Resolutions

I don't really like resolutions, per se, but at this time of year, I like the idea of refocusing energy on making life better and bringing peace into your life. So, if you want to call them resolutions, go ahead. There are some things that I would like to state that I'd like to improve, make a priority, create as goals, whatever.

• I'd like to learn to love my body - the parts that work and the parts that don't. I'd like to do a better job treating my body better by not pounding it down to the point that it is injured. I need to feed it the best food possible. It needs to be worked out in new ways. My body deserves to be appreciated for what it is when I look into the mirror instead of criticized.
  
• I need to learn the fine balance of sticking up for myself, saying no to things, being honest even when it is not what someone else wants to hear - and lose the fear of conflict, guilt that comes with doing these things. I feel like I know who I am on the inside, but if I stick up for my opinions and beliefs around people who disagree, that I might create conflict. I need to just get over it.
  
• I consciously try to do this anyway, but I want the people that I care about to know how much they mean to me.
  
• Money goals? We are pretty good with our money already, but perhaps it is a good year to try to pare back the items that are 'wants' and cut back on some of the frivolous spending. I probably could do better shopping around, looking for and waiting for a deal. We don't always have to buy the cheapest item, but it wouldn't hurt to try to buy most things on sale.
  
• Living cleaner - aside from keeping a cleaner house, it would be great to make more of an effort to conserve energy. I'm the person who is home all day long...I shouldn't leave unnecessary lights on, I can bundle up when I'm cold or use other heating methods rather than run the furnace. I also would like to do better with the cleaning chemicals. I need to find a better balance between what cleans well and what is good for the environment.

Time Flies When You're

Sorry I have been MIA! I know you are missing me. I just haven't felt like blogging lately. There has been a bunch of life stuff going on lately with the holidays and such, so sitting in front of the computer and preparing a blog entry hasn't really been my first priority. Hope you and yours had a wonderful holiday and are now preparing for the new year like we are. We have had Chad's sister and brother-in-law in town since mid last week, so we have shared lots of meals and time with them. Our Christmas bounty overflowed with lovely presents plus a bit of fun - we got a Wii! One of the pics that has been shared recently was of me practicing my previously undiscovered talent (Wii Boxing). Apparently I have quick hands. Back at you soon!

Name Change Issues

It has been almost two years since Chad and I were married and I'm still having issues getting my name correctly changed over on all of my cards. There is an ongoing saga with Aetna and me regarding my middle initial, which should be 'B'. Every time they send me a new card, it says Sadie S, and I get irritated and have to call them to change it to Sadie B. It may not seem like a big deal, but I can't let a detail like that just sit in error. I get so pissed off every time I see paperwork or a card from them with the wrong initial. I have called at least twice in the past to get it changed, and still keep getting paperwork with the incorrect middle letter.

--You know like that little dog that seems so sweet until it sees a ball?? The dog turns psycho crazy and goes berserk?? A frisbee is nothing to the dog, but the ball makes it bonkers?? I am that dog when it comes to this issue.--

So, I recently got my new Aetna card and damn it if it didn't say Sadie S again!! I was so pissed, I had to just put it away and not look at it for a few days so that I wouldn't be the angry psycho woman on the phone. Really, I had myself all worked up over it yet again. It was a good thing that I didn't call Aetna immediately because last night I got my new prescription card (used to have prescription coverage with Aetna, but my company changed to CVS Caremark).

Whaddya know? My new prescription cards are for Sadie S as well! Damn it! Rage! The little dog in me goes berserk!!! Ball!!! Ball!!!! I cuss and pitch a little fit and then have a moment of clarity...Aetna and Caremark are not the problem. My employer is the problem!

Today, now that I'm back to feeling like the calm, sweet puppy, I call up HR and politely ask the man to please check my middle initial to confirm that it is correct. Sure enough, his system says I am Sadie S and he very easily makes all of the necessary changes to make sure I am now Sadie B in all areas where it might affect my paperwork. Whew! I no longer have to feel like that little crazy yapping dog all riled up over nothing!

