details, and I said that I had went to the ER in the middle of the night and had to have surgery that day. Now, I'm no expert but if there was something in my past that could be causing me stress couldn't it be the fact that I had a pretty tramatic heath issue? Apparently not because he barely flinched and went back to asking me questions about my relationship with my parents. Were their expectations to high? I guess it's more likely that I'm in pain because my parents were mean to me when I was 6-years-old instead of having a major surgery.

In what I thought was the middle of our conversation, he suggested I go to a few sessions with someone, "because it can help to talk to someone about life and what's on my mind." Yeah. I'm thinking no.

After pressing him for more details (like why he thinks this is the course to go), he said that he can usually tell right away what is bothering someone but couldn't with me. Hmmm, maybe because it isn't in my head. He basicaly said that he thinks it is good to be driven, but that I may be a perfectionist and putting too much stress on myself. Of course I'm driven, I call that being successful. I have a good job, I'm good at what I do, I have a strong support system and I work hard to be physically pit. Of course, marathon runners are their own kind that non-runners don't always understand, but that doesn't mean that I'm a perfectionist.

I have another doctor's appointment (like a real medical doctor) next week, so we'll see how that goes.

On a more normal note, I ran between 4-5 miles yesterday afternoon. The weather is actually the perfect temp and it was nice to be outside. Today I ended up working out with a trainer at the gym. I barely lasted 30 mintues before I thought I was going to pass out. I'm so not in shape yet. Gotta keep working to get back into it. Oh wait, is that me trying to be a perfectionist and reach unrealistic goals...? :)

Runners Legs

Yesterday after work all I wanted to do was go home and take a nap. BUT, I took my butt to the gym instead. When I walked in, one of the trainers called me over. His client was a no-show and since he was getting paid anyway, he said he may as well kick my butt for an hour instead of sit around. Sweet! He's a pretty good trainer and has been trying to recruit me since my previous trainer left. Unfortunately, when I came back out his client showed up. Bummer!

I thought I'd try out the bike since I've been toying with the idea of doing a tri for about two years now. Holy cow! My legs are not cycling legs! After 20 minutes on the spinning bike, I couldn't go on. I was sweating like mad and, had someone been next me, I definitely would have been the smelly girl on the bike! I'll tell you, in just 20 minutes my butt hurt. Those little seats are really not comfortable at all. If/when I start tri's, my first purchase is going to be one of those gel seats!

Trying to mix things up a bit to keep me interested in workout out, I decided to hit the Precor machine. (After trying to walk to it normally. I can totally see how that is a dificult transition.) Usually a "manual mode" girl (hmm... that doesn't sound right...), I opted for the programed glut workout. It was a good workout and I swear my butt's a little smaller already. :)

I decided to suck it up and go to my appointment today. Still a little reluctant to go and I'm not sure what to expect at all, but I'm sure it'll be interesting.

"The Zone"

Yesterday, I headed to the gym expecting to do some light cardio since I haven't been working out at all lately. Nothing fancy, just a little one-on-one time with the eliptical. Now, "The Zone" is something runners love and I haven't experienced in quite some time. Apparently, my body realized I was finally working out out again and thought it better slip into this phase and enjoy it while it could. Who knows when I'll work out again, right? :)

Since it was nearly 100* outside, plus all the stinking Michigan humidity, the air conditioned gym was packed. I jumped onto the eliptical and started my workout. I was really getting into it and was surprised when I had already chugged out 3 miles. Now, I know running 3 miles and getting 3 miles in on the elipitcal are completely different but, the fact is, I went 3 miles. Whoo Hoo. And, since I was feeling good (except for the smelly man next to me. We all sweat and stink, but this was extreme. Yuck!) I decided to see what I could do on the track.

