Life As I Know It

The Bad-Dog Chromosome Has Been Discovered

2012-01-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe not, but if it was, I would bet one million dollars that Mattie is a carrier. As cute and sweet as she is, she has a bad side to her. It's as if she can't control herself. She definitely knows better, but that crazy bad-dog chromosome kicks in and it becomes all fun and games for her.

As soon as she does something bad, she knows it and turns into the most submissive and sweet dog in the world. She becomes my shadow and won't leave my side until I forgive her. Yep, it doesn't take long for that to happen. With those dark chocolate eyes and sappy look on her sweet face, I can do nothing but forgive. She melts my heart, for sure!

But ten minutes later, she's back to being bad-dog in one way or another. And what's funny is that Wiggles has learned the bad-dog behavior. How do I know that? Well, Wiggles was always the good dog. As a pup and young dog, she did everything to please you. She was and still is a very well behaved dog. But when Miss Mattie came into our lives, Wiggles began copying some of her behavior and not the good type.

Oh well, I love them both with the good and bad-dog chromosomes.

I'd Rather Not Know

2012-01-12T16:22:00.000-05:00

Death has touched me but not for quite a while. The first was my Dad's Mother. She died suddenly from either a heart attack or stroke. She was in her late 70's. My Mom's Father also died suddenly from a heart attack. He was in his late 80's. My Mom's Mother was briefly ill before she passed away. She was in her mid 90's. All three deaths were sudden. We had no advance notice or idea that they were about to leave us.

I have always wondered if it would be better to know in advance if someone was going to die. I thought preparing myself to be ready to accept their passing would be best way to deal with death. And the only reference I had was the sudden deaths of my Grandparents. I will always remember receiving the news of each of their passing. It was shocking and quite emotional. Nothing can prepare you for the unknown.

Last July when I found out about my Mom's stage 4 cancer, I had an immediate thought. OK, so I know the cancer is terminal. I don't know when her last days will be, but they would be with in the next 12 months.

Sidebar: In order for me to remain sane throughout this devastating part in my life, I have to remain matter of fact. I have to know all the details, the expectations and the outcome. I am an emotional person but a person who has to know the truth. I don't want things sugar-coated. So, when I speak about my Mom's cancer, I will not become emotional. If I were to give into my emotions, I wouldn't be able to cope with this day to day. I would be an emotional mess. I'm not being cold or indifferent. My matter-of-fact words are my way to remain sane and strong for me and my Mom.

Having the advance knowledge is bitter sweet. I'm grateful to be able to spend more time with her; much more time that I would have a year ago. But knowing every day that she won't be here in six months is pure emotional torture.

So with all that laid out before me, I have come to the conclusion that I would rather not know. Sudden does leave the door open for lots of unanswered questions, but it doesn't come with the months of anticipation, anxiety, and sorrow of knowing.

Journey

2012-01-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

It's amazing to think where I was a year ago. That was a different lifetime, or so it seems now. I was a different person, not thinking clearly, wishing for a different life, wanting so much more but not thinking I would ever get it.

It's the choices we make that mold us...they create the path we follow. When I finally decided to make the right choice for me and followed it through, my life made a turn for the better. Even though I have faced heartache in the past year with my Mom, I am much stronger to deal with what's to come.

Not sure where I'm going or how long it will take to get there, but for the first time in a long time I'm looking forward to the journey.

The Beginning of the End

2012-01-06T15:33:00.000-05:00

My Mom has had such a positive frame of mind throughout the past six months. At Christmas, she was talking about gardening in the spring, going to the beach as soon as it gets warm and even about Christmas next year. She was also trying to plan a week in the summer for my sister's daughter to go for a visit. All the while, I'm gritting my teeth and holding my breath, just hoping a tear doesn't sneak out.

Her doctor suspended chemo a couple of months ago. The cancer will definitely end her life, but the chemo was making her quality of life unbearable. Even the radiation was dwindling her away to nothing. She had two blood transfusions and one platelet transfusion. Both helped to boost her blood count, but she didn't gain weight. Her appetite did come back, but she eats so little. She only weighs 90lbs.

There's a drug, a chemo drug, that her doctor put her on. It's specific to treat her type of cancer. The side effects are not as harsh as chemo, but there were still side effects. And the side effects were still way too much for my Mom to take. Again, her quality of life was suffering. With the cancer so invasive and the drugs so draining, her doctor took her off everything except pain pills.

In July when I saw her for the first time after she told me about the cancer, she was recovering from having a tumor removed from her back. This tumor was directly related to the lung cancer. I visited with her again in late August and the tumor had started to re-appear. The next time I saw her was in early October and had the tumor removed for the 2nd time. The week before Thanksgiving, the tumor had been removed for the 3rd time. It was getting more and more aggressive. At Christmas, the tumor had come back with a vengeance. It was 3x the size and had come back 3x as quick.

She had a visit with her doctor yesterday and her greatest fear was realized. He wants her to go back to radiation to shrink the tumor. He said that at this point, surgery will do no good, it will just keep coming back, bigger and bigger. She's in lots of pain with this tumor and besides taking heavy pain meds, the pain won't go away unless the tumor is shrunk.

Last night she told me something that broke my spirit. She said that this was the beginning of the end. Her doctor had called hospice to come and make regular visits, changed her pain meds to Oxycontin and morphine and set up weekly doctor appointments.

I have always known this was coming, but to hear her say the words was heart breaking. I tried to keep the conversation positive and change the subject a few times, but I could hear it in her voice that it wasn't working.

I know her time is limited, much more so now. All I care about is keeping her pain level as low as possible. She's so concerned about getting "hooked" on the pain meds. I told her that shouldn't be a concern at all and to take them as prescribed.

The part that stinks is that I'm not able to visit until mid-February. With her declining so quickly, I'm afraid it may be too late. I don't want that to happen. I know I only have one Mom. Maybe taking a leave of absence is in order? I don't know. I have a mortgage and bills, no income is not good. I have lots to think about in the next couple weeks because the time is drawing near.

The Next Half

2012-01-05T09:18:00.002-05:00

Boy, do I miss the HMTT. Training by myself is not fun and has turned into work. I miss the motivating emails, chatter on the HMTT forum and facebook page, and running with the flock on Saturdays.

I'm 4 weeks behind on my training for the next half...this freaking cold weather is messing me up! And running on a treadmill sucks beyond belief. Tonight's supposed to in the 40's, so I'll head out after work for a 5 miler.

The next half is March 17th, St. Patty's Day and it will be here before I know it. I know the course and it's a flat run, no hills, thank God! The only issue will be the weather. March is notorious for cold and rainy weather with considerable possibilities of snow. March is definitely the unpredictable month.

There's about 8 of us former Penguins participating in the event. Unfortunately, we all don't live near one another, so week day training together is not possible. We're trying to get together for the Saturday runs, but with the Holidays, we haven't been successful yet.

All I know is that I need to get my butt in gear and really log some miles. It's so easy to go home after work and not go back out. It's cold and dark and all I want to do is relax and cuddle up with my pups. But without the miles, I won't be ready. If it could only stay above 40 until about 8pm for the next two months, I would be quite happy! I guess I could run in the morning...I've thought about it but that's as far as it has gone. Maybe when it starts to warm up a bit and get a little lighter? Hmmmm, I may have to rethink that.

Country Music

2012-01-04T20:30:00.000-05:00

Never say never, and I mean it.  It's yet another one of those sayings that we all use without thinking. Never is a very long time that I will definitely not see in my lifetime.

I used to say I would never like country music just like I said once upon a time that I would never like cheese (I like cheese now and have for a long time). Well, I said that when I was 5...and that wasn't too long ago. At least its closer to now than never. Yep, I'm full of myself today, so look out!

I wouldn't call myself a lover of country music yet, but over the past six months, I have been exposed to lots of country music and have really enjoyed it. In fact, during my Christmas travels, I found myself tuning into XM59 more and more often. That's The Highway which is "today's country" channel.  I even found myself singing along with the songs that I knew...good thing the windows were closed and the volume up. Even my iPod has a dozen or so country tunes.

I'm a convert, yes, I can say it and be proud:  I like country music. I have even developed a few favs, which change every day, but my fav-o-the-day is Chris Young. Delish voice, great lyrics, and easy on the eyes. He's on my iPod. I also like Allison Kraus but I don't have one of my favs yet, My Love Follows You Where You Go ...I think is has powerful lyrics and a beautiful melody. Plus her voice is hypnotic. Definitely my next purchase.

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

2012-01-04T09:29:00.002-05:00

It's the saying that we all have said from time to time. It's the mental kick in the butt that sometimes gets you moving or at least re-thinking a not-so-good decision. The past is the past, you can't change it, but you can learn from it. And that's where the shoulda, woulda, coulda comes in.

I had a shoulda, woulda, coulda "episode" (for lack of better word and not to expose my mistake) a few months ago and have definitely done the mental kick in the butt and a few slaps upside my head. If I could go back, I would change everything about it. I would have done and said things differently and have since learned how I should deal with it if it occurred now.

Unfortunately, I was still in my "let things happen" mentality in stead of my now "take charge" attitude. Yep, I have learned a valuable lesson and will apply it going forward.

Squirrel Super Hiway

2012-01-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

I live in the best neighborhood in the City. Or at least that's my opinion and I'm sticking with it. No, it's not fancy or grand, but it's warm, kind and very neighborhoody. It's what is called a sidewalk community. I see my neighbors every day and actually speak to them every day, which is unheard of in neighborhoods to the west of the City.

Since I live in an older neighborhood (it dates from the late teens), there's lots of City charm. We have old growth trees, sidewalks all throughout the hood, alley access and overhead power and phone lines. Like I said, it's an old neighborhood and burying the lines just isn't possible. Plus, most houses have what's called a Bellevue Garage or in more realistic terms, a shed. And there are lots of old trees. This is what I call the Squirrel Super Hiway, city-style.

I honestly wouldn't have given the convergence of power lines, fences, trees and sheds a second thought if it wouldn't for Mattie, my Master Squirrel Hunter. This amazement of obstacles has created a great source of entertainment for me, life-saving options for the squirrels and complete insanity for Mattie. Add in a few city kitties and it's pure pandemonium.

Take today for example. I spent the day taking down Christmas decorations, cleaning and getting ready to go back to work. I had the back door open with the storm door closed and the front door open with its storm door closed. Mattie spent the majority of the day running from door to door to ~~watch~~ obsess over the squirrels. She squealed with excitement, whined with anxiety and shivered with anticipation. She was a total mess.

It's now almost 6pm and she's passed out from complete exhaustion. I swear she's wearing a path in my wood floors from her back and forth craziness. But it is cute to watch. Wiggles gets into the game for about 5 minutes and then just sits and watches the obsession. She'll look at me as if to say, what is with her?? It's too funny.

They'll both be happy to sleep all day tomorrow when I go back to work. It's been a tough weekend for them with me home. No rest for the weary or squirrel obsessed.

2011 The Year In Review

2011-12-31T11:45:00.001-05:00

The last day of 2011, December 31, New Year's Eve, time to remember or forget, make new resolutions, and celebrate. It's the one day of the year that holds so many meanings to all of us. And for me, it's a day to reflect.

The first days of 2011, my Dad had emergency quad by-pass surgery. I had to rush home from the annual sales meeting to be at his side. The stress was high, the emotions ran crazy, but he pulled through and is thriving today. That set the tone for the next few weeks.

For me, I knew my marriage was definitely over and had been for a long time, just didn't have the courage to leave. After my Dad's surgery, I travelled to Europe for two weeks on business and loved being on my own and dreaded going back to the miserable existence known as "my marriage". That's when I knew I had to leave the marriage.

When I did get the courage to leave, that's when 2011 really began for me. My life made sense, had purpose and joy. All I could think was it's only going to get better and better. Even with the usual stresses with the end of a marriage, it was still a wonderful for me. I was and am free, making my own decisions and loving life.

To reflect on 2011, here are my top 10 memories of 2011, the good, the bad and the ugly, in no specific order.

Being able to purchase my own home in the best neighborhood in Richmond.
Training and completing my first 10k and 1/2 marathon.
My epiphany when I finally gained the courage to leave my 10 years of marriage.
Reconnecting with friends and making new friends.
Learning of my Mom's terminal cancer, watching her waste away and praying she doesn't suffer.
Regaining my self worth.
My Dad's quad by-pass surgery and recovery.
Giving my beautiful pups, Wiggles and Mattie, a healthier, happier life, filled with lots of love.
Travelling for work and experiencing amazing cultures and people.
Being me again!

So, here's to 2011, a year of change, a year of discoveries, a year of craziness. 2012 will hold its own stories, I'm sure. Some will be difficult and some will be grand, but I will live and love through them all.

Holiday Fun at the Office

2011-12-20T17:01:00.002-05:00

Last Friday at work was our 2nd floor pot luck Christmas luncheon and Chinese gift exchange. Pretty much everyone on the 2nd floor participates, so we have lots of fabulous food. And this year didn't disappoint at all.

We started with breakfast. A few yummy breakfast casseroles, a couple mixed fruit platters, Ukrops breakfast pizza, biscuits and sausage gravy, and a cinnamon roll delight (lots of sugar!). Breakfast alone would have been enough for me for the entire day, but no, I had to save room because in 3 hours, I would have lunch And the lunch dishes looked divine!

Our CFO is Italian and he makes the most amazing home-made meatballs, sausage and tomato sauce. It's a recipe that has been passed down from generations. And let me just say, it's heaven on a plate! That's all I ate...well, not all, but it was the bulk of my plate. I did put a couple other side dishes, but just a little...didn't want to spoil the meatball delight. And it was just as I remembered from last year...YUMMY!

I was fat and happy afterwards...but then we had dessert. Home-made shortbread cookies, pies, banana pudding, and lots more. Yep, I'm going to have to run lots of miles to burn off those calories!

After we all made little piggies of ourselves, we had our Chinese gift exchange. This is such a fun event. For those who chose to participate, they purchase a $10 gift, wrap it and pick a number. The lowest number gets to pick the first gift and it continues on. But here's the catch: when it's your turn, you can take a gift from someone else who has already opened a gift. The most popular gifts were two Starbucks gift cards. We had such fun!

There were serious gifts like gift cards and then there were funny ones. Someone brought a "You know you're a red-neck if..." daily calendar, another person brought a Friday night fun pack which consisted of a 6-pack of Miller High Life, microwave popcorn and two lotto scratch tickets. We all sat around for an hour or so and laughed ourselves silly. It's such a fun event.

I ended up with a $20 LivingSocial certificate for Joe's Inn in Bon Air. I used to go there a bunch when I lived in Bon Air. Great baked spaghetti, lots of yummy comfort food, and delish pizza.

But the first gift I opened was a decorative reindeer candle holder and an LED snowman globe. I just thought they were both adorable and really hoped no one would think they were cute and try to take them away. Well, two turns later, someone liked them as much as I did and they took'em. That's how I ended up with the Joe's Inn certificate, which is still a great gift.

So, I came back from lunch today to find a gift bag on my desk. I opened the card and couldn't read the signature. It was pure scribble. I opened the bag to find the exact reindeer candle holder and LED snowman...

I did some detective work to try and decipher the signature and figured out who it was...the person who purchased the original items for the Chinese gift exchange saw how excited I was when I got the two cute items last Friday and how disappointed when they were taken from me, so they went out and got me my very own. How kind and considerate was that? I was so shocked and surprised at this person's kindness. How amazing!

An Afternoon On The Rivah

2011-12-15T09:59:00.000-05:00

As part of the divorce, the ex and I sold the boat. It was 4th boat we owned together and the largest one. It was a very nice boat, quite comfortable and nicely appointed. But neither of us wanted to keep it. Don't get me wrong, I love boating, I love the water and I love boating people. I miss it all and hope to get back into it one day. But what I don't miss is all the stress and anxiety that came with the past 10 years of boating. That is now all gone.

On Sunday, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with some friends on their boat. We went for a cruise down the rivah, stopped at marina to visit with some people and headed back to home port. The weather was perfect, in the low 50's and lots of sunshine. The cruise reminded me of how much fun and relaxing an afternoon cruise can and should be.