The TMI Post

This post is for the ladies and definitely contains TMI. Read at your own risk, but don't dare judge me for what I'm about to reveal. Also, sorry it is so long.

I've posted in the past about my 'spotting' issues. I'm not talking about the little bit of brown or reddish discharge for a couple days before your period starts. I'm talking about lots of brownish fluid, mixed with brown and red blobs of sloughed uterine lining for days (like 7-10 extra days on top of my period) each cycle. Especially if there are any men still reading - Imagine if you bled from some part of your body for 163 days each year...thats 5 out of 12 months where you have some sort of blood coming out of your body. You'd want it to stop, too.

This has been going on off and on for 7-8 years, and in recent years I have been pushing my gynecologist figure out the issue. After my old gynecologist (from a very popular ob/gyn group in NW Austin) insisted that my bloodwork was all normal and had no other explanation for the bleeding, I asked for a referral to an endocrinologist and decided that I would never go back to that gynecologist again. (Really, no other suggestions to why I might be bleeding? You really think this is normal?)

My endocrinologist decided I was not ovulating and also helped me with my thyroid issue. There were a couple of cycles this year where I did not have spotting and overall, I was feeling much better. I definitely am ovulating now, but the bleeding has resurfaced since September. Oh, and I have to tell you that I switched ob/gyns, too. I now go to OBGYN North and see Lisa Carlisle as my CNM (Dr. Campaigne is my doctor). I had my annual exam in May, but that was when the spotting had been reduced and I thought I was in the clear. Their office is so great, btw!

So, now it is the present - September - back to spotting a ton. October - was convinced I was pregnant, but back to spotting again. I decided to go back and see Lisa Carlisle again to talk about the causes of the spotting, and I'm so thankful that I did. We went over my complete history again, and without hesitation, she said 'It sounds like polyps'. I was confused, because if it was such an easy thing to suggest, why hadn't my old doctor mentioned it? Lisa was convinced that we needed to do either an HSG or an SHG, but that she would discuss the case with Dr. Campaigne just to get a second opinion. I was told to prepare to have the test during my next cycle around CD 5-8 (just after my period).

As bad luck would have it, I started my period on the Monday before Thanksgiving, which would put the testing days on the Friday-Monday Thanksgiving holiday weekend. When I called to make the appointment, the lady on the phone said that the doctor instead wanted me to come in on Wednesday (CD 3). I was horrified and asked for clarification...'You mean she wants me to have the test during one of my period days? I'm definitely going to be bleeding on CD3.' Unfortunately, she was insistent, so I made my appointment and continued to be apprehensive about going in.

See, during the SHG (sonohysterogram), a small catheter is inserted into the cervix and saline is injected into the uterus to allow the space inside the uterus to be better seen on an ultrasound. Unlike the ultrasound scenarios you see on TV, where the wand is on the outside of the belly with all of the jelly, in this SHG there is an ultrasound wand that is inserted in the vagina (thanks to Holly for the 'dildo-cam' descriptor :)). You can imagine that with the invasiveness of this kind of ultrasound, it is not ideal to do this during your period.

Wouldn't you know, I bled like nobody's business all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning. I'm telling you that I don't ever remember bleeding as heavily as I did those two days. When I went in for my test, I mentioned to the sonographer that it was CD3, and she balked for a moment...was I sure this was the right day? Yes, I confirmed the doctor specifically said that day. She was as nice as she could be about the situation, but we both knew that it was going to be a messy start to her day.

• The sonographer prepped the table with extra pads and absorbent materials.
• When she inserted the speculum, she had to spend time 'cleaning up' in my vagina because of all of the blood that was in there. You ladies know that when you go in for a pap smear and they say that there is going to be some pressure and probably some cramping, while they take a sample with that tiny little pipe cleaner thing?? That kind of pressure was nothing compared to what she was doing to 'clean me up'. Ick and ow!
• After inserting the catheter in my cervix (which thankfully did not hurt), she started to inject the saline into my uterus.
• Because of my flow situation, the saline did not want to stay in my uterus...it just trickled right out of me back out of my vagina. You ladies can imagine the feeling of constant wet flow coming out, dripping all over the table, onto the pad, off of the table onto the pads below on the floor. It was so embarrasing and horrifying.
• The sonographer was so nice and tactful about the mess...clearly neither of us wanted to be in the situation we were in. Lots of blood and saline all over the table...ick again!
• She took great pictures. She captured the necessary pics of my uterus and also added pics of my ovaries just because I hadn't had pics taken of them in years.

