Dear Life,

You know that talk we had about calming down and cutting down on the amount of crappy stuff that keeps coming my way? Were you listening? I don't think you were. Sure you may have been nodding your head like you heard my pleas to chill out a little, but it clearly did not sink in. So let's try this again. Boring that's what I want. No throwing me for a loop. No surprises around the next curve. No let's see how well Rachel can handle juggling one more ball. Let's keep it nice and easy for a while. I could really use a break.

Thanks,

me 

Wedding Photo Op

Ok, I know I promised more photos from my stint as a bridesmaid, and there are a few, but most of these are from the other weddings I have been involved in recently. Life has been stressful lately. I have lots of words in my head that will at some point probably make it into blog form, but for now it's pictures.

My life as a Bridesmaid

Last week I was in Nashville for a week of celebrating that concluded with L getting married last Sunday. It was a busy week and I had so much fun spending with new and old friends. The wedding was beautiful despite the cold and mist and I was honored to be apart of my friend's happy day. Highlights from the week included a bridesmaid dinner at Germantown Cafe, a bachelorette shower, a spray tan, the rehersal dinner, a bridal brunch, mani and pedis, and of course the main event. Seriously one of the best weeks of my life. I got to stock up on time with my besties, get pampered, and see 2 best friends join their lives. I was a slacker and didn't bring my camera so I'm relying on my fellow bridesmaids for photos. Here's a few for now with more to follow of the wedding.

Germantown Cafe

shots at the bachlorette party

Bride to Be

FOBs

Bridal Brunch

Mani's and Pedi's

Morning of the Wedding

V and L

Great Strides 2011

Here are a few pictures from my 5K run and walk. My run went well and I plan to do it again next year. It was a beautiful day and it was great to see friends and remember Nathan together. Thanks to all of you who supported Team Nathan and Cystic Fibrosis research.

Getting ready to Start

Half Way

Finish Line! 

Team Nathan

Shirts by Jen

 

 

Friends

T and I with Nathan's Parents

A Runner in the Making

Yesterday it was raining and I really needed to get in a run. I'm running a 5K next Saturday and had slacked a little in my training. I've been back on track the past couple of weeks though. So I gave in and went to the gym. While I am beginning to love running outdoors, I still despise running on the treadmill. My gym has an indoor "track" but it's only 1/8th of a mile long, and the idea of running around it for 33 minutes did not excite me. Which left me with only one option. My nemesis, the treadmill.
Running on the treadmill use to give me horrible shin splints, but since I realized that it is worth every penny to buy good quality shoes and get fitted properly I no longer have that problem. I am a major over pronator and the treadmill seems the make this worse (btw never a good thing when the lady at the running shoe store says "wow" when she watches you walk and comments that she's never seen anyone with a gait quite like yours). I think I despise the treadmill because I feel like I'm not going anywhere. When I run outside I can see how far I've gone and make goals to get to a certain point in the distance. I love mapping my route online and seeing how far I ran and what my pace was.
Yesterday marked W6D2 for me in the C25K program which meant after a 5 minute warm up I had to run for 10 minutes, walk for 3 and then run another 10 minutes. That may not sound like a lot to those of you who are hard core runners, but for me this is a big deal. I have a heart condition, so I have to take it slow when I start exercising and can't push myself too hard. The first 10 minute run wasn't too bad. I didn't feel like I was going to die, but I was very glad to hear the "walk" message in my ear. The second 10 minute run segement was a whole other story. It's hard for me to regulate my pace on the treadmill. I always feel like my stride is a little off and I think I pushed it too hard the first part of my run. I was ready to quit after about the first 2 minutes, but somehow convinced myself to keep going for at least another 2 minutes. When I reached that point, I realized I could hang in there for just a little longer. Each time I got to the point where I planned to give up and stop running, I realized I could keep running. I pushed through, stayed strong, and before I knew it I had completed the second 10 minute run! It felt so good to know I finished strong and didn't give up. My body ended up being stronger than my mind.
I left the treadmill feeling like I conquered something. Covered in sweat and red faced, but strong and proud :-)

The Roller Coaster Known as Life

It's been a while since I've blogged. Not because I don't have things to say. There is plenty going on in my life, but I just can't seem to put it in writing these days. Overall it's been good lately. There is still stress, but it is more manageable. I feel happy most days.
The weather has been nice and I have been able to run outside as I prepare for my 5K in April. I'm really excited about running for Great Strides this year. I was inspired last year when I saw kids with CF running and not just walking and decided that if they could do it, so could I. I slacked a little in the training, but now I'm back on track.
My sister and brother-in-law were in town this past weekend and it was so good to see them and spend time hanging out. He has a scan scheduled for tomorrow, so please keep him in your prayers. Hopefully the tumors will have shrunk some more.
We are entering my favorite time of year better known as travel season. I don't know why I seem to travel more in the summer, but I do. And I love it! I get to see my girls, my lifers (to borrow L's term) again in a couple of weeks and visit Nashville at the same time. Double score :) Wedding season is also starting and I'm so happy to be a part of my friend's celebrations. The next few months are going to be busy but I'm looking forward to them.