We ended up pulling into the slip just before the sun dipped behind the horizon. The afternoon went by too fast, but that's how time always goes when on the water...you blink and it's 6 hours later. I think it's because of the fun people, relaxing atmosphere, great music and the fresh air. Love winter boating!

Don't Ever Under Estimate The Power of A Hot Shower

2011-12-14T09:09:00.001-05:00

Ahhhhh....nuthin like a hot shower in the morning to get the day rolling. My plumbing home improvement adventure last night worked and I'm one happy girl!

Of course, it took one trip to Lowes, 30 minutes trying to remove the original cartridge, another 10 minutes to realize the one I purchased at Lowes was the wrong size, a trip to Home Depot to find the correct size, dealing with an employee who would rather flirt than help me find the correct cartridge, then me finally finding the correct cartridge with no help from said employee because he was too busy telling me all about his hobbies, and finally getting home to install the cartridge and feel the fabulous hot water run freely from my shower faucet!

Yes, I'm definitely taking a hot bubble bath tonight!

Faucet Cartridge

2011-12-13T15:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight will be my first attempt at playing plumber. My Delta shower knob is not behaving so instead of calling a plumber first, I let Google do the diagnosing (with a little help from a friend ;-)).

So, I've been taking the quickest showers on record for the past few weeks due to luke-warm water. I had even adjusted my water heater thinking that would help but it didn't. So my next step was to call a plumber. Last thing I need is to ruin my plaster walls because of me doing something stupid with my shower pipes.

I have a Delta shower faucet that has the plastic ball handle. I spoke with a friend and after explaining what's been going on, he suggested that it may be the cartridge. He said that replacing it is an easy fix and much cheaper than calling a plumber. He offered to help, but couldn't come over until this Saturday. I'm really sick of luke-warm showers and would really love to take a hot bubble bath, so Google to the rescue!

I reviewed a bunch of sites and they all had the same answer...replace the cartridge. And they all had instructions on how to do so with pictures too. And it looked easy...famous last words, right?

Lowes has the $30 part so I'm going to tackle it tonight. If it doesn't work, I will just go to a friend's house tomorrow morning to shower and wait until Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Things Happen For A Reason

2011-12-08T09:42:00.001-05:00

So the saying goes...but what does it mean? Who came up with it? And does it really make sense? All I know is that I grew up with this saying. It was the explanation for the unexplainable and I find myself saying it a lot these days. But what drives me crazy is "the reason". I'm a curious person and not knowing "the reason" is not good enough.

2011 has been a year of change: my divorce, buying my house, my Dad's quad by-pass, my Mom's terminal cancer, lots of travel for work, regaining my self worth, completing a half marathon, reconnecting with friends, meeting new people, and lots more. I think about these events and wonder why certain things have happened. I'm always looking for "the reason" and some have a reason, but not all.

A year older and definitely a year wiser, the year to come will also be full of lots of changes. So I will take each one in stride because things do happen for a reason. My conclusion is that "the reason" is there to make all of us better people and better to each other. We don't need to understand, just accept. It's much easier to be kind than to be mean and ugly.

It's Time To Enjoy

2011-12-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

March was a good month for my parents. All three of us were born in December...do the math. My birthday is first, then my sister's and finally my brother's. In order, it's the 11th, 15th and 27th. Throw in Christmas, holiday parties, travel and finally New Years, well, my family was exhausted in many ways by January.

At some point, probably in my teens, I began to not enjoy my birthday. It was just another day in a string of 30 crazy days where everything was rushed, stressed, all lumped together, and sometimes forgotten. It became just another day. In my 20's, things changed. I was away from family and didn't have the normal family birthday/holiday stresses. My birthday became a fun day for me again.

But for the past 10 or so years, I stopped enjoying my birthday. The ex didn't like planning or buying gifts, which was the main reason I told him NOT to plan a 40th bday party a couple of years ago. Because if he did plan or shop, he was stressed, filled with anxiety, and it usually ended up in a fight.

The last and final birthday I spent with him was typical. It ended up in a fight because I got home late from lunch and shopping with my best friend. We had evening plans with friends that he had planned. I had called the friends to say we were going to be late and they were perfectly OK with it because they were running late too.

The car ride to Rockets was filled with tension. He was lecturing me about being late, how rude I was to the friends, how I had embarrassed him and messed up his plans. What he conveniently forgot was that the friends were going to be late too, but he continued on and on for the 15 minute drive.

When we finally got there and parked, the place was packed for the Parade of Lights. I had a hard time finding the friends. It was my job to find them because I was the one that made us late. When I couldn't find them, being the anxiety-filled, lack of patience and controlling person that he was, he got pissed, yelled at me, called me horrible names, blamed me for the failed evening, and finally stormed off like a 6 year old. About 10 minutes later when I found them, I had to come up with some lie to explain why he took off and why we were leaving. Of course, no one believed it. Happy Freaking 41st Birthday To Me!

So, I have decided to enjoy my birthday this year, to embrace it and celebrate it. I'm footloose and fancy free and don't have to deal with the past horrors. Here's to being 42 and fabulous!

Half-O-Rama

2011-12-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

When I attended the first pre-HMTT meeting back in July, Coach Ro said that this 14-week experience would be life-changing and most of us wouldn't realize it until it was over. And I'm one of those folks. She was right, the whole experience was life-changing. Not only did I finish a half, but I met some great people; people of all walks of life, all ages and all abilities.

I've been in contact with some of my fellow HMTTites and we're already planning the next training and race. And there are lots of them. Just to name a few, the Shamrock in VA Beach, the Colonial in Williamsburg, the Rock n' Roll in DC and lots more. There's no way I could or even want to do them all, so I have decided to pick two other than the annual Richmond half (which I have already signed up for the 2012 event).

At first I thought about doing the Shamrock, but it's on a Sunday. I've heard the whole event/weekend is a bunch of fun, but not sure I want to run on a Sunday, drive home and work the next day. If my body behaves the way it did after the Richmond half, I will be completely useless the following day, popping ibuprofen like it's candy.

So, me and my HMTTites are thinking of doing the Rock n' Roll in DC. It's the same weekend but on a Saturday, so we can run the half and then celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Olde Towne that night. Plus, my Dad lives in DC, so I have a place to stay.

The Monument Avenue 10k is in April, and that's only 6 miles. It's such a fun event with lots of participants. A group from work has done that event in the past, so I think I will join them again in 2012. Maybe I will co-coach the training with our CIO :-)

The Colonial is in May, so that gives me two months in between halfs. The 10k can serve as part of my training. I'll take the summer off and start training for the Richmond half in August. Well, that was simple planning. My 3 halfs for 2012 are all planned out. Now I just have to plan and do the training...

Watch What You Say

2011-12-01T08:53:00.001-05:00

Oh yeah, I did it this time. Maybe not as bad as I think, but still, I need to watch what I say around a two year old.

Makenna is a little sponge. She is growing and learning every second of every day. And this is a good thing until she picks up on a phrase that isn't something that a two year old should be saying to anyone.

Her Mom said that she's in the parrot phase, just repeating things that she hears. But I have said lots of things around her and for some reason last night, she only picked up on this one....

Last night, I was watching Makenna for a couple of hours. She recently discovered Snoopy and is in complete love with the beagle. Luckily, Mak's Mom recorded Snoopy Come Home and we watched it a couple of times in between playing with her babies, coloring, reading and making pretend soup in her plastic kitchen.

While we were finishing up dinner, she wanted to watch Snoopy again. I fired up the DVR and played the show. About half way through, Mak's Daddy came home. He had been out of town for a few days and Mak was thrilled to see him. He was busy unloading his truck, so we just continued to watch Snoopy.

When he finished, he joined us in the living room to watch the rest of Snoopy. Since I had already seen it a couple of times, I was pretty familiar with the show. The next scene was of Snoopy and Woodstock dreaming and having an out of body adventure. The sequence was definitely from the 60's with the groovy music and tie-dye background. I told Mak's Daddy that it was like Snoopy and Woodstock had taken a bong hit and were on an acid trip.

Well, Miss Makenna picked up on the phrase "bong hit" and decided to repeat it a couple of times. I just about fell off the couch in complete laughter. And of course, Makenna thought it was funny that her Daddy and I were laughing at what she had just said. I just hope she doesn't repeat that at day care today...

Disconnect

2011-11-29T16:32:00.001-05:00

Ah...and I thought I would miss being away....well, I kinda did, but it was nice to leave all the electronic gadgets packed away for the past week. OK, so I did have my BB, but only checked in 1x/day and didn't respond to ANY work emails. That's what "out of office notification" is for, so there!

But I'm back to the real world, in a training class for 3 days...so no work for me during daylight hours. I'm catching up at home at night, which sucks, but at least I can drink wine while my pups sit with me on the couch and I enjoy my Christmas decorations.

Come on Friday...these 5 day weeks are for the birds!

Snow...Really?

2011-11-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

The first "snow" of the season is here. The temp has dropped enough for the rain to turn into snow flakes...winter is coming...oh well. I need to move somewhere warmer!

Good thing I listened to the weather folks this morning and dressed appropriately. But maybe I should have dug out the snow boots and ski pants...maybe a trip to the grocery store is in order...bread, milk, wine...you know, the staples needed to survive a Richmond "snow storm"
;-)

Adopt An Angel

2011-11-16T08:55:00.001-05:00

I'm volunteering again this year with the Angel Tree program through the Salvation Army. Last year, I helped with the gift distribution and will again this year. But this year, I'm also helping at the actual tree locations where people can adopt their Angel.

I did my first rotation last night at Regency. It was very slow. I had one person return their gift and two people adopt Angels. The last woman to come by the table said something that really made me smile and realize this is a good program.

Her children are now grown, 20 & 25. But when they were little, she struggled financially and was not able to buy Christmas gifts. She signed up for the Angel Tree program and was able to give them a proper Christmas with gifts and a Christmas meal. All thanks to Salvation Army.

She said that it was now time for her to give back. The program helped her when she was in need, and it was her turn to help those in need. She adopted two Angels, a boy and a girl.

For the past 8 or so years, I have also adopted two Angels, a boy and a girl. It gives me such pride to select the special gifts for these special kids.

I know the economy is not getting any better. But for those of us that have jobs and can give a little, give what you can. Any amount, whether it be Angel Tree or Central Virginia Food Bank or any charity, this is the time to give. And money isn't all these charities need. They need you and your time. Some places need people more than they need money. Seek out charities in your community, look for something that tugs at your heart because you will get so much more out of it than you put in. The sense of pride is amazing, you can't put a price on that.

Me In All My Glory...Not So Much

2011-11-15T13:22:00.001-05:00

No one ever said that running was a glamorous sport. It's just the opposite and I have the pics to prove it. This is me on race day...running through Bryan Park which was the half way point, down Faquier at mile 9 (right before I hit empty), and finally crossing the finish with my teammate. Woo hoo!

Only Half Crazy

2011-11-14T10:18:00.001-05:00

Time to exhale - I made it across the finish line with all body parts in tact. What an amazing experience, still can't believe I finished.

It was kind of like an out of body experience crossing the finish line with all the crowd cheering, hearing my name being called over the intercom and hugging my fellow teammates. I really thought I would burst into tears but I was too excited. The adreneline was surging through my veins, my head was spinning and my feet were numb.

Then reality hit: I just ran a half, I just finished a half...and that's when the tears came. Small ones, but they were there. Tears of joy, excitement, pain, exhaustion, but most of all, tears of accomplishment.

I did hit a road block between mile 9 and 10. Both feet and my right ankle began to pound and ache, I was exhausted, sweaty, and out of energy. The GU Chomps can only do so much. Luckily, I met up with a fellow Penguin and we pulled each other up and waddled on.

At about mile 11 is when the lead marathoner passed us....yeah, strange feeling. He did the full marathon in 10 less minutes than it took me to do the half. Do the math...that's like a 5-6 minute mile pace. OMG! He was all legs and his strides were 3x the length of my short-legged stride. But when he passed the half runners, we all picked up the pace a bit. He inspired us.

As soon as we turned onto Cary Street, me and my fellow teammate remembered that it was all down hill, literally. The last mile is a hill, but a down hill :-). We dug deep and sprint the last half mile to cross the finish line. And cross it we did, with a smile too! Coach Ro would be proud.

Team Pengiun Pre-Race Pic

It was cold and windy on the Capitol steps!

Look Out 13.1, Here I Come

2011-11-12T05:17:00.001-05:00

Fell asleep by 10:30pm but woke up at 1:30am and stayed awake until 3:30am. Woke up to the sound of my mantel clock chiming 4am....I'm tired!

It's 6am, I'm up, made coffee, took care of the pups and now thinking about getting dressed. But it's freaking cold outside. The weather channel just proclaimed "it's 29 degrees". OMG!

OK, I can deal. It's not raining and it's not windy. The sun will be up by the time we meet at the Capitol steps for the whole HMTT photo, all 900+ of us! How cool is that?!

I'm off to finish getting ready...I hope the caffeine kicks in soon...

My Mind Is Swimming

2011-11-11T20:06:00.001-05:00

Sleep is very important tonight because 4:45am will come around very quickly. Teammate is picking me up @ 6:10am, but I want to be sure to be awake, caffeinated, hydrated, and fed. And have everything ready!

I left work a bit early today. I just couldn't concentrate so I packed up and headed for Northside. Got home, walked and fed the pups, did a load of laundry, chatted with the neighbor, and packed my bag. Nothing like some extra adrenaline to make for a productive evening. Now it's dinner time but I'm not hungry.

I ate a HUGE pasta meal at lunch and have no appetite but I need to eat. Running 13.1 miles will burn about 2000 calories. I have my GU Chomps to help energize me during the race, but I need to have a good foundation. Eat, damn it, eat!!

And sleep, sleep is going to be difficult. My mind is swimming with thoughts from the run, to recovery, to the Oyster Fest, to sleep, to cutting the stupid lawn, to raking the leaves, and back to the run and finally to hoping I get a few hours of sleep. Yep, I knew I was mental over the half, but I may be going over the edge with my crazy manic thoughts. All this for a 2.5 hour run. But it's so much more than "just another run". It's my first half!

The one thing that I've thought a lot about is the finish, actually crossing the finish line. I don't have any family in town, just friends. Most my friends have families with things to do, so having someone special at the finish to congratulate me isn't going to happen. I will cross the finish and will be greeted by my self satisfaction, pride and sheer happiness. Oh yeah, and by my fellow teammates, coaches and their cheering squads. Team pride and spirit does have its benefits.

Go Penguins and HMTT!

I'm Ready!

2011-11-11T09:36:00.001-05:00

She's Not A Baby Anymore

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

How time flies! Just last year, we were celebrating an amazing first year with Makenna Maye. Another 365 days later...she turns 2 today. And my, how has she changed! No more baby here, just a walking, talking toddler with great determination and imagination.

She has evolved into a little girl, a beautiful little girl with an even more beautiful spirit. Just thinking about her makes me smile. She is a special part of my life and I treasure it. I'm definitely lucky to be blessed with her and her parents. Good people, honest people and caring people. The kind of friends you will have forever. I hope to be that kind of friend to Makenna as she grows up.

This is Makenna with her BFF Lucy. It's the day after her birthday party last weekend...too bad she's wearing a Redskins shirt. I'm going to have to get her a real jersey, a Steelers jersey but she's still as cute as a bug!

Happy 2nd Birthday Makenna!!

Only Two More Mornings...

2011-11-10T10:04:00.001-05:00

Last night's run was not a good one. I decided to do a 5k run that I have done many, many times. But there was one difference, night time! I didn't realize that there were minimal to no street lights on this route. Yes, I had my blinky lights and my day-glow vest on, but it was still dark and creepy...very creepy. So creepy that I cut my run short.

Yesterday, we got another inspiring email from Vicki, the Penguin's head coach:

"Some of my favorite John "The Penguin" Bingham quotes for you as we count down the days until the Half. Here's his website: http://www.waddle-on.com/

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate."

"Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself."

"For me, like so many others, running is the answer. Out on the road it is just you, the pavement, and your will."

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."

Believe, trust, laugh, cry, shout, cheer - waddle on Penguins...."