To sum up, the test wasn't painful at all, but it would have been so much less traumatic to have it on a day that was not a flow day. I'll never ever forget the details of that morning.

The results? I do have an endometrial polyp. (hooray, an explanation!) It is not something we are concerned will be cancerous or anything. The main problem that it is causing is the bleeding. To remove it, which is recommended, I will be undergoing a hysteroscopy and D&C sometime later this month. At that time, they will put me under heavier sedation and go in through the cervix with a camera to look at the polyp. They will at that time decide if they will pluck out the polyp with special tools, or if they will use the information from what they see to do a D&C with better information to where they need to 'clean out'. I'm no doctor, so I might have gotten some of that wrong, but I definitely trust that Dr. Campaigne knows what she is doing.

The only thing that will stop the procedure this month is if I am currently pregnant. I was convinced over the weekend that I am, but alas, I have started spotting again. There is still a slim chance, but I'm not holding my breath and am prepared for disappointment.

Once I have the polyp removed, the bleeding should go away and our chances of concieving should be better than if I still had the polyp. I'm not having the procedure as part of fertility treatments...it is for the abnormal bleeding only (insurance will care for the distinction).

OB/GYN Waiting Room

The count today is five obviously pregnant women, three husbands/S.O.s, and me. Looks like I'm odd girl out, but in the right company. Wish pregnancy was contagious right about now.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

The snow was fun while it lasted. It started to come down about 12:00 here in our neighborhood, and now that it is 1:30, the skies are clear and the sun is out. The flakes did get large enough to capture on my iPhone camera, and I got a few more with the nice camera Mike is still letting me borrow.

Now playing - my favorite version of the Holiday classic - Baby, It's Cold Outside. If I had to sing holiday kareoke and had a willing duet partner, this would be my choice, hands down.

See it on my coat sleeve?


Looking down the street.


See? It is coming down pretty steady.

Our house in the snow flurry.

Carpet Angels

In preparation for the 'snow' that we are supposed to be getting
tomorrow, and because the beautiful clean empty room of new carpet is
irresistable...an action shot of me doing carpet (snow) angels. Hooray
for new carpet!

Trapped...and I have to pee!

The carpet guys are here at the house installing our new carpet and I'm trapped in the kitchen. I have this issue about people being able to hear me go to the bathroom (even just peeing). I try to avoid it if at all possible, especially in a close setting in someone's house or if someone is at my house. Because the carpet guys are here, the only toilet available to me right now is in the half-bath at the center of the house, the one that you can hear everything from, even with the fan on.

I have to pee so badly and I don't want to go in there! Get me out of here! Doing the pee pee dance! This is not cool.

Full-fledged Adult

There are times now that I'm all grown up where I catch myself doing full-fledged adult things. I realize that I've been an adult for a long time now and don't think I behave like an immature person very often (though Chad might disagree). I tend to be responsible and thoughtful about my decisions, but most of the time I still see myself as younger than I really am. If the 20s are all about setting foundations and figuring out who we are as adult humans, then the 30s must be about having fun and developing those 'baby adult' lives we have started.

Every once in awhile I stop myself and think..."This is a really adult thing to do." These last few weeks in particular I have stopped to think about it all. - We're shopping for tile. We're shopping for toilets. We bought carpet. We really do own a house. I have a husband. We eat a home-cooked dinner because I prepared it. Wait a minute...I can cook and I like beets and brussel sprouts and kale and bok choy and all kinds of squash. I love the dentist. I'm a full-fledged adult alright.

Today at the dentist I caught myself reading the magazine Real Simple, and it had one of those beauty spreads that suggested beauty products for different age groups. Instead of immediately starting with the '20s' suggestions, I realized that I have finally made the transition to starting with the '30s' graphics. Wow, I really do have some of those 30s skin issues. Looking at what is offered to the 20s, I really don't want to look silly trying to wear those uber-young looking clothes that are pushed on them. I like the looks that my '30s' age group should be wearing, what a relief!