Therapy Weekend

Friends

Last weekend I was in Nashville with three of my favorite people in the whole world. These girls are so special to me and I love every minute that we get to spend together. I needed time with them in the worst way as life has been insane lately. It was a blast and my soul was refreshed. We ate at some great local Nashville restaurants, including Burger Up, Noshville, The Smiling Elephant (amazing Thai food!) and Hog Heaven . We drank lots of wine and coffee. We went to the Flea Market at 7am on Saturday. We took pictures and laughed til our stomachs hurt. We talked and talked. We painted 125 terracotta pots. We shopped. And then we shopped some more. We caught up on life. I loved every last minute of it.

Being Silly!

It is always bitter sweet to say goodbye at the end of a wonderful weekend. Thankfully we will be together again several times this spring as L's wedding grows closer.

Weathering the Storm

Life has been kicking my butt these past couple of weeks and I feel like I am just trying to hold on for dear life. It all feels about 2 seconds away from completely spinning out of control. Work has been busy and being on call every other week sucks. Family life has been beyond crazy. My responsibilities with the Children's ministry at church have increased as we plan to move to a new building and continue to make changes. My personal life, yeah well it's been all over the place too. I haven't been sleeping well.  Today is the first day in a quite a while that I have felt hopeful that things are going to get better. The sun is shinning and I feel rested. The weight on my shoulder feels a little lighter. I know I will get through this and things will settle down again. I am looking forward to next weekend and spending some time with my girls in Nashville. It will be a much needed break and recharge. For now, I just have to keep treading water.

Well That was Random

Yep, it's that time again!

• There was no groundhog sighting at my house this week for the big day. Either he is dead, has relocated, or is still hibernating under my house. I'm hoping for the former rather than the later! 
• I have recently started Zumba and I love it! I'm pretty sure I look ridiculous while doing it, but it is a great work out and lots of fun. It has awakened my inner hip hop dancer. She is most definitely a white girl, but she tries.
• When I work out I sweat A LOT. In the summer this isn't that big of a deal, but in the winter I get really cold when my body does as it should and uses the sweat to cool itself off. It so bad sometimes that I can't feel my fingers or toes and no matter how many layers I put on, I can't get warm. As a result, I've been taking very warm showers every evening. My skin however, is not a fan of this. 
• My favorite reality show right now is Teen Mom 2. I know I shouldn't like it so much, but I can't help but watch it. It's like the car accident you can't look away from.
• I'm excited about the Super Bowl, and not just for the commercals.
• My massage therapist is magic. I swear. She truly makes my life better. My shoulders and neck thank her greatly for all her work. 
• I am running again and have signed up for the 65 Roses 5K in Cleveland  in April to support Cystic Fibrosis. I'm hoping to better my time from the Turkey Trot.
• I have become obsessed with finding good deals and saving money. It makes me so happy. I officially stalk several blogs that give info on where to find the best deals. My favorite are the "money makers" where you actually get paid to buy products!
• And last but certainly not least, Adam got amazing news this week. The tumors have shrunk more than expected. He still has a long road ahead but this is a major step in the right direction. For now the plan is to continue chemo for another 4 cycles. Keep those prayers coming and send up the praises too!