Mile 1 - about 8:30 pace. Hmmm... not bad. Haven't done that in awhile. My mind starts to wander and I begin to think about everything that's been going on with my health. You see, at my last appointment at the pain clinic the doctor gave me two more options (the 3rd is surgery, but I refuse to do it). The first option is a psych evaluation to see if it's a "mind over matter" thing. I told him if this is all in my head, I'm fine with that. Let's just find out it is, and figure out how to get over it. If it's not, then we can cross off the list that I'm crazy. I'm suppose to go this week for my eval, but I'm having second thoughts. I'm not afraid to do it, nor am I ashamed of it but, I truly think it is something physically wrong with me. I understand that I can believe I'm in pain when there isn't really anything wrong, but I can't make myself swell, bleed, etc. Those are all physical things, not mental issues. (The second option was a drug that was accidentally discovered to treat chronic pelvic pain. If you're a little uneasy about the acidental finding get this, it hasn't been through enough clinical trials for ANY statistical data behind it. Right.... like I'm going to jump for that option.)

Mile 2 - about 8:15 pace. Hmmm... this isn't bad. Plus, I'm deep in thought by now. I start thinking about my great support system - friends, family, fellow bloggers. I especially thought about Tori's latest post and how determined she is after all the health issues she went though. I think about Mendy and David and what a great family they are and how encouraging they both have been to me -- a complete stranger.

Mile 3 - about 7:00 pace. By this time I'm completely in the zone, more determined than ever to run and I've got some kick butt music playing on my iPod. It felt so good to open up, stretch my legs and just ... go.

Still in this great mindframe, I thought I'd better milk it for all it's worth and hit some weights. I hadn't lifted in quite some time either and it felt good. I was making myself strong, little by little. After I was done lifting and stretching, I felt so accomplished. I was hurting (you can only block out knives stabbing and burning through your abdomen for so long), but I was so happy with myself that I seemed to bear it a little better.

So, to everyone that was with me during my run yesterday (there are LOTS of you)... thanks. I couldn't have done it without you.

Five whole days of fabulous vacation! It was so wonderful and I was so sad when the alarm went off at 5 a.m. today. I just wasn't ready to go back to work. Here's a quick look at my time off:

Days at the Pool: 1
I spent my first day off sitting by the pool for the day. Of couse, I had to call JP at work and tell him that I was enjoying the sunshine. This was the first time I've hit the pool at the new place and it was nice and empty. All the suckers were at work... :)

Movies Watched: 3
1. Tuesday night we went to see Transformers, which is a fun summer movie. Plus, iti s filled with the products that I work with everyday, so that was pretty cool. We've been talking about this movie for so long, it was nice to see it on the big screen... finally.

2. Friday night we saw Ocean's Thirteen. Not the best of the three - possibly tying with the 2nd one or just slightly better. This is a good rental movie, but I wouldn't recommend going to the theater to see it.

3. Last night we saw Die Hard. Completely unrealistic (even for a Die Hard movie, which is saying a lot) but again, a fun summer movie.

Veggie Burgers Consumed: 2
We went to a picnic at JP's sister's house for a BBQ. Pretty low-key, except for a rousing round of Sorry and Monopoly.

The next day, we went to my parent's house for a belated birthday dinner for JP. Complete with cake, ice cream and presents. I'm so glad that my parents and JP get along so well!

Baby Polar Bears Sighted: 3
On Saturday, we spent the day at the Toledo Zoo. We went with some friends who have a 3-year-old, so it was kinda fun seeing everything through a child's eyes again. The Toledo Zoo is a wonderful zoo (I've actually never been to the Detroit Zoo...) and the newest attactraction is the polar bear exhibit. There are three baby bears and they are SO cute. And, to feed into my panda bear obsession even more, JP got me a little stuffed one at the gift store. Instead of saying I'm spoiled, I prefer to say that I'm loved. :)

Miles Run: 0
Yes, I'm a complete slacker and the ambition of running a marathon this fall is slowly slipping away. Having some semi-serious medical issues right now (I need to call the doctor again today) and running isn't high on the priority list. I know I could still run if I wanted to by altering my training a bit, so that makes me feel a little better. I'm pretty sure I could bounce into it relatively quickly. I'm pretty torn right now about running and just not sure where I stand. My plan is to at least workout while I'm figuring things out, so at least I'm in some sort of decent shape.