With all the changes I've gone through in the past 18 months, I started to get emotional after reading Vicki's email last night. Each of these quotes resonated with me, especially now with what's going on in my life. But the one that hit home most for me was the last one: The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start. This will become my mantra.

I'm still amazed that I had the courage to start. Finishing the half will be a huge personal accomplishment, probably one of the biggest I will ever encounter and conqueror. It makes me think I can do anything and no one will hold me down. And I've already begun with lots more to come.

Taper? What the?

2011-11-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

One of the HMTT coaches posted this on our forum:

"What many runners don't expect is the physical, and especially mental, turmoil they're going to face in the last seven days before the race. In many ways, the tapering period is the toughest thing you will go through. Your training has been building and building, then it suddenly stops. But you don't get to run the race right away. Instead, you sit around anxiously awaiting a race that is a week away.

You imagine that this should be a pretty nice thing after you've been training so hard for so long. Instead, you start noticing pains that had escaped you previously; you can't sleep, you have no energy, and every three mile jog serves no purpose other than to convince you that you'll never be able to complete the full distance. Before long, your taper begins to seem more like the week from hell than the vacation you had been imagining.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! THIS IS THE FINAL, SURE SIGN THAT YOU ARE READY!!!

Experienced runners have learned that the taper week is something they can and will survive. Eventually, it will be over and you'll get to run the race you've been thinking about for so long. Until then, the best and most important strategy is to stay calm and be confident. You'll have plenty of emotional ups and downs in the week before the race. But they'll all fade away like distant memories on race day morning, when suddenly, magically, you'll start to feel great about 10 steps after the start."

I'm glad that my mental state has just been justified because I'm not sleeping, my blood pressure is elevated, I can't concentrate, and the little stress spot in my right shoulder is rearing its ugly head. All I can think about today is getting home and going for a run. Maybe I need a 3-step program to get me through this week!

All Blinged Up!

2011-11-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

The 2011 HMTT shirt is day-glow yellow, which is not a flattering color on anyone. Nonetheless, it's a "badge of honor" to wear on race day and after 14 weeks of training, I will wear it and wear it proud with my fellow teammates.

To set us apart, my fellow Penguin teammate and I decided to "bling-up" our shirts and make them a bit unique and personal. All I needed was a little imagination, a computer, color printer, iron-on paper and wa-la, instant bling!

Finally, I Don't Look Like I Want To Kill Someone

2011-11-07T14:38:00.000-05:00

Every Saturday, the team photographer (also a fellow runner) stands on one of the many street corners and snaps pictures all throughout the group runs. He posts them on the team web site for all to see. And he always seems to capture the runners in rare form.

From the past 14 weeks, the pics of me are just way too terrible to share. Honestly, I looked like I wanted to either die or kill someone. So I'm sharing the last group run pic where I sort of smiled, which is definitely me in rare form. This was at about mile 4, and as you can see the sun was shining but it was still cold as crap and the wind was whipping. I couldn't move my fingers and my nose was totally numb. Definitely not one of my better pictures, but not bad considering how I felt.

And my Steelers cap didn't send enough vibes to help them win yesterday...

And The Count Down Begins

2011-11-07T09:31:00.001-05:00

Our last group training run was Saturday and we did 6 miles. We ran this course before, in fact, it was the same course we did the morning before Hurricane Irene came through. I remember because it was raining, breezy, and the air was thick. It was a good run for me.  I had never done 6 miles before. So I should have felt pretty good about the 6 miles for Saturday's run. But I didn't.

At 6:30 in the morning, it was 36 degrees, no sun and 20 mph winds. I had four layers on. As usual, we met at City Stadium. We stayed in the car for as long as possible but finally had to emerge to meet up with the rest of the team. We were to get team pics before we went out on our run.

Before we headed out, I removed one layer and was still freezing.  By mile 2, I was ready to remove the 3rd layer but kept on my gloves. I did not enjoy this run and couldn't wait for it to be over. I actually passed some runners that usually pass me. I don't keep track my time but I think this was one of my fastest runs.

Today is Monday and I have 6 days left before the half. I'm not nervous yet but a little anxious. This week will be a long week. And I still have to log some miles this week...maybe it will help the time go by. And true to form, I have every day planned out.  Coach Ro said that the week before should be as routine as possible because we will all be excited, nervous, anxious and mental about Saturday. She also said to get plenty of sleep during the week because Friday night will be a rough night.

So, the count down begins...

Bubble Wrap

2011-11-03T16:36:00.001-04:00

I am an accident waiting to happen. A few weeks ago, I sprained my ankle, which is healing, then last week, I started to get a stuffy nose, and just today I almost fell down the stairs. After 12 weeks of training and only 1.5 weeks to go, I feel like I need to wrap myself in bubble wrap. My Mother should have named me Grace because I'm so graceful, NOT!

If I have to crawl the whole 13.1 miles in 1.5 weeks, I will because I am hell bent on crossing that finish line and getting my medal. Yes, I have finally become crazy-mental over this whole half marathon. I'm so excited and so terrified all in the same moment.

We had our pre-race meeting last night. All the coaches were there as well as the head coach. It was a panel-type meeting where we went through the course, the prep for next week and the night before prep. There were lots of questions, ideas and great responses from the coaches. They are such amazing motivators and supporters.

So next week, I'm supposed to add more carbs to my diet in preparation for next Saturday. I get to eat like a piggy, oink-oink! And we're kicking it all off this Saturday with another pot luck brunch after our group run. We're only doing 6 miles Saturday, so we'll run just enough to work up an appetite. My pre-race frenzie has begun!

Central Virginia Food Bank

2011-11-02T16:59:00.000-04:00

Today marks the start of our company's annual food drive for the Central Virginia Food Bank. Last year, we donated over 200 lbs. I'm hoping for at least 200 lbs this year, but with the economy the way it is, I don't think people will be as generous. OK, so 200 lbs for over 300 people isn't that great, but it's a starting point.

With the support of our HR department, the word will spread. I've made and posted flyers, left donation boxes all throughout the office and warehouse and have been preaching to everyone. Just one can of food makes a difference.

The part that bugs me is that the company did not make a donation last year. It was all individual donations. Someone even gave me a check donation. So, I'm going to approach our CEO to make a company donation. This is the 2nd annual drive so anti up! Not getting my hopes up though...

The drive ends Nov. 21st. Trying to be positive about this drive, but only time will tell.

Brag

2011-11-02T13:44:00.000-04:00

Shameless #18

Brag...about what? I don't really like to call attention to myself. If I do something good, great, but I don't talk all about it. I work with a woman who is all about herself and her accomplishments, both good and bad. There is no such thing as bad attention. And she needs lots and lots. I'm the complete opposite.

I started the "Shameless Shit" series so I would learn to live outside my box, my comfort zone, and to be less conservative. It has helped but some things I'm just not good at. But I will suck it up and do some bragging.

My first year with my current employer, I was a team lead for researching, developing, testing, marketing and supporting the company's first e-commerce site. It interfaced directly with our ERP, which made things complicated. I'm not a programmer, so I left that part up to the experts, but I was the user and market expert. It was a huge challenge for me.

We were on a strict time frame. We were to launch the site at the world wide trade show in June. So that gave us 10 months. That was 10 months of 14+ hour days with crazy work schedules, meetings after meetings, testing both internal and external and finally developing a marketing plan. It all did come together and we did launch it in June of 2002. We were the industry's first e-commerce site for Aftermarket products. And we were darn proud of it too!

Because of all the hard work, long hours and successful launch, I was awarded the Employee of the Month in July. I had never had such recognition from an employer before. I was overjoyed and proud of my accomplishment. The CEO, VP of my division and VP of Sales attended the "ceremony" and gave their appreciation for all my hard work. But here's the thing: it wasn't just me who worked on this project. There was a team of people and without all the team members, the e-commerce site wouldn't have been possible. So, as proud as I was, I felt a little guilty accepting the award.

I still have the plaque in my office. Every once in a while, someone asks about it and true to me, I down play it. But in my head and heart, I'm boasting with joy and pride.

Hello? Where Did October Go?

2011-11-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

Help...I'm missing the month of October. Does anyone know where it went? Seriously, I have no idea where the month went. Last thing I remember is September...

That means my birthday is just a little over month away...crap! I'm getting older. Can I stop having birthdays? Maybe I'll start getting younger. Instead of turning 42, I'll be 40 again! Yeah, I like that. Since I didn't have a 40th birthday party, I'll throw my own party. Everyone wears black and drinks bourbon. Now, that would make for an interesting party. Or maybe I'll celebrate the 2nd anniversary of my 40th at Steve's party. His 40th birthday is coming up - I know he'll drink bourbon with me. And I'll wear black just because I can!

I guess there's no denying it, November is here and winter is upon us. After having freezing rain on Friday and Saturday, I just have to accept it and switch out my summer clothes for the winter duds. That means no more sandals...like my feet look good enough...running has been tough on the toes. A pedicure is in order the week after the half marathon.

Just when you start having fun again, another month has zipped on by. Time does fly the older you get...sucks, huh?

Sigh....

Ah, it's finally Friday!

2011-10-28T10:54:00.001-04:00

A few weekend-sayings to get the fun rolling.

Make each day of the week like Friday and your
life will take on new enthusiasm.

My best friend has finally arrived...hello Friday!
I've been waiting for you!

Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless.

Always strive to excel, but only on weekends.

Don't let Monday ruin your Sunday.

Biggest Loser

2011-10-27T09:46:00.001-04:00

Our annual health assessment is coming up in the next two weeks. In fact, it's the week before the half marathon.  We have to pass 3 of 4 criteria. If we don't pass, then we are charged a $25 per paycheck. The criteria are as follows:

BMI: less than 29
Cholesterol: less than 215
Blood Sugar: less than 140
Blood Pressure: less than 128/84

The company sponsors the health screening but you may go to your own physician to have the screening.  With 12 weeks of HMTT, I'm hoping my BMI has dropped, so I'm interested to see what it actually will be for this year. Luckily, I haven't had any issues with blood pressure or sugar or cholesterol. All my numbers have been low.

So, my company decided to start up a Biggest Loser competition. It's an individual and team event. You can win up to $500 plus 2 days of paid vacation. Pretty decent incentive if you ask me. The competition starts Nov. 1st and ends Jan. 24th. You have to lose a minimum of 10 lbs to qualify.

Over the last 8 months, I have lost over 10lbs and don't need or want to lose anymore. I just want to maintain. Keeping up with my running will definitely help. So I won't be joining in the competition...bummer!

When the email came out from our HR dept about the competition, it was all the talk of the office. Everyone was trying to get the "perfect team". I don't think any work got done that afternoon. People were placing bets as to who's going to lose the most and who's going to gain...funny, I know, but it's all in good humor.

My office is on the second floor.  The group of co-workers that are on my side of the floor have decided to have a Fat Friday. It's the last hurrah before weigh-in on Tuesday. We're all bringing fat-filled dishes to have a pot-luck luncheon. About 75% of this group is doing the Biggest Loser. Should be an interesting few months.

Just Me

2011-10-26T14:51:00.000-04:00

This is in NO WAY me complaining at all because I love my single life. I have new found happiness and enjoyment in life. Things couldn't be better!

All most all of my friends are married or in serious relationships. So being the third wheel is common place for me these days.

But it has it's drawbacks. Like when I go out to dinner with friends...a four-top table is not enough but a six-top is too much. I look like the loaner at the table. But I would rather look like the loaner than my previous alternative any day of the week.

Some friends are still saying the term "we" or "you guys" when talking about me. They are still getting used to me being single. OK people, it's been almost been 8 months...there is no "we", it's just ME.

The Reality of My Job

2011-10-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

Shameless #17

Hmmmm....I will be careful what I say because I need my job. I've only owned my home since August...and I don't want to become homeless or jobless. I don't want to become a statistic.

I've worked for my employer for over 10 years and have had two promotions. I've seen two major layoffs, two buy-outs, three CEOs, one merger and one boss. I've seen employees come and go and come back again. I've moved my desk 4 times and finally moved into an office last year. For the most part, my co-workers have been here as long if not longer than I have.

Since the merger, I work more closely with our affiliate offices throughout the world and have developed good friendships with a few people in London and Bologna.

So, what's the low-down on my job? I like my job, like my boss and my co-workers. All jobs have their ups and downs and I have had my fair share of both. And if I didn't like working here, I would make a change. But I do.

As with all companies, the typical office politics can drive even the strongest person a little mad. But I'm the kind of person who doesn't sit back and wait for things to happen or play into the politics. I'm proactive and will seek out information, learn new things, and meet new people. I'm good with change. In fact, I welcome change. It can only improve a company and its employees. But change is slow to happen, at least in this company. It's a bit old-school, but since the merger, it's slowly coming out of the dark ages.

Onto the the reality of my job: About two years ago, we went through a structure change. The product management group was finally made into a cohesive department, we hired a new VP and planned out a 3-year road map for requirements. What did that mean for me? Well, my job was product management but not in the traditional sense. I did a lot of business analysis from margins to sales trends to forecasting and lots of mar-comm. Now with the new "group", the parts of my job that weren't traditional product management were supposed to go to someone else because that was not the new focus and direction of my job and company.

OK...who was going perform those duties... anyone... Bueller... anyone... hello?? Well, someone would, so said senior management. Two years later, guess who is still performing the business analyses AND new product management responsibilities AND didn't get a raise because of budget constraints....yep, that would be me.

Spend Money on a Non-Necessity

2011-10-25T08:52:00.003-04:00

Shameless #16

Shoes, shoes, shoes!!! Need I say more? Definitely not, but these aren't just any shoes, these are my fav shoes of all time. Well, maybe not all time, but I love them and my feet love them.

Danskos...yes, Danskos. If you have never tried them, you're missing out! They're not high heels or fancy or even sexy, but they are probably the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn.  And my obsession with them started two years ago after I had foot surgery.

As all the women in my family, I have bunions. My right foot had gotten to the point of no return and my podiatrist recommended surgery. So, under the knife I went. He cut off my bunion and broke and straightened my big toe and set it with a pin. Fun, huh? Not at all. And the recovery sucked! No driving for 6 weeks, on crutches for 8 weeks and in a walking boot for another 3 weeks.  I had to rely on the ex to drive me to and from work...and he was a grumpy nightmare about doing it at all. But after all was said and done, my foot was like new. I could walk without pain and it was worth the four inch scar on the side of my foot!

Before surgery, my podiatrist suggested that I wear orthotics because of my high arch. Well, the orthotics didn't fit in any of my shoes. They only fit in my athletic shoes and there was no way I was going to be stuck wearing sneakers every day. NO WAY! But when I did wear them, my feet and legs felt great. Who would of thought that just a little arch support would make my feet that happy.

One of the nurses in the podiatrist office mentioned Danskos. She said that they offer great arch support. A woman I work with swears by these shoes. It's the only shoes she wears.

In my neighborhood, we have a great little consignment shop. I visit it every so often and have found a few items. I dropped by for a quick run-thru and it was that visit that I found my first pair of Danskos. They were brand new with the stickers still on, just sitting there waiting for me. And they were a great price. I thought even if I didn't like them, I didn't waste too much money. So, I bought them, put them on and walked home. And I fell in love! Or should I say my feet fell in love! And the rest is history.

So my big splurge was about a month ago.  I bought a pair of Dansko boots! And they are adorable and quite comfortable. Necessity, maybe not, but my feet thank me every day.

Maybe It Wasn't Such A Good Idea...

2011-10-24T13:42:00.001-04:00

Week 11 proved to be a tough one for me. With my ankle hurting, I didn't get any miles in last week and I was worried that Saturday's group run would be difficult. We dropped down to 7 miles for our recovery week but it's still 7 miles, 7 miles that I wasn't exactly ready for.

My ankle did feel better Friday and even better Saturday morning. So I decided to go ahead and do the group run. Plus, it was team spirit day and a pot luck brunch after the run.. My fellow Penguin and I made costumes to wear during the run. We ended up taking the first prize for best costume. Woo hoo!

Our route took us from City Stadium, through Byrd Park, down Cary Street, through Hollywood Cemetery and back up Main Street. I have never been to Hollywood, so running through it as the sun peaked over the horizon was pretty cool. But the hills were mean. If I wasn't running down a hill, I was running up a hill. I don't think there is any flat part in that cemetery.