This gal, chick, lady, woman, whatever, is really starting to enjoy this adulthood thing. Enjoyment...must be what the 30s are all about.

November Totals

I think I beat most of you current and former Team Roguies on fewest miles run in November. While you guys are excited about your uber high monthly totals, lemme throw this one in the mix. How do you like my whopping 41 miles run in November?? Booyah! That is what swine flu, pneumonia and a sore leg will do to you. Keith, I think I beat you two months in a row (on the low side) even with all of your missed time due to rehearsals and busy life.

Added to my running miles, please include one walk, four cycling outings, and an aquajogging session.

How do you think my December started with that crazy cold and rainy day yesterday? That's right - 0 miles running, but one hour of Vinyasa Flow yoga completed in the warmth of a yoga studio. Much nicer, though I think I may need to adjust my diet to match my workout efforts now that I'm not running 50-70 mile weeks. I'm a few pounds up since mid-October.

Motherly Instinct

And now a little story for your day...

Yesterday was the first day of our new tile installation in the upstairs bathroom. You have to understand that our three kitties are very shy when they hear someone at the door. When Eddie came over to start the tile work and came upstairs, all three cats ran into the upstairs guest bedroom and hid under the bed. That is not their normal hiding spot.

The first part of the demo work involved lots of banging and loud noises, which had to have been scary for our little hidden trio. The bed they were hiding under was a mere 10 feet from where all of the loud destructive action was taking place. I managed to rescue them one by one and encourage them to hide under our bed downstairs (their normal hiding place), though I think enough damage had been done. They were quite traumatized all day with the continued noise and the 'strangers' in the house.

So today, Eddie returned to continue working on the tile and I went to check on the munchkins. I was pleased to find our three kitties in our 'safe' bedroom with our little brave Miko sitting proudly on top of the covers. Her motherly instinct had kicked in again...

[I have blogged in the past about how Miko has 'babies' that are socks and toys that she likes to carry around the house and put in her 'nest'. Her nesting instinct is pretty strong. She has her primary b&w baby (a pair of Thorlo socks), her pink baby (a pair of ladies Nike running socks), her frog baby (a soft frog kitty toy), and her hedgehog baby (a little hedgehog kitty toy). Sometimes she adds in a dirty white cotton sock or a brown trouser sock of Chad's to the litter of babies when she can find one.]

...Miko was sitting bravely on top of the covers next to her main b&w baby. Seems she thought her baby would need protecting from all of the construction noise. What a good motherly instinct she has.

Let's Catch Up

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Since my last swine flu/pneumonia update, I'm pleased to announce that I'm feeling better and our house is germ-free. I spent the week before Thanksgiving in bed and started feeling better just in time for an extended holiday break. From my posts showing our Thanksgiving pies and other food, you could see that I spent some time last week cooking.

This year I put my foot down and somewhat demanded that Chad and I pick only one Thanksgiving dinner to eat. Does that sound strange to you? To explain, let me clarify that for as long as I can remember, I have eaten at least two Thanksgiving dinners (splitting time with two sides of the family). Since my first Thanksgiving with Chad five years ago, there have been holidays where we have eaten a meal on Wednesday, followed by three (yes, THREE!!!) Thanksgiving dinners with the rest of our family units. Having two sets of divorced parents will do that. I had been looking forward to this year for a while - I offered to have family here at the house - Chad's Mom, Jim, and my mom had the main meal with us, followed by Chad's Dad and Marta joining us all for dessert. Choosing to have one meal like this of course meant that we missed out on seeing some family this year on the big day, but we have since gotten to see my Dad and Rose for some Firebowl Cafe and pie at our house.