Anyway, it's a hot one out there today (Yes, David, I should enjoy this warm weather before I'm shoveling snow that's up to my waist!). It's back to the real world, so I better get back to work. Happy Monday!

Is it Monday already?

The weekends just go to fast. It was a beautiful, sunny weekend and, like most, it wasn't long enough.

Friday, JP and I had an exciting night at Costco. I bought my tires there (GREAT deal!) and had to go back to see what the heck happened to mine. As they were working on it, we walked around and bought some things we didn't really need, but were such a great deal we couldn't pass it up. Really, we're not one of those couples that load several carts because you think buying in bulk is cheaper. But... when it's a good deal we take advantage of it. Oh, and what was wrong with the tire. Absolutely nothing. Really. I had these special caps on my tire stem that turn yellow when the tire pressure gets low. Apparently it randomly decided to break and it let all the air out of my tire. I was relieved I didn't have to drop a bunch of money on a stupid tire. JP just felt stupid for not catching it.

Saturday, I didn't do my long run (more on that later). Instead, I enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in and going out to breakfast. After running errands and "life" stuff, JP went to the bar with his buddies to celebrate his birthday. I declined an invite to go out with some friends, and went to bed instead. Ah yes, more sleep! At least for awhile...

I was in bed in a deep slumber, when my lovely boyfriend came home from the bar and decided to come visit. He wasn't drunk, which makes this even funnier. At 4:30 AM he comes in and wakes me up. And... like a little kid, he wants to open his birthday presents. Since it is, technically, his birthday I give in. I got out of bed, went into the closet where I had hidden his gifts and give him one of them. Thinking I'd be in the clear until morning, I soon learn that this only sparked the fire. Oh no. Now he wants to open all of his presents. So, at 5 a.m., he opens his birthday presents. I told him that if we ever have children it will be HIM that gets up with the kids on Christmas morning. :)

A few hours later, I took JP to a surprise brunch. I was SO excited to take him and not telling him where we were going about killed me. I'm not very good about keeping secrets. I made reservations at The Whitney -- on of the nicest places in Detroit. It's an old mansion that they turned into a resturant, and it's right downtown Detroit. It's one of those places that if ou live in the area, you have to go to at least once. We got dressed up and headed downtown. When we turned down the road it is on, he looked at me with a VERY surprised look on his face and said, "We're going to The Whitney!"

Brunch was amazing. Really though, how can a four course brunch not be amazing? It was the most I've ever paid for brunch, but I was okay with it since it was a special occassion. Afterwards, we walked around the mansion to explore and took some pictures. Absolutely beautiful.

Last night, we finished his big day with a big dinner with his family. We stuffed ourselves silly! More presents and finally I fall into bed exhausted around midnight. Thank goodness it's shutdown (auto companies always shut down for 2 weeks in the summer) so none of my clients were in the office today. Jeans and an early afternoon... sweet! Okay... time for a nap. Maybe the gym later...

P.S. If you're catching onto this... my marathon training isn't going so well... Not in the mood to talk about it now. Maybe later...

Date Night -- Five Stars

Although it got off to a rough start, last night's date night was great.

Around 1:30 p.m., JP called me at work to say he had just woken up. He wasn't planning on going into the office, but it ended up he was sick after returning home late on Wednesday night. I was concerned that he was sick, but I'll admit I was more disappointed that we may not get to see Ratatouille.

After work, I went right to his place and he was feeling a bit better. After idle chit chat, I finally busted out with, "If you're not feeling well... should we call your brother to see if he wants the tickets for tonight?" It was in that half hopeful/half disappointed voice. I tried to be neutral, but I couldn't help it. He smiled and said that we would go.