Considering my lack of miles last week, I was feeling pretty good. But on the way back to City Stadium, at about mile 6 or so, my ankle started to hurt real bad. I tried to continue running but had to stop. I had to walk the last mile back...and it was like a walk of shame. A million thoughts went through my brain, I probably shouldn't have done the run, maybe I really did break it, did I do permanent damage, what if I injured it and can't do the half? That last mile seemed to take forever. And add insult to injury, the team photographer (who is out every Saturday taking every one's pic) was on the last hill up to City Stadium. He took my pic as I limped up the hill....at least I smiled and gritted my teeth...not a real smile.

I was so pissed, frustrated, and disappointed with myself. I didn't even want to eat all the yummy food. All I wanted to do was go home and feel sorry for myself. A good ol'fashion pitty party. But I sucked it up, joined my fellow Penguins and chowed down. And someone brought Starbucks coffee. That really perked me up for a bit.

On the drive home, my fellow teammate was trying to get me to go to Patient First but I didn't have my wallet or insurance card. I promised to go after I got home and took a shower...but I didn't go until 5pm that evening.

The xrays showed nothing. No break, no stress fracture, just an intact foot and ankle. The doctor thinks I pulled the ligament that runs from the ankle bone to the pinkie toe. I was to take ibuprofen 3x a day for 5 days. If I was still having severe pain on Tuesday like I had on Saturday, I was to go to the ortho. He referred me to a sports ortho.

Today's Monday and I have a little pain, not like Saturday. I'm not going for a run tonight or tomorrow. But come Wednesday, I'm going to give it a try. If it's a no-go, I will call and make an appt with the sports ortho.

Only three weeks til half marathon day....YIKES!

Dress, Walk, and Act Like You Know You’re All That

2011-10-21T10:58:00.001-04:00

Shameless #15

Here's another Shameless Shit that is just not me...but I will do it and do it tomorrow. Not exactly what you may think, but it will be fun!

Details to follow...hint, hint, waddle on!

OK, so here's my Shameless scoop: Saturday was HMTT spirit day and I dressed up like a Penguin and waddled, ran, no waddled like I was all that and a bag of chips. Me and my fellow teammate took first prize for best costume! HMTT rocks!

Something Crappy I Did To Someone

2011-10-20T15:41:00.002-04:00

Shameless #14

Gosh, all my skeletons will be out now...and the world will know I'm not always a nice person... :-) Honestly, I always try to do the right thing and be a kind and considerate person. But that doesn't mean that I will put myself in jeopardy for the sake of others.

Once upon a time, in an earlier day and an earlier life, I did some crap to someone. Did they deserve it? In my eyes, maybe so, but I'm not the one to judge since I did the crap.

My crap happened back in 2005 when my employer merged with an Italian company.  Every year, there is a world-wide industry trade show and each year it varies between a few American cities. This particular year, it was in Orlando. All all the planning, graphics, product, collateral, booth layout, etc. had been finalized in the early spring. The show is traditionally the last week of June. The merger accouncement happened just three weeks prior to the trade show. So all the planning and work for the show had to be redone with the new company name, logo and vision.

I've been to this trade show every year since I've worked for my employer. I know what to expect and what's expected of me. This was not my first rodeo.

A little background: prior to the merger, the two companies were considered the best in the industry, so the merger made them the best and most renown company in the industry.  Can you say EGO? Yep, that's part of the story.

Also, these were two different cultures merging, American and Italian with very different ways of doing business. I really could make this a long post because there are so many pieces to this puzzle, but I will try and cut to the chase.

Fast forward to the trade show. The merger had already been announced to the industry and there was a ton of buzz. There had been quite a few issues with getting the booth space ready and that helped to set the tone even before the show started. As expected, our booth was jam-packed every second of every day of the show. No rest, no breaks, no nothing. It was actually very exciting for me to be part of this industry ground-breaking week.

It was the last day of the show, about half way through the day when I became a bitch. And it takes a lot for me to give in to my inner bitch. Yes, I was tired and so was everyone else, but I had reached my boiling point.

All throughout the days leading up to the show and at the actual show, there was a whole bunch of posturing going on between the Americans and Italians. Didn't matter what your title was, it was all about being seen and known.  It was obvious to everyone what was going on and I kept my head under the radar. Which in hindsight, that may have been a mistake.

I was one of the only people who had wireless access and one of two who was fluent in our ERP. I had all the tools and collateral at my fingertips and people took advantage of it. The other person who should have been helping, decided it was suddenly beneath them and pushed everyone and everything regarding Aftermarket onto me. They had to hob-nob with the company elites. I had taken two whole days of this treatment and had had enough.

I got up from my laptop with customers and employees standing by, waiting for help, and left the show. While I was walking out, I saw my co-worker, the one who should have been helping, and told them that I was done and going back to the hotel. With four hours left until the end of the show, they would just have to do their job without me doing it for them.

I only stayed away from the show for 30 minutes, not four hours like I really wanted to do. Was walking out the right thing to do? Probably not, but I was furious, exhausted and sick of being taken advantage of. But let me say, when I returned, my co-worker didn't leave the booth again for the remainder of the show. I think they got my hint.

Stupid Ankle

2011-10-19T15:40:00.000-04:00

After my whirlwind weekend of way too many on-the-go activities, I may have over done it, a bit or maybe a lot bit. Getting older sucks!

When I finally woke up Sunday morning and got out of bed, I felt a little pain in my ankle. As the day progressed and the more I did, the more my ankle began to hurt.

I tried to run Monday after work, and didn't make it a block. I promptly turned around and limped home. I was pissed, really pissed. All the hard work I've done over the past 10 weeks, all the miles I have under my belt, all my excitement for the Half, and not to mention my new ASICS that have yet to go for an inaugural run could all go down the drain.

It's only Wednesday and my ankle isn't hurting as much, but I'm not doing any running until Friday. If it still hurts Friday, I will go to the doctor. It's not swollen or bruised so that makes me think it's not broken, maybe just over worked, over used? Yeah, like I'm qualified to make a medical diagnosis...just wishful thinking.

What a huge disappointment if I can't participate in the Half. CRAP!

Something Crap That Was Done To Me

2011-10-19T10:57:00.002-04:00

Shameless #13

To me, life is pretty good because I live by the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Basically treat people the way I want to be treated. If more people would follow this VERY simple philosophy, the world would become a better place. But as we all know, there are some mean, selfish and evil people in the world who don't have the capacity for such a way of life.

My Mother taught me another simple way of dealing with ugly, mean and selfish people. She has always said to "kill them with kindness". Mean people don't know what to do with kindness. In fact, it stops them in their tracks. And if they come back with mean or ugly comment, it only makes them look like the fool. I've tried it many times and it's just amazing how great it works.

So, this is ranks up in the top 5 of "crap that was done to me" and proves that there are mean, selfish, and evil people in the world.

Back in the early 1990's, my Grandmother moved from Ft. Mitchell, KY to Roanoke, VA to be closer to my Aunt and Uncle. She moved into an assisted living facility and was not able to bring all her things. And she had LOTS of things, furniture, knick-nacks, clothing, etc. Many years prior, she always said that her dining room set will be mine one day. And that day came when she moved to Roanoke.

She hired a moving company to transport the dinning room set along with a few other pieces of furniture to Richmond. The only problem was that I did not have room in my apartment to handle all the furniture. My roommate and I were in the process of trying to find a larger townhouse, but we were not able to take possession of the new place in time for the furniture.

I had a friend (I use that term loosely, very loosely) that had an empty bedroom in his apartment. He said that I could store the furniture in his apartment until me and my roommate moved. The time frame would have been about 2 months. So I took him up on his generous offer.

I remember him asking me about the furniture and what it was worth. He knew it was old and antique, but didn't have any idea what it was worth. I thought he was making idol chit-chat but as it turned out, he SOLD IT ALL to an antique store. Apparently, he got himself into some financial trouble and needed cash.

I wouldn't have found out in time to save my things if it weren't for my Grandmother. She had sent me one of her favorite table cloths by mistake and asked if she could have it back for her new home in Roanoke. And of course, I was more than happy to send it back to her. I called my "friend" so I go over and get the table cloth. He put me off for a couple days. I finally met up with him and demanded to see my stuff. That's when he confessed.

He told me he sold the stuff about a week prior to a shop in Midlothian. I drove over to the shop and spoke to the owner. I explained my situation and asked to buy back what was left. I pleaded with her to offer me a fair price. After all, I was in my mid-20's, not much money in savings and desperate to get my things back. Luckily, she took pity on me and sold me the furniture for her cost plus the cost of transportation and handling.

Most of the linens were gone, one of the side tables was gone and most of the knick-nacks were gone, but the dining room furniture set was still in tack! I emptied out my savings to pay her and rent a truck to move what was left into my small apartment.

My roommate was very understanding. And thank goodness because the furniture took up every amount of floor space in the dining room. We couldn't use the back door at all.

In hindsight, I should have called the police and brought the "friend" up on charges. But I was just happy to have my things back and be rid of him.

Health Struggle

2011-10-18T16:11:00.000-04:00

Shameless #12

Luckily, I'm relatively healthy. The only health struggles I have had are from the results of a car accident, seasonal allergies, near sightedness, and asthma. My asthma isn't bad now but before I was diagnosed and treated, I did have some problems.

Funny, but I just realized this. I was diagnosed with asthma the same year as my car accident, but just a few months prior. 1999 was an interesting year for me. Anyway, I had spent the spring wheezing quite a bit and went to my doctor. He diagnosed me with mild asthma and gave me a rescue inhaler. He didn't think it was bad enough for daily medication.

My rescue inhaler was to be used every four hours as needed. But not to exceed 4x in 12 hours. I was to the point of using it every 4 hours and was frequently exceeding the recommended daily usage. I had a follow-up appointment scheduled with my doctor a couple weeks out, so figured I could wait.

I remember this night with vivid clarity because it was one of the scariest nights. I had a difficult day with wheezing and was using my rescue inhaler quite a bit. I was afraid I may cause some kind of damage with using it so frequently, so I decided to lay off it a bit.

It was a Sunday and I was in for the night taking it easy. I curled up in bed with a book and read for a while until I got sleepy. Reading helped to take my mind of wheezing. I fell sound asleep but woke up a few hours later gasping for air. I panicked which made the need for oxygen even greater. I didn't know what to do.

It was 2 or 3 in the wee hours of the morning. I lived about a mile from Chippenham hospital and thought it would be silly to call 911, but I was afraid to drive for fear of passing out. It was that bad. I was suffocating.

Before the ex and I got married, he lived about 5 miles from me, so I called him, only to wake him up and find him in a grumpy mood. I was gasping for air and asked him to come and take me to the hospital - I was having an asthma attack. He said no, drive yourself, you live close enough.

Stupid me thought he was right. Dressed in my flannels, I got some shoes, grabbed a light jacket and went to my car. I don't really remember much about the drive to the hospital, but I do remember walking into the ER crying and clutching my chest. The ER intake coordinator took one look at me and couldn't believe I drove myself. She ushered me into the back, and one of the ER nurses got me up on a gurney and hooked me up to oxygen.

My head was pounding, I was shaking and I thought I was going to die. The doctor came in with a nebulizer and medication. I sat in the ER for an hour, breathing in one vial of Abuteral after another. Finally, my chest felt like the "sitting elephant" had finally gotten up.

The ER doctor told me that I was to see my primary care the following day to set up a course of daily preventative medication. My asthma was at the point of needing daily therapy. I promised to make an appointment and I was about to be discharged, when I looked up and saw the ex. I saw red.

Ninety minutes after calling him to help me only to be turned down, he showed up at the hospital. He actually offered to drive me home, the nerve! I was too tired to tell him off so I just told him to go home. I got myself there and I would get myself home. He turned around and left. The ER nurse just looked at me. No words were necessary, she and I were thinking the same thing...nice, huh?

I now take Advair daily as a preventative. I haven't had an asthma attack since that night in 1999. I do use my rescue inhaler about a half a dozen times a year at most, but for the most part, I feel great.

Why Am Hungary All The Time?

2011-10-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

Steven Spieberg is in Richmond for an autobiographical film on the life of Abraham Lincoln in the warehouse/office building next to where I work. The building is all a buzz with people, delivery trucks, security, trailers, and lots of props laying about the property. We've even had a few Daniel Day Lewis sightings. But that's not what this post is about.

In the front parking lot of the building, the film crew has set up a series of catering tents. Not just one tent, it's like a Ringling Bros production with three tents and the main mess-hall tent is huge! And there's always smoke billowing. And the smells, oh my, they are making some yummy smelling stuff. Not just at lunch, but all day long. Breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, early afternoon, late afternoon....and on and on. It's driving us all crazy. Makes my Lean Cuisine look and smell like crap.

And this has been going on for almost two months....and they won't be gone until January. Before this whole thing is over, I may just have to sneak over for a little sample. Something tells me that I wouldn't exactly make it all the way down the steps to their parking lot...security is everywhere.

Dress To Show Some Skin

2011-10-17T16:15:00.000-04:00

Shameless #11

OK, this Shameless Shit so not me, not sure I will be able to do this. I may have to defer this to next summer or maybe indefinitely.

I've never been the type of girl to dress provocatively. I prefer to be in the background and not stand out. You could say I'm a conservative dresser. Not uptight and boring, but I don't really follow fads or purposely dress to show off. I just wear what I'm comfortable in.

Even bathing suits - I haven't worn a bikini since I was 18. I never felt comfortable. Just felt like I was on display and that's not me. I wear one pieces or tankinis that cover. And now that fall is here, well, I'm a sweater and jeans person. Socks too.

I am at a crossroads....so I will move this Shameless Shit out of #11 to dead last, #30. Maybe by then I will have something to share, but no guarantees.

My Love For An Uncool Band

2011-10-17T08:36:00.000-04:00

Shameless #10

Being a child of the 80's, I grew up with lots of diverse music. From early hip-hop to grunge, from RandB to heavy metal and all types in between. And I listed to just about everything. I wasn't faithful to any genre.

Now that I'm in my 40's, I still listen ot 80's music. In fact, a co-worker has a great collection of 80's CDs and brought them in so I could copy and add to my iPod. I'm in heaven! A whole new play list for my running adventures.

But I don't really have a fav band these days. If I had to choose, I guess it would be Puddle of Mudd, Dave Matthews, INXS or maybe even Def Leppard. But these are all still "cool" so they don't count.

I took a look through my iPod to see what "uncool" artists I have and I have LOTS...I'm such a nut with crazy music. So who's my fav uncool artist? I would have to say George Michael. I think he reached the uncool stage when he was caught with a prostitute, or maybe before then. But, I still listen to quite a few of his songs. Some are great to run to, like Freedom, Hard Day and Fast Love. I like songs with good beat to run to. Keeps my feet moving.

OK, don't judge me, I'm sure there are lots more I could mention but then all my nerdy secrets would be out of the bag.

10 Mile Run + 6 Hours of Folk Fest = Exhausted Me

2011-10-16T18:03:00.000-04:00

A busy and exhausting weekend but lots of fun had by all.

It all started with a 10 mile run with HMTT. And it was a tough one. It was chilly, windy, and dark when we left City Stadium. The sun finally popped up and warmed the air a bit. I was glad I remembered by sun glasses this time. Our route took us all the way down to Capital Square and then back up Broad Street, around the VMFA (again!) and through Carytown and back to City Stadium.

When I got back, my legs felt like wet noodles and I honestly thought I was going to get sick. I did some stretching, drank some PowerAid and changed out of my wet shirt. I was exhausted and really didn't feel like chatting with my fellow Penguins. All I wanted to do was go home and get in a hot shower.

I got home, ate a bagel, made some coffee and finally got into a hot shower. I only had 2 hours before I had to meet up with some friends at the Folk Festival. I thought about taking a nap but knew that wouldn't be a good idea.

The festival was packed. Parking was a challenge so we ended up parking 5 blocks away. The festival took place along the river on Brown's Island, at Tredegar and Ethyl. There were 5 stages for all types of music, lots of crafty vendors and tons of food. And the weather was perfect. The only thing that wasn't perfect were my legs. We walked all over, up and down the hills, crossed the foot bridge to Brown's and back again.