It's a New Day

I joined Weight Watchers right after Thanksgiving when they started the new plan (You know the one Jennifer Hudson is always singing about on those commercials). I haven't shared this with many people for several reasons. 1. I guess I am a bit ashamed that I need to lose weight 2. I am worried I won't be successful 3. I'm somewhat of a private person and 4. This is about me. But I figured what the heck, this is who I am and what I'm dealing with so I might as well share. Maybe someone else will be encouraged by my decision. It's going pretty well so far, there have been a few bumps in the road, but this is a lifestyle change, not a diet, so that is to be expected. I have a WW blog because well, there truly are somethings that only others on the Plan can relate to. The other day I posted what I consider to be a rather amusing post and I wanted to share will all my dedicated readers (all 3 or 4 of you!). So sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Dear Mr. Scale,
We need to have a chat. That number you've been holding on to for the past few weeks, yeah it's time to let it go. Remember how in the beginning of this journey, everytime I stepped on, you displayed a lower number. Yeah, let's go back to that. I've been working really hard this week and I think you owe to me to drop those digits just a little bit. It wouldn't hurt you, I promise. I keep fighting the urge to pick you up and throw you against the wall, because I know that you are not the only thing that determines my success. But still, it would be great if you'd support me in my quest to make these lifestyle changes. So I'm counting on you Monday morning to come through. I've done my part and I think it's only fair that you do yours. Glad we had this little chat. Let's hope we don't have to have it again.

Chicago

Last week at this time I was sitting in day 2 of a 5 day board review course in Chicago. I was probably fighting sleep and hoping my brain was subconsciously absorbing some of the information that was coming at it at lightening speed. Literally. I swear a couple of the speakers could get part time jobs as auctioneers.
It was a small miracle that I actually made it to Chicago in the first place. Originally I was set to fly out of Nashvegas with my 2 friends that were going to be enduring the week with me, but decided to change it to Tricites due to the snow that was being predicted (change #1). Tuesday morning, I got up and was finishing up packing when I got a text that my 230p flight had been canceled and that I should call and rebook. I called the handy dandy number from my message, and was told the 100p flight was supposed to be a go if I could make it there. So I booked this flight (change #2). I then called my dad and let him know of the plan change and we headed out to the airport. I checked in, went through security, and then 30 minutes before departure, they announced this flight is canceled too. Naturally all the passengers headed upstairs to try and rebook. While standing in line, I decided to pull out my iTouch and see if there were any flights that might get me to Chicago that day. I located a direct flight to Chicago that was supposed to depart from Tricities at 430p. I put a hold on a ticket hoping that I could just get a refund from my canceled flight and book this one. I finally get up to the counter and the lady tells me the flight I want might be full. Thankfully the one thing our little airport has is free WiFi and I had already booked the ticket, because sure enough my name was on the passenger list and I got the last seat on the plane (change #3). The very nice lady, even transferred my flight info over and I didn't have to pay anything extra. While this may seem like the end of my adventure, it really is just the beginning.

My 430p flight, yeah, it didn't leave until 730p. And then when we landed in Chicago we sat on the runway for 2 hours because all the gates were full and there was no where to deplane. Fortunately I sat next a really nice guy and we now know each others entire life story (including pets, parents, siblings, jobs, and shoe size) after spending close to 5 hours sitting next to each other. Let's just say I was so glad to finally get off the plane, meet my friends (whose flights from Nashville had also been delayed), call a taxi and get to the hotel. 
For the next 5 days, I sat in lecture from 7a to 6p and then took a 2 hour practice test. Needless to say my brain was on major information overload, but according to my scores, I should pass my boards without any problems.

The plastic covers the seat

Instructions for plastic changing!

What I saw of Chicago included the airport, my hotel, the inside of a couple of sketchy cabs, the mall near by, and the hotel shuttle. I did manage to come across something I had never seen before and I had to share it. I'm not really sure what to make of it. These are the toilets at O'Hare. The plastic changes when you wave your hand over the top sensor. Very strange. Hopefully it's new plastic coming out and not the same circle just going round and round!!!! Chicago my first impression was not too great. I hope to come back soon and change my opinion and see more of what you have to offer. But for now just allow me to say GO PACKERS!!!!!!

New Year

So the holidays are over and a new year has started. Christmas this year was good, but hard. It was so good to have all of my family in one place and to build on our traditions. I still feel like I am scrambling to catch up from the holidays. I feel like I need a week just to sleep and clean. The Christmas tree is still standing, although most of the ornaments are off. The dinning room table is covered with my post Christmas clearance purchases. I shamefully admit there are still dirty cookie sheets and pans in the sink from all the cookies, fudge, truffles, and chex mix I made. I don't really have any resolutions for this year. I have a few goals, but I'm pretty sure my year is going to be busy enough without trying to add in a bunch of changes. I had already made some lifestyle changes at the end of 2010 and will continue to stick to those in the coming year. I plan to run another 5K in April at the CFF Great Strides walk and want to better my time from Thanksgiving. Travel is of course on the agenda. There are already 3 weddings on my calender for this spring, one of which I am in. I hope to make my annual GYN surgery trip to Mexico, spend a week loving on babies in AZ at Young Lives camp, hang out as camp "doc" at DRG for a week, and maybe make it out of the country on another trip or cruise. As much as I want to go to Australia and New Zealand, I just don't think it's going to fit in this year so I'm penciling it in for 2012. Maybe I'll have someone in my life to go with by then. I feel like this year is going to fly by and I am going to just try and hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Stay tuned!