Shortly afterwards, I went home to change out of my work clothes. No running tonight - I'll take it as my rest day. (As if my training schedule hasn't been jacked up to begin with...) After changing, I jumped back into my car to drive back to his house.

Thump.

Thump, thump.

"What the hell is that?"

I looked out my window and saw that my back tire was COMPLETELY FLAT. I'm talking so flat it looked like a half circle. How did that happen? Literally 15 minutes prior it was fine. And... don't the flat tire gods know that it's date night!?!?!

I started to get the jack out when JP came over to help change the tired and stop me from having a breakdown. When things go wrong with my truck I get very touchy. I love my truck and hate when there's something wrong with her. (Note: I do refer to my truck as, "her", but am not the type to actually name it.)

(This is her, but mine is white. My motto is that my truck is, "cute and sporty, just like me.)

We quickly took off the tire and found... absolutely nothing. We couldn't find any holes, rips, tears, nothing. Since it happened so quickly, I thought for sure we'd find a huge slash in it. Nope. Nothing. This made it worse. Stupid tire.

We quickly finished and were on our way. We were cutting it close and I was starting to think we weren't going to make it to the theater in time. Not to mention that we weren't going to get dinner beforehand now and we were both starving. It was in one of those fancy theaters in a very upscale area, where I haven't done "the scene" in awhile. It was nice to be there and see so many people walking around. Anyway, we made it in time and it was such a great movie!!!! It was super cute, funny and had those classic Disney/Pixar believe in yourself-you can do anything you put your mind to-family and friends stick together underlying themes. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless if you have small children or not. Definitely 5 stars from me!

(Come on, how can you not love these little guys.)

We went over to our favorite Thai place nearby, but it was closed by the time we got there. By this time we had been seeing food that looked so real we could practically smell it for 1 1/2 hrs, so anything sounded good. We settled for Mongolian BBQ. Yum!

Tonight is my 3 miles I skipped yesterday and then to take my tire in to see what's wrong with it. I'm so not excited. Then... my first long run on Saturday and then JP's birthday is Sunday. Should be a great weekend.

The "D"

We're like a real city. Yes, it will take a little bit of time yet, but Detroit is coming along. And I've seen proof of it all week. Last week the Detroit River Days festival began. Along the riverwalk, outside of the RenCen where my office is located, a transformed city came to life. The new carousel is open, a small carnival was set up, food vendors, basketball hoops (complete with Coach K from Duke making an appearance), GM Racing team members and their cars, THREE music stages, etc., etc., etc. It is quite a sight. Sadly, it ends tonight with the famous Target Fireworks (hopefully it doesn't rain...) Anyway, the proof of its success? People are coming downtown. Every day when I leave work, there are people walking around. Really. Families, young, old, all races... and not just the people that work downtown. People are making an effort to come downtown. It's such a great sight to see.

I have special passes to the fireworks tonight, which I must admit I've never been to before. Part of me hopes it doesn't rain because I really want to go. Part of me hopes it does because it's going to be such a late night that I'd rather be dead tired on a Friday than on a Thursday. I hate getting up so freaking early!

Last night I skipped golf and went to the gym instead. I wasn't feeling well, it was nearly 100* outside and I just didn't feel like chasing a little ball around the grass all night. Oh well. Anway, I did my sheduled 3 miles and then some, ending up with 4 miles at 9:30 pace. I also FINALLY hit the weights and focused on arms. A little sore this morning, but not too bad. It was rough getting through, but I was bound and determined to get my miles in.

I don't typically watch much TV, but last night I turned it on and flipped through the channels. On ABC, "Shaq's Big Challenge" reality show caught my eye and I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually really good. Six overweight children (I'm talking 50% body fat! An 11-year-old that weighs nearly twice as much as I do!) that are going through a lifesaving change. I'm hooked! This will be my guility pleasure this summer.

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...)