We had originally decided to stay until 5 or so but ended up staying until 8. The music was just too great to pass up! We danced, sang and had a blast. We saw blue grass, reggae, do-wop, jazz, Chinese opera, and finally R&B.

By the time we left, I was exhausted and starving. We stopped at Mary Angela's for some yummy pizza and wine. I was so tired and only ate one piece of pie. I couldn't wait to get home and go to bed. I didn't wake up until 8am this morning...I never sleep that late. I really must have been tired!

Goetta

2011-10-15T20:00:00.000-04:00

My parents were born and raised in northern Kentucky. My Father's side of the family is from outside Lexington. The family owned a farm for many generations, but it was sold before I was born. My Mother's side is generally from the northern part of the state. We're German, Irish, Scottish, and who knows what else. But there is a strong German heritage from both sides. Oh yeah, my last name is Scottish. We're just European mutts.

Northern Kentucky boasts a large German-American culture. There are a lot of influences throughout the area and into Ohio. This is where Goetta comes from. I grew up eating Goetta every time we visited my Grandparents, cousins, Aunts and Uncles. My Dad's Mother, my Grandmother was the best at making it. But there was (and still is) a local butcher in Ft. Wright that makes it too. So, it became easier to just purchase it from Finke's. Plus, we would buy some to take home. Nothing like Goetta for breakfast...yummy!

So what is Goetta? From Wikipedia: Goetta is a breakfast sausage of likely German-American origin that is popular in the greater Cincinnati area. It is primarily composed of ground pork, steel-cut oats and onions. Pronounced gétt-aa, ged-da or get-uh. This dish probably originated with German settlers from the northwestern regions of Oldenburg, Hannover, and Westphalia who emigrated to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area in the 19th century. The word "Goetta" comes from the Low German word götte. However, some believe that goetta originated as a haggis substitute, brought to Ohio via Scots-Irish migrants by way of Kentucky. Goetta was originally a peasant dish, meant to stretch out servings of meat over several meals to conserve money.

OK, I have to get one thing straight: goetta is NOTHING like haggis. Not that I have or will ever eat haggis, but there aren't any strange animal parts in goetta.

I did some travelling for work this past spring that brought me to northern Kentucky. I was only in Florence for one day and night, so I had to make the best of it. Other than visiting a couple customers, my main priority was to go to Finke's and get some goetta to bring home. Don't let anyone tell you that Gliers is the best because Finke's is a gazillion times better.

Since northern Kentucky was my first stop in a week's worth of travel, I had to figure out a way to keep my precious cargo fresh. So, I purchased 6lbs of goetta frozen, went to the local Walmart and got a cooler and some of those freezer-frozen icy bag thingies and finally a whole lot of ice at the hotel.

My travels took me to Cincinnati, Columbus, Marion and finally to Detroit. And my little cooler of yummy goetta came along for the ride, nice and frozen.

Five days after purchasing and travelling with the goetta, I checked my bags at Detroit Metro airport and got in line for security. I was very concerned that the TSA wouldn't let me bring the goetta on the plane. If that happened, I had decided that I was going to make a scene. After travelling with the goetta for five days, NO ONE was going to part me with my goetta.

I put the goetta on the conveyor belt to get scanned. I held my breath as it went through the x-ray. Just as I thought, the TSA employee called me over and asked me to open the "package". As I was opening the cooler and pulling out the goetta, I was trying to engage and distract the TSA employee in conversation by telling him my funny goetta story. He was not impressed or amused but he did allow me to continue on with my goetta. All was good in the world again!

I only have 3lbs left and have saved it for a special occasion. The plan is to cook it the morning after the half marathon. I hope I have enough energy left after running 13.1 miles to cook the darn stuff. Yeah, I'm sure I will have just enough energy.

Exposing Something Messy or Dirty

2011-10-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

Shameless #9

Technically, I've already done this "Shameless Shit" in a post prior to this series, but since I'm way far from perfect (and no one is perfect), I will expose another messy tid-bit.

I was arrested when I was 15...for being an accomplice in stealing a car...and possessing alcohol...and concealing the whereabouts of the actual person who stole the car...I spent the night in jail...county jail...and was scared to death...my parents decided to leave me in lockup overnight to teach me a lesson...I was grounded for the entire school year...luckily, the owners of the car did not press charges against me, so I did not end up having a "record".

Unbeknown to me, the whole car-napping idea was sprung on me when I met up with my friends after sneaking out of the house in the wee hours of the morning. But at 15, I thought it would be fun...woo hoo. Stupid me...I was such a bad girl!

On The Prowl

2011-10-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year againwhen Mattie goes crazy. She just can't get enough. She whines, cries, pacesfrom front door to back door, tries to jump up into the dining room window allto get a glimpse of her arch nemesis, the Grey Squirrel.

Living in Bellevue iswonderful. It's the friendliest neighborhood with a diverse group ofhomeowners. We also have such great historic architectural homes, old growthtrees and tons of squirrels. Yeah, the squirrels, can't live with 'em, can'tkill 'em. We all just deal with them. Some better than others, but those peskygrey creatures are part of Bellevue living.

It's October, thetrees are starting to turn and the squirrels are busy scavenging for winterfood. And it's become quite comical because they are fighting over nestlocations, nuts and anything they can get their little grubby paws on. Withtheir squawk and chatter all day long, poor little Mattie needs to learn some patience...yeah, like that will happen.

A couple of years ago,she actually caught one. All I saw was her tail as she jumped into the bushesafter a squirrel. She came up with the squirrel in her mouth, or at least Ithought she had it in her mouth. All I saw was squirrel tail flailing about andMattie running in circles. Luckily, the squirrel got away. But Mattie waspissed, really pissed. If she could have climbed the tree after it, she wouldhave. She howled, cried and scratched at the tree. I swear, the squirrel wassitting just high enough in the tree to rub it in her face.

Mattie needs a 12-stepprogram, for real!

Orcutt & Hull Street

2011-10-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Friday, July 16, 1999 is aday I will never forget. It was the day of my car accident. Not sure why I callit "my car accident" when I was the one who got hit, but that's howI've always referred to that day.

I was leaving acustomer's location, heading home to finish packing for a weekend in DC and aBaltimore Orioles game. My Dad and Step-Mom were joining me and the ex for aFriday night of baseball. And I was very excited to be going because I alwayshave fun with my family. It was all planned out: go home, finish packing forthe weekend, pick up the ex and head up 95 to DC then pick up the family and goto Baltimore. I had my mind set on some Boog's BBQ and some tasty microbrew...yummy!

I had the green lightat the intersection of Orcutt and Hull Street and was turning left. There wasno on-coming traffic because the "on-coming" lane was the entrance toa church. No one was leaving the church parking lot, so I had the right of way.I pulled out onto Hull Street to turn left and that was the last thing Iremembered with any clarity.

I woke up to a womanyelling and asking if I was OK. I don't remember her voice or her face, onlyher words. She asked if there was someone that she could call for me. I spoutedout the only phone number that came to mind, the ex's home number. Apparently,I left a message on his machine, but I have no memory of it. He did eventuallyplay the message for me after I got out of the hospital...it didn't sound likeme, but it was.

The next memory isseeing all the blood, my blood, on my arm, on my skirt and shirt, the door,and finally on the airbag. I started to panic and cry. What I didn't see wasthe car that was wrapped around me, my car. I was pinned in but didn't feel itor see it. I don't even remember hearing the sirens or feeling the EMTs pry, tug, and pull me outof the car. Even 12 years later, I still don't remember.

I have brief memoriesof being in the ambulance. But the memories are of me not having any memory ofwho I was, where I lived, or anything about me. I didn't even know my name.Luckily, the EMTs grabbed my purse and were able to get information from my driver'slicense. It was so scary not to remember anything about me.

I was in the hospitalfor five days. I fractured my pelvis in two places, fractured my L5 vertebrae,lots of cuts from glass and metal, abrasions, and contusions but I was alive.

When I was releasedfrom the hospital, I was given pain meds, crutches, follow-up appointments withthe doctors, and orders to rest, recuperate and go to physical therapy. I wasout of work for eight weeks, on crutches for twelve weeks, and hell-bent on comeback from this life-altering event, not just physically but mentally too.

I became terrified ofbeing in a car. I was a nervous wreck. Every car was going to hit me, every carwas going to pull out in front of me, every car was out to get me. Every oncein a while I still have some of those feelings today. I guess "myaccident" will never leave me.

There were four thingsI needed to overcome, riding in a car, driving a car, facing the kid in courtwho sped through a red light at 50 mph and T-boned me, and the constantreminder of pain in my back and pelvis. Three of the four were eventuallyovercome, but the pain in my back and pelvis are always there.

I went through lots oftreatment with different doctors, pain management programs, injections, meds, phys therapy, butnothing relieved it totally. That's when my ortho said that I was just going tohave to live with it. Surgery was a last effort, but that could cause moreproblems down the line. So no surgery, no way!

The evening after ofmy accident, my Dad and Step-Mom came into town and visited me at the hospital.The next day, the ex and my Dad went to the impound lot where my car had beentowed. They took pictures, lots of pictures, mainly for insurance purposes but also because they were amazed that I survived the accident considering the condition of the car.

Afew days later, they brought the pics into the hospital at my instance. Theydidn't want me to see my car, or what was left of my car. My first thought washow on earth did I survive a hit like that; there was nothing left of thedriver's side, the windshield was completely contorted and smashed, the entire backend was twisted, and my dried blood all over...oh my, I knew then why theydidn't want me to see.

As the old sayinggoes, things happen for a reason. I've thought about this life altering event,and have struggled for "the reason". Maybe it was to make me becomemore aware when driving, maybe it was for me to appreciate those around me,maybe it was the kid who hit me, to teach him a lesson about his driving orlack of driving skills. I don't know, I can only guess. "The reason"will never be clear, but it's there somewhere.

Sweat...and I definitely do!

2011-10-12T09:33:00.000-04:00

Shameless #8

Now, this is funny because I have never been the type of girl to just "glisten" or "perspire" and blot her face. I sweat and I'm not afraid to say it. So it's no big deal for me to write about this Shameless Shit because I do it every day.

A few years ago, I joined a women's tennis league. This league was designed for singles players in the same ranking to schedule and play matches with each other. I think there were about 9-10 women in this league. There were no officials and no coaches. It was all managed by the women in the league. So each of us had to manage our own schedules and record our scores. At the end of the league, the woman with the best record won the league.

My fifth match was a difficult match to schedule. The woman who I was scheduled to play was not very cooperative in scheduling. After two weeks of back and forth emails and voice mails, I was just about to give up. Finally, we were able to find a time and place to meet.

People have always said that Richmond is a small town, and this match was just about to prove it. The woman I was scheduled to play with ended up being an old co-worker that I had not seen in over 12 years. She and I worked together at my first employer when I moved to Richmond. When we saw each other on the court, we both laughed ourselves silly. It was great to see her again and catch up. And I'll give her a name...Kelly.

OK, I'll get to the sweat part, but just had to give some back story. I'm a woman, I tell stories with lots of detail. That's why God gave us the gift of gab!

Kelly was always a hair and make-up queen when we worked together. She was always put together perfectly. So I was not surprised to see her show up to play tennis in August with 90 degree heat, with all her hair and make-up in its place. Me, on the other hand, I showed up with no make-up, hair all pinned up under a visor because I knew I would sweat like a pig.

Kelly was a good player, very aggressive at the net. And that was my weakness. I put up a good fight, won the first set, she won the second but I ended up losing to her in the tie break 4-6, 6-4, 10-6. The match lasted about 90 minutes and I was a big puddle of sweat by the end. My hair was dripping, my tennis dress was a mess and I needed a shower. I looked at Kelly and not one hair was out of place, her make-up had not moved, there were no beads of sweat anywhere on her...OMG...and she played really hard...

We played at Salisbury Country Club where she and her husband have a membership. After we finished the match, she invited me to join her in the club for a drink. I accepted but was totally embarrassed to sit inside with all my sweat and filth and I didn't bring a change of clothes. I went to the locker room and tried to clean myself up as much as possible and make myself somewhat presentable. Luckily, we ended up sitting in the outside bar.

I still looked like I had played a hard match of tennis, red face, hair a mess and sweaty tennis dress. Kelly, well, she looked like the country club woman, all prim and proper in her pristine white tennis outfit and not an ounce of sweat or filth anywhere.

Yeah, I'm not the country club sort. She never invited me back to play with her. And I wonder why ;-)

Kudos from Coach Ro

2011-10-11T12:57:00.000-04:00

I just had to post the latest email from the HMTT head coach, Ro. She has done many marathons and halfs and continues to inspire with her words and actions. I knew last Saturday's run was a huge personal accomplishment for me, but just didn't realize how much....thanks Ro!

"Hey Team,

Before you read any further I want you to give yourself a big pat on the back. Last Saturday you ran one of the toughest routes in all of Richmond. The Blvd. Bridge (the old Nickel Bridge) and Riverside Drive are routes known to runners throughout the city as the most challenging around the area. I had the pleasure of running with so many of you and all I kept hearing was “Wow, this is fun, wish the actually race course would be like this.” I had to disappoint you by saying that after running Riverside the race route would seem like an easy walk in the park……………….I just can’t tell you enough how impressed I was on how well you attacked those hills. The headline should read..HMTT ROCKS Riverside. Not only did we run the toughest course in the city we also got to experience a spectacular view from the bridge as the sun peeked over the horizon. Oh, what great times we have on our Saturday runs.

I find it so hard to believe that we only have four more Saturday runs together until the BIG DAY. I’ve enjoyed watching you guys get stronger and stronger each week. Keep up the great work and most of all keep smiling."

Things I Don't Do Well

2011-10-11T09:01:00.001-04:00

Shameless #7

WOW, I have lots of things I don't do well but I don't have the time nor the energy to share all. So I will highlight just a few. No laughing!

#1: Spell. I've never been a great speller, hence the label spelled "shamless" says it all. All I can say is thank goodness for Spellcheck.

#2: Poker. I have no idea how to play poker. I learned a long time ago but never got the hang of it. I even have a "cheat sheet" to help me with the hands, but my silly facial expressions always give me away. Good thing I never actually bet money when playing.

#3: Visual Basic. I'm pretty good with a lot of the intricacies of Excel but when it comes to writing code in Visual Basic, I'm a total idiot. My brain does not think in 010101010101 but in 123456789. I've tried to modify some code and add some of my own, but it never works. Maybe I should take a course? Naw...then I would have to remove this from my post.

#4: Awkward Silences. I am a social person. I like to talk, tell stories and sometimes jokes (because I think I'm funny; however, others may not). And I'm interactive. I don't want to just hear me speak, I like conversation, back and forth discussions maybe even a little debating. So, when I am trying to have a conversation and all of the sudden I hear crickets chirping, well, I'm not very good at the silence.

#5: Waiting Until The Last Minute. We all do it, some more than others. But I swear, my office/co-workers are KING at doing it, waiting until the last minute to request information. And it seems to happen to me a lot, which drives me mad.

#6: Killing Bugs. It's no secret that I hate bugs, spiders especially. When the ex and I had the boat in Richmond/Colonial Heights, we had so many spiders. Not just spiders, but HUGE ones that made huge webs and left huge staining messes on the gel coat, aka spider poo. With the crap docks at Anchor Point, the spiders ran amuck all through the boats, docks, light posts, dock boxes and just about anything you left out. My philosophy was and still is to KILL...but I'm terrified of the eight legged terrors. So I would frequently ask the ex to kill. He didn't believe in killing, so he would catch and set them free; only to find out they returned with a vengeance. That's when I discovered bug spray that did not mark the boat and would prevent the bastards from coming back. The ex didn't like me using it so I had to sneak it on the boat. When he wasn't looking, I would spray the rub rail, fenders, steps, transom and the docks. It kept a lot of critters away, but there were always a few stray. I eventually got a little more brave and killed as necessary, but I hated every second. Still do! Creepy eight legged terrors!

Gosh, I could go on and on, but that's enough of my short-comings for now.