Random Acts of Senseless Kindness

I'm the kind of person that if I see someone struggling to carry things or someone who can't find an item in a store, I will stop and help if I can. I often share helpful tidbits with random strangers. I point lost children back to their mommies and pick up items that people may not realize they have even dropped. I fix turned up collars and sleeves. I will tell you if you have something on your face or in your teeth. I give directions to people on a regular basis. I didn't think this was such a weird thing, but evidently not everyone does this. I thought I'd share of few of my especially helpful moments recently.

• I was in Kroger in the cracker/cookie aisle when I heard an older couple next to me talking about how they couldn't find the goldfish crackers that were individually packaged. If you shop at Kroger you know that these are located at the other end of the aisle with the other individually packaged crackers. So I kindly spoke up and said I couldn't help but overhear what they were looking for and pointed them in the right direction. I mean the woman had a coupon and I wanted her to be able to use it. I'm pretty sure they would not have located the goldfish without my help.
• I encountered a woman in Target who was struggling to reach the Wesson oil that was on super sale from the top shelf. I offered to help mentioning that I didn't know if I was much taller, but I would give it a go. She looked at me and said "I don't think you are any taller, but you are much lighter and can climb on the shelf." This was exactly what I was thinking, but I didn't want to say it. So I proceeded to climb on the bottom shelf and reach her all of the remaining bottles of oil, including the one in the very back. She was very impressed with my reaching skills. Fortunately, I have lots of shelf climbing experience. I do it often :-)
• One time I politely told a woman that she had left the size tag sticker on the side of her jeans. She was quite appreciative that I didn't let her continue to walk around the store like this. 
• And my favorite one, last night after my shift in the ER, I stopped at Kroger to get my turkeys for Thanksgiving. I am at the self check out (because I always check myself out) and the man behind me asked if I had a Kroger Card and if he could borrow it. I of course do and was glad to lend it to him so he could save a few bucks....on his beer. Hey, I earned fuel points thanks to his beer! 

Cancer.
It's crazy how that one little word can turn your world upside
down in a second. How it can make you want to throw up the minute you hear it. I think it's the ugliest word in the english language. I can not begin to imagine how my little sister and brother in-law felt when they heard those words Saturday morning. It's been a roller coaster week. It started out as what doctors thought was a gallstone but turned out not to be, which led to a CT scan and the discovery of a tumor in the pancreas and spots on his liver. The biopsy results came back showing malignancy with a diagnosis of stage 4 Pancreatic cancer. He is only 25. This type of cancer is pretty much unheard of in someone his age. Needless to say we are all in shock. Prayers are greatly appreciated. I feel like I am having a bad dream and that eventually I will wake up, but I don't. I feel like I have been punched in the stomach. We remain hopefully, but also realize the seriousness of his condition. All of my medical knowledge feels like a curse at this point, but I know that I have it to help in this situation. I have shed so many tears but try to remain strong and trust that God has it all in control. Times like these are when I realize how thankful I am for my family and my faith. Without those things, times like these are unbearable.

Happy Thoughts

These little faces always make me smile.

It's been a pretty crappy week. I can't really wrap my head around it all right now. Needless to say I need some happy thoughts to focus on. These are things that make me happy.

A few of my kiddos from the nursery at church.

We had a dessert cook off at work today. My pumpkin cupcakes won first prize. This is what I got plus a Panera gift card. I was almost as excited about the pretty box as what was in it.

Pumpkin Spice Soy Latte from Starbucks. Enough said.

This was my major impulse purchase of the week. I've been sticking with the running so I decided to buy myself a nano. I have a touch but it's just too bulky to run with. It came today. I love it.

My boys. I really do love them even though at times they drive me crazy. Like the other day after one of the worst days of my life when I came home to find that I must have not shut the bathroom door all the way and while I was at work the boys had some major fun. I had left a 6 pack of toilet paper right inside the door. I opened the front door to find my living room covered in what looked like snow, but on closer examination was just shredded toilet paper. If it hadn't been such a sucky day, I probably would have found it humorous.  I however did not.