We have been somewhat productive at our house over the last few weeks as well. A cleaning service (thanks Ruth Anne!) came to the house last Tuesday and thoroughly cleaned our main living areas and we have been able to keep up the tidiness since then. We're expecting to get new carpet installed next Thursday, so we have been busy sorting through our 'box room' to try to clean out the clutter. We also decided that this is the best time to install tile in our upstairs bathroom, so we are having that done on Monday. I'm thrilled to see how our house will look next weekend...by then we will also be able to put up our Christmas tree and have our house looking ready for the holidays.

Have I been running? Not really. Pneumonia kind of makes it impossible. I ran Sunday, Nov 15, then got sick. I didn't run again until Thanksgiving morning for the Turkey Trot. That five mile route with hills was just enough for me to think mid-race "What the hell was I thinking making this my first run back?" I ran well considering my lungs were not happy having to breathe heavily again. My plan was to take it nice and easy and only run faster if I felt okay. My first mile was about 9:00 and I progressively got faster to about a 7:40 pace at the end. My overall time was decent for a 'fun run' as my overall pace was 8:12. It was great seeing folks out there, Rogue friends, a high school friend, and a couple of old running friends. My leg hurt afterwards, but I was able to run three miles yesterday with a very minimal amount of soreness.

Hmm...what else? There are going to be some big changes at the Jones house. Before you go expecting a baby announcement, let me say no. I have actually had some of my ongoing female issues come back (since September) and have had some gyn exams done - one of which deserves a tmi post. I'll wait for now to write that one, but it is a lovely story. No, the big story in our family is that Chad is in the position to branch out on his own and start his own construction business. He'll likely start talking about it with those of you who know him, but he has filed the necessary paperwork and has been approved by the state with his name and stuff. It is weird to think that we'll both be working out of a home office sometime in the next few months. I'm so proud and excited for him.

That's about it. I would apologize for the time between posts, but I do my best. Hope to keep you all up with everything else as this busy month of December begins.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Clockwise from top...Roasted squash and parsnips with maple glaze and
Marcona almonds, wild rice stuffing with pearl onions, cherries, and
pecans, Cornbread stuffing (made with my homemade green onion
cornbread), Cranberry orange sauce, Green beans with onions, Roasted
sweet potatoes with marshmallow topping. Not pictured - Rudy's smoked
turkey. It was all yummy!

Pie #2 - Lattice Top Apple

This recipe had a brown sugar layer between the apples and lattice
top...mine didn't 'melt' properly.

This is also using the frozen Whole Foods g/f crust (which I thawed,
broke out of the pan, and rolled to make the top).

We'll see about this pie. I think it is going to be too juicy and
won't set up right. However, I'm pleased about using more apples than
the recipe called for so that it is the perfect rounded middle after
the apples cooked down.

Pie #1 - Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake Pie

From Gourmet Nov 2006
Made with g/f gingersnap cookies. Hope it tastes as good as it smells.
Mmmmmmmmm!!!!!

The Diagnosis - Oink Oink

Those of you who are my FB friends probably already know this, but the diagnosis yesterday was a little surprising to me. Doc says Influenza A (likely swine flu) and pneumonia. I couldn't believe it at first. I felt like crap in my lungs, so I believed the pneumonia bit, but I asked him to clarify the swine flu statement. He said that it definitely came back as 'flu A' and from what I understood from him, that all of the flu As that have been tested recently have come back swine. Nice. They did the nasal swab (never knew a swab could be inserted so deeply in my head) and did a chest x-ray (which came back cloudy in places, I think).

I'm definitely not a doctor, so I might have described some of those details incorrectly. They definitely checked me out thoroughly.

So here is what is going on -
I have been in the bed now for four days. I get up to go to the bathroom, to fix myself some tea when I am home alone, and just this morning to wash my bed linens and try sitting in a chair. I have run a fever of 100+ for some/most of the last three days. I have showered every morning (the steam feels really good on the bronchial passages) so I am reasonably fresh for a sick person. Chad has brought down my work laptop so that I can do a little bit of work in the morning and then check email and stuff between naps during the day. Mostly, I have been sleeping and watching TV.