Act “girly” or “manly” in a way you’d normally avoid

2011-10-10T10:13:00.000-04:00

Shameless #6

I'm the kind of girl that isn't really girly. Well, I really don't like bugs, especially spiders. But that isn't necessarily "girly". I work with a couple men that don't like bugs either. They run away and scream like little girls. I also get my nails done every three weeks. Yeah, that is girly but not like Princess Girly.

As far as manly, I'm not really that way either. Don't get me wrong, I'll get dirty and stinky doing yard work and all kinds of other stuff. I'm an independent person and will take on just about anything. I always give it my best, even if it means getting dirty. But that doesn't make me manly.

Last month, I did assert my girly-ness to get some help. Being only 5'2" can present some challenges, especially at stores with tall shelves. I was at Home Depot and needed an item that was on one of those tall shelves. Since I'm independent and strong-willed, I usually climb up onto the bottom or second shelf and reach for the item or sometimes push it so it would fall and I could then catch it. Yeah, not too smart when it's a heavy item. So, I had to ask someone to help, which I hate doing.

I looked around for a Home Depot employee, but I didn't see any. Luckily, there was a man in the same aisle. Not just a man, but a tall one. Like I said, I hate asking people to do things for me, but this was a case that I just couldn't avoid. I put on my "girly" face and asked the man to help. I felt so pathetic. But he took pity on me and pulled the item off the top shelf and put it in my cart. I must have really put on the "helpless girly face" because he asked if there was anything else he could help me with. Too funny!

Riverside Drive Will Never Be The Same To Me Again

2011-10-09T13:07:00.002-04:00

Week 9 is over...only 4 more weeks of training. YIKES!

Yesterday morning's group run was amazing, exhausting and eye-opening. Each week's run is a new achievement for me, but I never thought I would run Riverside Drive. So, this was a big corner for me to turn.

As I've said before, the amazing HMTT coaches send out weekly emails and I read them faithfully. They're always full of great advise, warming stories and keeping the dream of crossing the finish line real. But I was very preoccupied last week and didn't keep up with personal emails or work emails. So, when I got home Friday evening, I did a quick check and read the important stuff, which included emails from the coaches.

I knew Saturday's run would be 9 miles, a new personal high for me. But what I didn't do was look at the map of the run. So, when me and my fellow Penguin teammate arrived at City Stadium at 6:40 a.m. and found out we would be running Riverside Drive, I froze.

Riverside Drive is a beautiful road alongside the James River. It meanders the hillside with historic houses on one side and the James River park system on the other. By car, it's beautiful. By foot, it was amazing. Not only amazing, but very challenging. Riverside Drive is comprised of hills, up and down, then back up and eventually down. I don't know how many hills we did, but my thighs and calves are still screaming.

We left City Stadium and crossed the James on the Nickel Bridge. The river was coated in thick fog and the sun was just peaking over the horizon. It was just about one of the most romantic scenes I've witnessed on the James River and I won't soon forget. But I did forget for a few moments when I reached the end of the bridge and felt it sway and bounce as an SUV crossed. It brought back memories of the 5.8 earthquake. OMG...not a good feeling.

Anyway, the run was emotional for me. Yes, I said emotional, I'm a big softy. Another milestone I never thought I would achieve. Nine miles doesn't seem like much, but running the hills, crossing over the river twice, and watching the fog lift as the sun began to rise really got to me. Climbing the last hill up to the stadium while the coaches cheered for everyone, I just felt overwhelmed and very proud.

No pun intended, but the only drawback was my back. This was the first run where my back hurt. Not bad, just a "hey, I'm still here" type of hurt. Stupid car accident that my back I will never let me forget. A few Advil and a hot shower and the pain was put away til next time.

Next Saturday is 10 miles. Oh yeah, I did purchase one of the water belt thingys with a zipper pouch for the energy gels. And it made a huge difference. I never thought I would need to restore energy and fluids in between water stops...which is why I'm a novice. Thanks again to the HMTT coaches. You guys are the best!

Big Evening For Gina

2011-10-06T11:52:00.000-04:00

Bill (my Mom's husband) comes back from Maryland this afternoon and we're going to my brother's restaurant for an early supper. So today is filled with lots of prep.

Let's see, it started with getting my Mom up and moving by 9am. She ate a small breakfast, drank her juice and had two cups of coffee. Her best friend came over for a late morning visit. We talked for about an hour and it was then time for a nap. She'll probably sleep for a few hours and hopefully will awake hungry.

Her physical therapist came yesterday and was here for an hour. Great woman! Really got my Mom moving (as much as she can), but it was good for someone else to tell her that moving around more often will help to boost her energy. Another thing that she talked to her about was her consumption of water...or should I say her lack of consumption. I've been preaching and I say that seriously, PREACHING the need to keep drinking water. Chemo and radiation take a lot out of the body. Replenishing it is vital to feeling better, keeping the blood pressure stable and maintaining energy.

Well, Gina is from the school of Do-As-I-Say-And-Not-As-I-Do. She does not and has never taken direction from anyone well. I have been scolding her daily, refilling her water, and reminding her of what her doctors and therapists have been saying for four months. Is it working? Maybe a little, but not as much as I would like.

So, the remainder of the afternoon will consist doing laundry, putting clothes away, cleaning and getting the kitchen in order. I was hoping to get to the beach for a little bit, but can't leave her for any length of time. Oh well, at least I can sit on the patio. The weather has been so beautiful; almost perfect. Who needs a tan anyway.

She will nap most of the early afternoon, which is good. Going out to dinner will be a big thing for her. She needs to conserve energy. And I know she really wants to go. And I know my brother is very excited that we will be coming by. He's such an amazing chef and I know he will make us something fabulous.

I just hope she feels up to it later this afternoon. She can go from feeling great to feeling like crap in five minutes. I just hope this is one of the good days. And I will do everything to make sure she feels good. Even push the water, because after her drinking more yesterday, she felt better this morning. Would she admit it? But of course NOT! Stubborn as the day is long. Maybe that's where I get it from?

Time On My Hands

2011-10-04T16:54:00.002-04:00

I wouldn't give up the time I'm spending with my Mom this week. I just wish it was under different circumstances, very different circumstances.

She sleeps a lot throughout the day so I have to fill my day with things that don't take me from the house. I've been reading my Nook a lot. Thank goodness for wifi and my Barnes and Noble account. I think they must love me by now with all my Nook purchases.

Wiggles and Mattie have decided that I need to add on a screened porch to our Richmond home...they just love spending time, soaking up the sun, worshiping (to kill) the birds, and watch all the neighborhood activities. They said it was a deal breaker...either I do it or they stay with my Mom. I told them if they stay, there would be no walks, limited treats and no cousin Sabby. They said that they would think about it and get back to me.

I did sneak away to go to the grocery and get a bounty of food to make a delish meal. My brother and his wonderful girlfriend are coming over for dinner tonight. I started cooking at 3 and they're not due til 7...yeah, I'm needing a little more adult interaction. The dogs are wonderful, the birds are a little intense and the sun makes me want to nap...at least it's not raining.

Maybe I'll re-organize her pantry tomorrow. Or maybe I'll do some product launch planning....no, I think the pantry needs my attention a little more.

Oh yeah, and I need to get in my miles this week....crap...almost forgot.

Reality Bites

2011-10-04T09:46:00.000-04:00

As I sit in the house and listen to the chirping of the birds, the buzz of the lawn mower, the tick tock of a clock and the deep sounds of sleep, I can't help but think of the silence.

In June, my Mother was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that has since spread to her lymph nodes, stomach, bones, and liver. She has gone through 4 rounds of chemo, 20+ of radiation and countless shots, scans, pills, dr. appts., blood transfusions.

This is my third visit since finding out about the cancer in July and it won't be my last. Visit is what I am doing, but she spends most of her time sleeping. Just to sit up and eat or go to the bathroom, takes every ounce of energy. It's only 9am, and she's already napping.

She can't be left alone. If she falls, she can't get up. She has to be reminded to eat and drink. She has no energy or taste for food. She almost has to be forced to eat. And this week, it's my turn to be Mom, make her food, clean the house, do laundry, and just take care of her.

Her husband has been here since the beginning. He loves her so much and I think this has been so much harder on him that he lets on. He's a jokster, always making light of the situation. He always finds a way to brighten the mood. He's 24/7, so I know he needs a break. That's why I'm here so he can go back to Maryland to take care of his business for the week. And get some downtime.

My brother does live in the same town and does come to see her and help out but he's kind of in denial. He doesn't want to know everything, doesn't ask questions, acts like everything is OK. Everyone deals with things differently, so I will not judge.

Me, on the other hand, I want to know everything. I ask questions, call her doctor, look at her blood work (like I'm a doctor, but Google helps), check out her meds, and make her tell me the truth.

Last night, before he went to bed, her husband told me something that really sunk in. Like I said, he's a jokster, but when he's serious, he means it. He spoke with her doctor and asked him to be straight. He told the doctor that when they found out about the cancer, she was a 10 out of 1-10, meaning she was at the top of her game as far as the disease was concerned. She had yet to begin treatment and get sick, so the topline was set at 10.

It's been four months into treatment and he wanted to know where the doctor saw her from the topline of 10. The doctor said 4.

When I found out about the cancer, I did lots of research on my own. Of course, no one responds to treatment the same and the disease reacts differently to each person it attacks. So, the general medical information I found was that a person could live from 8 mos to 5 years. Quite a huge range.

After spending time with her, talking to her doctor and seeing how she looks and acts, I had to be realistic. And I am being realistic. 4 out of 10 isn't good. Sleeping 20 hours a day, taking morphine and hydrocodone just to keep the pain at bay, losing 30 pounds in 2 months, not eating, not drinking...reality hits hard.

Declare your love for an uncool movie

2011-10-04T09:05:00.001-04:00

Shameless #5

I'm not a huge movie buff. I'm not the kind of person that has to see a new movie on opening night. In fact, I usually have no idea what movies are "hot". I hear all about the flix from friends and co-workers. I guess I'm old school. So, I couldn't say what's cool and what's uncool when it comes movies.

But I do have a love for an oldie but a goodie movie. This stems from my childhood and some will definitely say, whoa, this is way uncool! But I don't care because this was my fav movie as a child and quite possible as an adult. I can sing all the songs, not that anyone would want to hear me sing, but I know all the words. Makes me even more uncool, huh?

Drum roll please...my fav uncool (but very cool to me) movie is The Sound Of Music. Yep, that's correct, I'm such a nerd.

As a child, my friends and I would act out the movie. We set up "sets" in the back yard on the back hill. We pretended my yard was the Alps. We would dress up, sing and play all the characters. OK, so I was 7, but I have such great memories from that summer and fall.

Every time it comes on TV, I have to watch it. I still sing along to the songs and relive my childhood. It's such a great movie and a very cool movie to me.

Week 8 - Over and Out

2011-10-01T12:26:00.001-04:00

Today's group run dropped down to 5 miles from 8. Every few weeks of adding miles, we drop back as our "recovery week". Recovery week should be easier and less stressful, but not for me.

My work week was crazy filled with big world-wide pricing issues, product launch planning, product repositioning planning, all to get ready for the sales meetings in January (oh yeah, and sales meeting planning...tis the season). Add on missing half a day because IT took my laptop to upgrade to Windows 7 and Office 2010...well, I ended up working at home after hours.

So, the 12 miles that I was supposed to run during the week didn't get logged. Well, I did get in a very quick and wet 1.5 mile run on Wednesday because Jim Duncan said the rain was gone until the next day....the only job in America where you can be wrong 70+% of the time and still collect a paycheck.

The HMTT coaches preach every Saturday about logging the week-day miles. Because there is no such thing as crammimg for the big test in November. You need to work up to it by logging miles. It's not just the miles, it's also building the mental strength to get through the 13.1. The more you log, the better and stronger you get, both physically and mentally.

And I was a good girl last night. Went out with friends for a fun evening, had one glass of wine and was home by 10:30 and in bed by 11. Slept pretty good and actually woke up before my 5:45 am alarm. Made coffee and let the dogs out only to discover it was RAINING AGAIN...crap! Another wet and now cold run. But that didn't ruin my mood, I was ready for the 5 miles.

Got in the car, turned on the heat and heated seats, picked up my fellow Penguin and off we went to City Stadium. We did some warm ups, had some words of encouragement from the coaches and off we went. After last weekend's 8, I thought a piddly 5 would a breeze.

NOT!

I know the coaches' words of wisdom are just that, wisdom from experience. They've been there before, they know their stuff. So, my missing my 12 miles last week hurt me. The 5 that I thought would be easy, ended up being more difficult that I thought. Not like I needed any excuses, but it was rainy and cold today. Ok, so that was an excuse.

Next week has to be and will be different. I have another 12 to do during the week. If I don't log those miles, next Saturday will be brutal. We're doing 9 miles, oh my. To be continued...

Get A Life

2011-09-30T15:54:00.000-04:00

I have to preface this post with the following:

MY blog is just that, it's mine. A place for my thoughts, my stories, things interesting to me, and a place for me to vent. No one can tell me what to post, what do say or what to remove.  That's why it's called a web-log, as in web diary; it's personal.

Yes, blogger is a public venue and if people are creative with search engines or have the direct url to my blog, my posts can be seen throughout the world.  I don't put anything in my blog that I wouldn't say out loud. But some thoughts are better left in the written word.

So this is a quick vent. No names, no places, just my venting...and it won't be pretty.

I'm just amazed at the selfishness, greedyness, and pettiness. With the knee jerk actions, unrealistic demands, and wild accusations and assumptions, I just want to vomit!

I will not respond to threats because they don't scare me.  So, I say grow up and get a life. But to actually voice those words would be a waste of my breath and time.

Ahhh, I feel much better now   :-)

Flax, The Perfect Color - take 2

2011-09-30T08:32:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, I did a post on Restoration Hardware's paint color called Flax. I think it's a fabulous paint and an even more fabulous color. Three houses ago (yeah, and I hate to move - totally different post), I painted the spare bedroom in that color and it was just amazing. So, I'm going to paint my living room that exact color.

So exciting!! Not for the actual job of painting a room with 9 foot ceilings with lots of door ways and windows...but for the final result. It will be amazing. With all the original 1927 high baseboards, beautiful window and door casings, add some Flax and that room will go from blah to ooo la la!

Flax is the one on the right. De-lish!

Waste Time

2011-09-29T10:14:00.000-04:00

Shameless #4

Everyone's definition of "wasting time" is different. Some think watching TV is a waste while others think reading is a waste of time. I think neither of those activities are time wasters...it's all in what you believe.

What's my big time waster? Not sure because I do the things that I want to do when I want to do them. To me, they're not time wasters but to others, maybe so. For instance, taking a nap in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. For me, that is definitely NOT a waste of time. It's a luxury for sure! And in some cases, a necessity. Or sleeping in...ahhhh...something I rarely get to do, but when I can, I'm one happy girl. I'm sensing a theme here.

Since my post is about wasting time, I'm just going to have to find a great time wasting activity to do today. I was thinking of taking a long lunch. That would be great if I didn't have an afternoon filled with meetings. I could be late to the meeting, but since I'm holding the meeting, that probably wouldn't be good. Looks like my way to waste time today is writing this post. So much for living on the edge!

Eat. Whatever you feel like eating.

2011-09-28T12:59:00.004-04:00

Shameless #3

Eating has never been an issue with me. I like all kinds of foods and am not afraid of trying something new. The only food that I can not stand is mustard or foods containing that gross yellow filth. YUCK...disgusting, vile, should be taken off this earth!

But eating whatever you like can get you into trouble. It adds pounds and I had added quite a few pounds in the past 5 or so years. So many pounds that I had to buy a size bigger, and in some cases two sizes bigger. Sad but true. Maybe this should be my #9 Shameless Shit, "Expose something messy or dirty you’d usually hide". Oh well, I'm sure I can find something equally if not more shameless.

So, the pounds...yes, the pounds. Well, they're gone, all of them and I'm back to my normal, pre-fat clothes. I like to say that I lost over 225 pounds. OK, that sounds a bit mean and bitchy, but it's true. Divorce did me wonders, not to mention rediscovering myself and taking pride and self worth in myself helped guide me into weight loss.

Back to the food! My new found freedom has greatly expanded the types of foods I now eat. I'm not limited to meat and potatoes. I can go for sushi, Thai, Ethiopian, Greek, Italian-real Italian and lots more. The world is my oyster. And I may even try an oyster this year. I tried muscles this past spring and LOVED them. I even had frois grois....which I will never eat again. Helps that I work for an international company and have the ability to travel and try different foods.

I had some stinky cheese and liked it, ate veal (which I'm not proud to say), lamb, smoked fish (not sure what kind), and many of other things.

Food is good, just in moderation. Portion control is my friend and will keep the lbs away. But trying new things is the best...bring it on!

Look a fool

2011-09-28T12:37:00.002-04:00

Shameless #2

This one is not very hard for me to do. In fact, I do it daily. But I take all the foolish things I do and say in stride. I also get lots of humor out of my foolish behaviors. Some may even call me childish, but I thank them for the compliment ;-). Age is only a number, and there are days when I feel 80 and days when I feel 20. It's the attitude that matters. It's how you feel at that exact moment. And my attitude has never been better!

Hmmmm, I will have to think of a good foolish moment, because there are lots of them.

OK, here's a recent one, and this was actually foolish, borderline stupid and potentially dangerous to my health. This past Saturday, we did our group run at the usual 0630...way early, I know, but we beat the rain, well, most of the rain. This run was 8 miles, which I have never done. Luckily, the 1/2 MTT coaches set up water and sugar (gummy bear and Mike & Ike's) stations at each 2 miles or so. I hate to carry water with me, so I usually stop.

There were 3 hills added to this run, so 8 miles seemed like 100. I stopped at the first station, got my PowerAid and handful of Mike & Ike's and continued on. Did the first hill, did the second hill and stopped at the second station for water and more sugar. I was feeling pretty strong, physically and mentally after doing the third hill, so I didn't stop at the last station, which was right before mile 6. And this is where I became a fool, quite stupid and definitely dangerous.

Literally, right at mile 6, I became exhausted. My legs felt like jelly and my mental attitude was crap. I wanted to sit on the bus bench in front of the VMFA, cry and give up. I really should have made the stop at the last water/sugar station for some energy and re-hydration. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THERE!

All I could think about was, I can't complete 8 miles without crashing, how on earth am I going to do 13.1??? And that's when my fellow 1/2 MTTmates kicked in. They saw me floundering and getting ready to quit. A couple of them came up to me and gave me words of encouragement. Granted, they usually run faster than me, but stayed on my pace for the next few blocks. Just enough to get me moving again. 1/2 MTT rocks!

I completed the 8 miles, drenched in sweat and rain, hungry enough to eat an entire cow, but darn proud that I made it. When I got back to the group, I spoke with one of the coaches and explained my earlier problem. He scolded me and said that since I'm a novice and I don't carry my own water, that I should stop at ALL stations while training for the 13.1...PERIOD! When a runner gets to feeling the way I did, it's not good. He said that I could have been dehydrated and running that way is not healthy. And I totally forgot to wear my road ID. The whole thing was foolish, stupid, and dangerous. I have learned a valuable lesson.

So, I have another foolish shameless shit to post but that will come later and this one will be funny. All in due time...can't share all my foolishness in one post.

Declare your love for an uncool TV show

2011-09-27T09:39:00.000-04:00

Shameless #1

Maybe at my age now, it's not so uncool, but I've always loved to watch this show. It's educational, entertaining, and to me, fascinating. Plus, you get to see all walks of life, from the young to old, the wealthy to skid row and all of those in between. That's what makes it great entertainment.

So, what's the show? Antiques Roadshow! I have my DVR set to tape all new shows so I don't miss one. I even have favorite appraisers that I just love to watch, like Michael Flanigan, Wendell Garrett, Leigh & Leslie Keno, Alasdair Nichol, Suzanne Perrault, and Rafael Eldgride. But they're all great in their own ways.

If the show ever came to Richmond, I would so be there! Not sure what I would bring, but I would find something or borrow something just to say I've been to the event.

Oh yeah, and I like History Detectives too...maybe it could be considered an "uncool show" but I really like it. PBS rocks!

Blitzburgh Crunch

2011-09-26T17:03:00.000-04:00

It's no secret that I'm a Steelers fan. I watched the game last night and was a little worried until the end. As one web article put it, "Good Ben saves the Steelers from humiliation, only because Bad Ben put them in that spot." I couldn't have said it better. Bad Ben!!

One of my co-workers is a huge Steeler fan. He and I always talk about the games. He said that the team looked tired and old last night. I told him that maybe he and I are just getting old and tired from staying up late on a Sunday night, biting our nails all the way through the 4th quarter. He didn't find that funny. At least we won - yeah!

He also told me that his kids saw a special ice cream at Martin's. It's by Turkey Hill and it's called Blitzburgh Crunch (notice the "h" at the end...proper Pittsburgh spelling for those that don't know the "h" is really supposed to be there, heehee). So, before the game last night, he and his kids went up to the local Martin's and got the last 1/2 gallon and had a pre-game ice cream social. Maybe their ice cream social helped the Steelers pull another one out?

Guess where I'm headed after work? Three guesses and the first two don't count!

30 Posts Where I Do Shameless Shit

2011-09-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

There are some really amazing bloggers out there and I follow quite a few of them. One of my favorite bloggers posted a thing about doing 30 shameless things in 30 days. She didn't complete all 30 yet and probably won't complete in 30 days, but she is blogging about them as they happen, and in order to boot!

I'm not so sure I would call these "shameless things" but more along the lines of "living out loud" or "showing my human side" or maybe even "nobody's perfect". But to keep the integrity of my fellow blogger's idea, I'll stick with shameless.

Performing shameless things may be a challenge for me. I'm pretty reserved and usually keep my thoughts and opinion to myself. As I've stated in some recent posts, this is my year of change. So, lookout shameless, here I come!

These are the 30 shameless things I will post about in the future. Maybe not in order and definitely not in 30 days, but all 30 will have their very own post.

1. Declare your love for an uncool TV show.
2. Look a fool.
3. Eat. Whatever you feel like eating.
4. Waste time.
5. Declare your love for an uncool movie.
6. Act “girly” or “manly” in a way you’d normally avoid.
7. Share your efforts at something you don’t think you do well.
8. Sweat.
9. Expose something messy or dirty you’d usually hide.
10. Declare your love for an uncool band.
11. Dress to show some skin.
12. Share about a health struggle.
13. Speak up about something crap that was done to you.
14. Hold yourself accountable — not guilty — for something crappy you did to someone else.
15. Dress, walk, and act like you know you’re all that.
16. Spend money on a non-necessity.
17. Discuss the reality of your work situation.
18. Brag.
19. Share details about a bodily function or fluid.
20. Talk about sex.
21. Express a strong feeling.
22. Set a boundary.
23. Air one of your secrets.
24. Share a struggle you have yet to “just get over.”
25. Ask for help.
26. Make a mistake.
27. Express a dissenting opinion.
28. Discuss a failure.
29. Look a fool, again.
30. Name 3 more ways you can live shamelessly and commit to doing them.

Mondays Suck!

2011-09-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

It's the beginning of the week, the first day back after the weekend and the most hated day of the work week. It's called Monday. Who ever said they like Mondays, is lying through their teeth!

Mondays are especially difficult if you're coming off a great weekend and have fabulous plans for the following weekend. Any way you look at the day, there's just nothing good about it. Maybe Monday night football, but that's not until 9pm. You still have to get through the rest of the day.

So, Happy Monday...only four more days til the weekend....ugh!

Random Kisses

2011-09-25T17:50:00.004-04:00

It's Sunday, football is on, I'm checking email (yes, work email too) and doing laundry (fun). I sat down for a few minutes and Mattie came up to me and gave me a few random kisses. No reason, just being the sweet and amazing dog that she is. I'm in heaven!

Wiggles and Mattie are my joys. They are such amazing dogs. I'm definitely a dog person. I will probably always have a dog or two...they complete me.

Get Off The Couch!

2011-09-25T17:14:00.002-04:00

My new-to-me house has a large front window and my couch is in front of the window. It's the perfect place for Mattie (aka bad dog) to sit and look out the window, check out the neighborhood, bark at the mailman and shed. She sits on the top of the back of the couch and pokes her little head through the curtains and leaves nose prints on the window. As cute as she looks from the outside, she's being so bad.

The ex and I used to let Mattie up on the couch. So she thinks all couches are fair game. I'm trying to break her of the need to be on furniture but it's not working. I can see the look in her eye when she walks past me and heads directly for the couch. Sometimes she just gives me the side eyeball look, as if she is saying, I'm going to get on the couch and you can't stop me. Deal with it!

When I leave for work, she doesn't even wait for me to close the door. She's up on the couch and in the window before I can get the key in the door to lock it. I even boobie-trap the couch with things that scare her but she has figured a way to avoid the scary plastic bags and the wire rooster. She has even convinced Wiggles (aka the good dog) to get up on the couch with her. I guess she needs a partner in crime.

I'm not giving up but I need a new tactic. Just not sure what to do now. Maybe I'll google it - google has an answer for just about everything.

Life Has An Expiration Date

2011-09-22T16:17:00.001-04:00

I saw this on facebook and just had to share it:

"I'm not the best at anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults and choosing to celebrate each others differences is one of the most important keys to creating healthy, growing, and lasting relationships. Life is too short to wake up with regrets.

It's so simple: Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. Enjoy life NOW...it has an expiration date."

Half MTT

2011-09-22T13:41:00.004-04:00

I started running in February of this year. Never thought I would want to run or even be able to run with my asthma, back and foot issues. Plus, I've never really been athletic. But this is the year of change for me, so I decided take on a personal challenge.

It all started with the Ukrop's 10k in April. My employer sponsored a team to participate in the 10k. I've done the 10k event before, but just as a walker. Our CIO is a marathon runner and she offered to "train" the team to do a run/walk during the event (or as another co-worker said, "slogging", which is a slow jog). The team training started in January but I was doing a lot of travelling for work, so I couldn't join the team until February. I was a month behind and a little worried, but the team brought me in as if I had been there all along.

We started walking 3 minutes and running 1 minute. Eventually we progressed to running 5 minutes and walking 1 minute. Everyone did so great! We were all impressed with our own accomplishment and of our teammates. It was a great training group. Then came race day!

We all met up in the starting corral, stretched, chatted, and tried to chase away the nerves. Once we were set free, we all got into our rhythms and set forth to finish the course. And we all did finish, with smiles and cheers!

That put the bug in me to reach for the 1/2 marathon in November. Crazy, maybe, but I was up to the challenge. I joined the 1/2 Marathon Training Team (or Half MTT) sponsored by Sports Backers. It's a 12 week training program that guides you into building strength, endurance and team pride. The whole training team consists of over 900 runners, but we are then broken up into 7 separate teams of about 120 people or so. I'm on Team Penguin - our slogan is "waddle on". Obviously, my training team is for the novice runner, but we are definitely covering some miles.

I just completed my own personal high of 7 miles. The most I had ever run was 5 miles (which just about killed me), so adding 2 more was terrifying. This week's group run is 8 miles...every time another mile is added on, I get nervous and anxious. But running with the team is the best way to tackle the miles. They're such a huge support group plus the coaches are always guiding and supporting everyone along the way. Just an amazing experience.

One of the best parts is that I haven't been this fit since my 20's. I feel strong and confident, ready to take on anything. And my "anything" is coming up in November...still nervous about running 13.1 miles, but I know I will cross that finish line. You can bet on it.

I'm Back!

2011-09-22T11:51:00.000-04:00

After the end of a 15 year relationship/marriage, I am single again. I'm not sad about it, it was what I wanted and what I needed. I am Amy again, not someone's wife or someone's dumping ground. It's good to be back.

My friends have been a huge help. They listened, laughed and consoled. But most of all, they are happy that I'm happy, and glad that I am me. Regardless of what I've been through, I will NEVER lose myself again.

I have learned a lot throughout these 15 years; enough to write a book...maybe I will one day. But for now, the healing continues and the rediscovery flourishes. It's so wonderful to wake up and look forward to the day's challenges. And it's even more wonderful to go home after a crazy day at work and enjoy the time at my home. No dread, no worries, no fear. Oh my, how good that feels.

A very wise friend once told me that you are the only person who can live your life, don't let someone take it away. So live it to its fullest and create your own happiness. You are in charge of your destiny.

It took me a while to understand that statement. I was so clouded in misery and thought I was going to be that way for the rest of my life. I didn't want to see that there was a better life for me. Well, my epiffany did happen, my eyes opened and the words of wisdom finally made sense.

The worst part of it all is that my family and friends saw how miserable I was. I thought I hid it. In fact, I worked hard to hide it. I didn't want anyone to know I lived in an abusive relationship, that I stayed in an abusive relationship. It was my dirty secret. The secret that wasn't really a secret, people knew. And that was hard to overcome, even after I ended the marriage. I felt stupid, very embarrassed, and I was even ashamed of myself. I still do a bit, but everyday gets a little easier. Like I said, I'm still healing.

So, on with the good life and the positive life. Things are always looking better, every day. Because I'm back...and don't you forget it!

Chemistry & Timing

2011-09-21T16:55:00.002-04:00

I'm not a huge sit-com fan, but when it comes to How I Met Your Mother, I'm a junkie. It's a belly-buster, at least for me. The season premier was this past Monday and of course, I had to watch it. If I can't watch it, I DVR it. I'm that hooked!

On Monday's season premier, one of the characters, Robin, said something that really made sense. She said that in order to start a relationship, two things must be present: chemistry and timing. If both aren't there at the same time, then there's no chance for a relationship. And you can't force one to be there when it's not.

Stop with the WE

2010-12-29T11:07:00.000-05:00

If there's one word that I wish people would stop using in a sentence is the word WE. For instance:

"Do we know how many customers purchased that widget?"
"Can we tell the customers about this part change?"
"Can we get the information easily?"

Stop hiding behind the word WE. Learn to speak in real terms with real directives:

"Do YOU know how many customers purchased that widget?"
"Can YOU tell the customers about this part change?"
"Can YOU get the information easily?"

Just try it once and you will feel much better...notice I didn't say that WE would feel better? OWN YOUR WORDS AND STOP HIDING.

Dog Rescue Angels

2010-12-21T10:45:00.000-05:00

Tail tucked between your legs,
Confusion in your eyes -
I know it's hard to understand
That someone heard your cries.

When loneliness is all you know
And pain is all you feel
And no one can be trusted,
And hunger's all too real...

That's the time the Lord sees you
And lets you know He's there
That's when He sends His messengers
The hearts that love and care.

Yes, rescuers are angels
You cannot see their wings,
They keep them neatly folded
As they do their caring things.

The medicine to make you well
Good food to make you strong,
And finally to help you learn
That hugs are never wrong.

The perfect place then must be found
The home where you can live
Secure and safe and happy
With joy to get and give.

When you reach your Forever Home,
Your place to feel whole,
The Angels smile, and off they go
To save another soul.

~Author Unknown~

Nobody does snowmen quite like Calvin & Hobbes

2010-12-14T15:05:00.000-05:00

Luke 2:8-14

2010-12-08T09:09:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite shows of the season was on last night, Charlie Broan Christmas. And my favorite scene, the one where Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas:

"Lights please.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

So there you have it, Charlie Brown. That's the true meaning of Christmas."

Ah, that warms my heart!

Twas the Month Before Christmas

2010-12-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

Twas the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying

Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away

The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing

About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say

December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit

Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod

Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa

In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down

At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears

You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty

Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen

On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter

To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith

Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded

The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'

Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say

Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and

wish everyone you meet

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christ is The Reason' for the Christ-mas Season!

Inner Peace

2010-11-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without a glass of wine,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
Then, you are probably one of my dogs!

Bellevue Civic Association

2010-11-17T16:49:00.000-05:00

We have lived in our current house for 1 1/2 years. It's an older neighborhood that was established back in the early part of the 20th century. Our house is 75 years old and is dripping with charm and character (if I may say so myself). The neighborhood has been maintained and preserved by those who have loved living in the hood. The neighborhood is Bellevue in northside.

Only being there a short time, I quickly saw why the love is so great. Not only is it conveniently located to just about everywhere in the metropolitan area, the charm and character of the houses, businesses, yards and residents makes it a great place to live.

It's a diverse neighborhood; from the first time home buyers to the retired, the single parent to a household of kids and from the wealthy to middle income. It's got it all.

Our civic association mantra is "We are always working to make this an even better place to live" and they have. So, I decided to attend one of the general meetings last night to see what it's all about. Plus, I wanted to meet some of the officers and sign up to write articles for the Bellevue Times.

I got there a little before 7pm, expecting to see lots of neighbors. To my dismay, there were a total of 20 people in attendance. Our neighborhood consists of over 20 streets with at least 20 houses per block. Let's say each house has 2 residents...well, I'm no good at math, but having only 20 of those residents in attendance, is sad.

Maybe the "civic association" of years past is not what it should be today, but it is a needed entity. The association not only "makes it a better place to live", but some of the money raised is given back to the community via charities. We have a voluntary security patrol, a garden walk, holiday events, our own yahoo group and lots more.

Joining the civic association is not mandatory like lots of neighborhood associations. This is a voluntary association with $15 annual dues. If you ask me, I think it's a bargain and many more neighbors should join and get involved. Just think, our little slice of heaven could be even better.

Philadelphia Eagles 59 - Washington Redskins 28

2010-11-16T13:05:00.000-05:00

Monday night football is an American tradition and a tradition in our house. We watch the ESPN pre-game show with Chris Berman and guys. I especially love the c'mon man segment.

Last night, I forgot who was scheduled to play. I sort of remembered hearing something about the Redskins, but that was basically it. I'm not a Redskin fan, but if they were playing someone good, it could be entertaining. So the Hub and I settled in for an evening of MNF...until I heard who they were playing.

It's no secret how I feel about Michael Vick; I'm quite vocal about it. In fact, when the Eagles brought him on board last year as a backup, I washed my hands of the Eagles.

The Hub has heard my Vick tirade over and over again, so it should not have been a surprise when I said that I would not watch the game. He thought I was being silly and should let it go. No, this is something that I strongly believe in. Not only did he use his NFL salary to fund his disgusting and inhumane idea of fun, he filed Chapter 11 to protect his luxurious lifestyle. He is not a moral human being and someone I do not care to see.

Sadie's Day

2010-11-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

I was never a "cat person" but was quickly converted when Sadie came into my life back in 1996. Sadie became part my cat 9+ years ago with the Hub and I got married. Sadie, all 9 lbs of her, carried a strong presence. She was the alpha cat to the dogs. They all obeyed her, feared her and respected her. She would announce her arrival and departure from a room with a meow, snort or grunt. She always wanted to be noticed, and she was.

Sadie never met a lap she didn't love. If you came into our home, you were her friend. She loved all people, especially those who scratched her ears or patted her behind.

I could tell stories and stories of Sadie's antics but I'll just tell two of my favorites that have a similar theme, FOOD.

Before the Hub and I got married, he would host the NFL AFC/NFC playoff party and everyone who came brought some kind of dish. The food was always delicious and usually gone before the 2nd game. This was Sadie's element - plenty of laps to sit on and plenty of ear scratching. She would get so excited that she would drool.

One particular party, someone brought a huge tray of shrimp with cocktail sauce. The Hub would set up all the food in the dining room so people could graze all afternoon. Well, Sadie caught one whiff of the shrimp and made a bee-line for the table. Unbeknown to us, one of the dining room chairs had been placed next to the table. This made it very easy for Sadie to jump up and have a feast.

I walked into the dining room to do some of my own grazing when I saw Sadie sprawled out on the shrimp platter, chowing down. I went to grab her off the platter and she put up a fight, all 9 lbs of her. She was determined to stay and tried to convince me with a loud shriek and hissing. Luckily, she didn't do any damage with her claws. I had never seen her be so determined.

Obviously, I was not able to save any of the shrimp. It was a good thing that most of the shrimp had been eaten by the guests because if I had to throw away the entire platter, I would have been so embarrassed. I don't know how many shrimp Sadie ate, but she was quite satisfied with herself. Silly puddy-tat.

The next story is food related too. Again, before the Hub and I got married, he spoiled her, A LOT! Anytime he would open a can of tuna or chicken, he would give her the emptied can to lick. She new the combination of sound and smell, electric can opener and canned tuna or chicken. You could hear her from the other side of the house, padding through the house and squaking with excitement. God-forbid if one of the dogs got in her way.

It's those Sadie-antics that I miss. I don't miss her being sick, not eating or drinking, losing weight, and having seizures. Her last day with us was the worst day that will always haunt me. At 18 years old, I knew her time was getting close, I just never thought I would have such a difficult time realizing it.

I was convinced that I could get her to eat, so I went to the store and bought expensive canned food and gourmet kitty treats. I was only gone for 20 minutes but in that time, she had another seizure, a bad one. One that made the Hub realize, it was time.

Sadie, my little puddy-tat, I miss you, even your messy litter box. You gave us lots of love, life and memories. You have been in heaven with your canine siblings for a year. A year away from us, a year of missing you.

"It's like ridiculous"...yes he is!

2010-11-11T15:05:00.000-05:00

I have never been a fan of Kanye West and I'm not afraid to say it. I think he is an ignorant person who lives in his own world of hypocrisy. After seeing him on the TODAY show, I now know it to be true. He showed his true colors, his lack of tolerance and his ability to twist the truth.

One website said it perfectly: "But of course he [West] got his panties in a twist and couldn’t just recite his talking points without rallying against Lauer and The Today Show".

So the poor misunderstood Kanye had a hissy-fit on twitter. Really? Enough already!

365 Days Old!

2010-11-11T10:23:00.010-05:00

Happy Birthday Makenna. Just 365 days ago, you blessed us all with your presense. You were so tiny, so dependent, so amazing. Now, you're walking, trying to talk and much more independent. You're growing up so fast!

Angel Tree

2010-11-09T20:17:00.004-05:00

Each holiday season, I think about volunteering but have never acted on it. Call me selfish, but I like my time. Since the Hub and I don't have children, we have lots of free time. This is time I enjoy but it's finally time for me to give back. So, I have decided to volunteer for the Salvation Army's Angel Tree this year. I will be working in the distribution center. Not sure exactly what I will be doing, but I'm looking forward to it. More to come...

Not A Fan, But...

2010-11-09T19:41:00.002-05:00

While in Australia, doing what Secretary of States usually do, spreading diplomacy, Hillary Clinton doing a radio interview with some well known Australian radio personalities. She was asked about the difference between how her message as Secretary of State is perceived by the world's young people as opposed to that of American pop culture. Clinton started off with a serious answer but the tone didn't last long. After one short paragraph of an answer, one of the radio personalities interrupted her with the following:

"The Kardashians give us a lot of our...import"

And how did Clinton respond? Like my title states, I'm not a fan of Clinton's but her response was definitely blog-worthy:

"The Kardashians, exactly. If you look at American TV as much as the rest of the world does, you would think we all went around wrestling and wearing bikinis. I mean, that's what you would think we spend our entire day doing, right?"

A few points:
Clinton watches The Kardashians.
Clinton has a sense of humor.
Clinton dissed the Kardashians.

A couple of questions:
Why is Clinton watching The Kardashians?
Did this story get air-time because it involved The Kardashians?

I'm not a reality TV person. If I was asked that question, I would probably have looked stupid for not knowing. Oh well. I feel smarter because I don't know nuthin bout no Kardashians!

Trouble

2010-11-08T22:14:00.004-05:00

I just love this song AND the commercial. Check it out here. The dog reminds me of Sabby.

And check out the artist Ray Lamontagne. It's wonderful and relaxing music.

Hoarding

2010-11-08T21:40:00.002-05:00

I watched the A&E series, Hoarders. It's quite disturbing. The filth and piles are just amazing. The spoiled food, backed up plumbing, and critters are disgusting. It's just sad to think of people living in this state and passing it onto their family members. Takes the term "pack rat" to a whole different meaning.

The episode is of two sisters living with their mother. All three are hoarders. One of the sisters discovered carpet beetles living inside her mattress along with the cat feces from the 10 cats living inside the house. Her mattress was removed as being toxic and potentially diseased but the sister was concerned about her stuffed animals that were taken from atop her mattress...she stated they were clean and not effected by the beetles and cat feces. She demanded that they be removed from the dumpster full of filth, debris and feces.

The amount of contaminated material was amazing plus the fact that they didn't realize it was inside their house....the sad part is that not one of the women admitted they had a problem. They all said that they would try to continue to clean up things.

It's a sad and disturbing mental disorder that is all consuming.

Some hoarding phrases:

My collecting ground
My collections, my passion
I can use this later
Its not stuff, I know what everything is
My things, my home, my life

Notice a a recurring theme?

Pathetic Voter Turnout

2010-11-04T15:12:00.003-04:00

Out of all the registered voters in Virginia, only 43% actually cast their vote on Tuesday...yes, it was just the mid-term elections, but as I ranted in a previous post, it is our American birthright to vote in each and every election. Land of the free mean anything to you? If so, then vote!

Health Assessment

2010-11-03T12:26:00.003-04:00

Today is the office health assessment for 2011. This is the 3rd year for this type of screening. If you or your spouse are enrolled in the company medical plan, you are required to attend OR go to your primary care doctor to obtain your results. We are screened in four categories: BMI, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. We are not currently following the AMA criteria, but will be next year. So that gives lots of employees incentive to get healthy. You must pass 3 of the 4 categories. If you don't, your health insurance goes up $25 a month. AND if you smoke, that's another $25 a month.

At first, I didn't agree with it. I felt it was invasive. But after learning about how not taking the very basic care of yourself can greatly increase insurance rates for everyone, I changed my mind.

The Hub and I are healthy. We don't smoke, we exercise and for the most part, we eat a pretty healthy diet. Of course, once and a while, Five Guys takes priority over salad and grilled chicken, but that is not the norm. We watch what we eat which is why we both have passed the health screenings with flying colors. We're not health fanatics, calorie counters or exercise fiends. We're just care what we eat and how we live.

This year's scale is more aggressive than the previous two years but is still attainable. I had my screening this morning and passed. I have actually improved my ratings from last year. The Hub comes in this afternoon, and I know he won't have any problems passing either.

However, after speaking with a few co-workers, the majority of them did not pass. In fact, one complete department (consists of 10 people), did not pass. They all are over weight, have high blood pressure, borderline diabetic, and high cholesterol. And not one of them is doing anything about it; not even taking medication to help their high blood pressure or their high sugar. I found that just amazing.

Bathroom Etiquette?

2010-11-02T17:09:00.005-04:00

Ever since the weather decided to get a little chilly, the office heat kicks in early morning. So by the time I get to work, the 2nd floor is HOT! To combat the heat, I drink water.

About a month ago, I needed to stop by Walmart after work to pick up just a few items. It's close by my office, so it's usually a quick trip. All throughout this day, I was drinking lots of water.

That particular day, I didn't visit the potty before leaving for Walmart. I thought I could wait until I got home. Well, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot, my bladder decided it couldn't wait until home. So, I headed towards the Walmart potty. As I entered the bathroom, the familiar odor of a public bathroom filled my nasal passages. The stink was pretty strong, as if someone was in the stall. But I didn't hear a thing, so just thought it was "residuals".

I entered my stall, began doing my business when all of the sudden I heard someone say "hey". I thought they were talking to me, so I answered. Well, the voice didn't respond to me and continued having a one sided conversation....the person was talking on their mobile phone.

Not only was this person sitting on the john, having a conversation on their mobile phone, but they were in midst of doing #2 and sitting in their own stink. Couldn't they have found a better place to have a conversation? I couldn't wait to get out of there and my nose couldn't either.

Lesson learned: go potty before going to Walmart. Don't chance using their facilities again! Who knows what I may find next time - and there won't be a next time, that is for sure!

VOTE!!

2010-11-02T15:16:00.002-04:00

The fore fathers of this strong and mighty country fought for freedom, lived for freedom and died for freedom. Freedom is the backbone of this country; freedom to live how we want to live, freedom to speak our mind without persecution, and the freedom to VOTE. As Americans, this is our birthright.

Therefore, when someone says to me, "I don't have time to vote", or "my vote won't make a difference", or "I don't know anything about the candidates", or "I don't feel like standing in line", I jump on my soapbox and give them the speech. Does it do any good? Probably not. Does it make me feel better? Sure, but still sad that they are not exercising their American birthright.

Our freedom was not free. We lost lots of fellow Americans. They gave their lives so we could live in freedom. So, it's to those lost countrymen, that I cast MY vote each and every year. Long live democracy - long live America.

5am

2010-07-13T08:57:00.002-04:00

Amy and I have started up our 5k morning walks again. We started walking in January to prepare for the Monument Avenue 10k. Since that first cold day in January, I have participated in a few "k" events, the Holton 5k, Monument 10k, and the corporate event in Innsbrook (that was a 4 miler, not sure how many k's that was). Now, we're getting ready for the fall event, the Richmond marathon.

No, I'm not doing the marathon, do you think I'm crazy? Well, maybe a little, but no running for me. I am a walker, not a runner. Amy is doing the half marathon, which is over 13 miles. She is training with a group of other runners. She has never done 13 miles, so this is a huge challenge for her. But I'm sure she will do just fine.

The Richmond marathon also has a walking event, the 8k. This is the event that I am participating in. The Hub is also planning on walking it with me, but it's not till November, so I'm sure he will have some kind of injury or something that will prevent him from participating. So I have recruited some other friends to walk with me. Let's hope they don't cancel.

Anyway, I got up at 5am this morning to meet Amy at the corner by 5:30. The 5k takes us about 45 minutes. The first 20 are the worst! I'm half asleep, wishing I had set the coffee maker on a timer so I could have had a cup BEFORE heading out. A little caffeine boost would have been great.

The air was so thick with humidity and there was no breeze. Needless to say, I was sweating like a pig! We made it back to Amy's house in 45 minutes. So, I dropped her off and headed home to start the rest of my day. We walk again Thursday morning

....note to self: set the coffee maker up the night before!

Murphy

2010-07-12T16:02:00.005-04:00

Last Friday, a co-worker lost his beloved dog, Murphy. He wrote a letter to Murphy and read it to him Friday morning:

TO MURPHY:

You bounded into our lives in April 2007, a tall bundle of legs and fur. You were the largest Border Collie that I had ever seen. Lucy tolerated you very quickly and you followed her lead around the yard. When I heard one of the women from the rescue group say to the other, “He’s really going to like this yard”, I knew you might be ours. But you convinced me soon afterward when you ate kibble out of my hand. You were always a gentle dog.

You even liked the food we gave you and you quickly gained weight and looked healthy. The rescue group said you were a reluctant eater. But you were a great eater with us.

As the months passed you became quite the clown with your quirky behavior. From your tapping your snout on the back of our legs to herd us, to your “singing”, to your rolling on your back at every occasion for a belly rub, you quickly worked your way into our hearts. You were also one of the quietest dogs I have known, because you rarely barked. Even your gnawing on the walls contained some amusement, although I had to do the work to repair it.

We also enjoyed our walks in the neighborhood. You became quite the star as you met other dogs and people. You made a big impression because you were such a handsome dog with a great personality.

We also discovered a way to make you more contented while you were inside. We made you your own “cave”. You loved that cave and that became your favorite place. I even had to pull your bed out of it sometimes to make you go out.

When you were diagnosed with the kidney disease, you did well from October through May. You reacted well to the treatments and still seemed happy.

But in the last month, we could see a difference in you. You started losing more weight and stopped being your happy, energetic self. It is very hard to see you this way. So although it is difficult to let you go, we must, rather than see you suffer. We will always remember the good times, much more than the bad times of the last month. We have packed a lifetime of memories in the 3 plus years that you have been with us.

We hope to see you again someday in heaven, along with the rest of our animals. We love you, Murphy.

This is a picture of Murphy, the "snow dog".

It's never an easy thing for me to talk about, but I shared a little about the day we lost Taylor. Over two years ago, and it's still as fresh in my mind. I know the pain he is feeling and wish him the best.

I bet Murphy and Taylor are playing in heaven....