The first 60 hours, all I wanted was a basic diet - oatmeal and tea for breakfast, Jamba Juice and Clif Bar close to lunchtime, hot tea during the day, and miso soup for dinner. Finally yesterday afternoon, I was starving and asked Chad to make me dinner. He very graciously made me scrambled eggs, sweet potato fries and sliced strawberries for dinner...just what I asked for. Chad also did some grocery shopping and picked up some food that I can make quickly by myself.

The past two nights I have not really slept much. I have been too busy hacking up and cringing at the burning ripping fire in my throat when a big cough happens. The only thing that keeps me asleep is putting a Chloraseptic or Cepacol lozenge in the pocket of my cheek while I sleep so that it numbs the back of my throat as it melts. I basically wake up every couple of hours to put in a new cough drop and try to get as much sleep as I can. I think tonight might be better...my coughs today are much more productive.

Poor Chad has been sleeping on the couch (which is actually very comfortable) and has been awesome as my nurse. He continues to Lysol the things we both touch and has disinfecting wipes. Last night he did a bit of cleaning in his area of the house. My mom has also taken a round of bringing me food and cough drops.

I'm getting kind of pooped typing this up...time to take a break...but I'm really bored.

If you are being seen for flu-like symptoms....

...please ask for a mask. That is the sign posted at check in at Tx
Sports and Family Medicine, and I appreciate their efforts to prevent
the spread of flu and cold germs. I guess fever and cough qualify me
for this sexy look. I wonder why the man sniffling next to me won't
wear one...he looks to be in worse shape than me.

The Sick Office

What you see in the picture is me trying to look my sickly best (no shower, no makeup, no hairbrush) posing with my caretakers for the day. Miko and Felicia are on the bed and Beans is chillin' adorably on the brown chair in the back.

My fever went down overnight and hopefully won't go back up. The coughing has gotten worse, even with Mucinex DM, but that is how it goes 24 hours into a chest cold. Last night Chad brought me a huge container of Miso soup (didn't worry if it had bonito flakes or a minimal amount of gluten...it is what my body wanted). I sipped the entire 32 ounces of soup and slept so soundly for almost 10 hours, after sleeping or resting most of the day.

Today I'm going to try to work some and will probably stay in the bed to try to feel better faster.

Testing, Testing, can you hear me?

I'm testing the BlogPress lite app on my iPhone, so hopefully this works. I'm sick. Been in the bed most of the day. I'm running a fever (as high as 101.1 today) and my lungs feel wheezy. I have been coughing some and have generally just felt tired and weak. I don't think it is the flu, despite what you may think. I get a chest cold every few years and it feels like that.

Flip Eared Miko

She did this to herself. Crazy Miko.

Updates - round one

So, what has been going on with me?

• I have a project at the house going on. All of the cabinets (and much of the trim) in our house is brown wood. The look is very rustic, and while it looked really nice with the former owner's bachelor/texas ranch/rustic furniture and decor, it looks kind of weird with our stuff. I'm not really a brown kind of girl. So...I'm painting some of the cabinets a creamy white. We're getting new carpet soon (brown carpet, funny enough), and I'm trying to get all of the cabinets that are over carpet sanded and painted before the carpet is installed. So far, I'm almost done with the upstairs bathroom and have started sanding the hall linen closet. After that, I have the two vanities in our master. Now that I have the experience of doing the bathroom, I understand how to make the process go faster and easier....and I'm trying to do it with as little help from Chad as possible. Go me!
  
• I got my cruiser bike and have been enjoying rides around our neighborhood. Some days I will ride while Chad runs. Sometimes he will ride with me. We tackled hills the other day and it was awesome! The back of our neighborhood is the Great Hills neighborhood and if you know streets like Sans Souci and Fire Oak (up to Yaupon), you know that some of those hills are monster, even for a road bike. Picture me on my bike with the white seat and grips, with a basket in the front in my lowest gear huffing and puffing away, while two cyclists on their road bikes give me the nod as they pass me. Yeah...Blue Belle can climb!
  
• I've been cooking. For my birthday, I cooked a bunch of stuff for a wine dinner...Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Cranberry Sauce, Cornbread Apricot and Toasted Pumpkin-seed Stuffing (made with homemade gluten-free green chile cornbread), Wild Rice with Pearl Onions, Dried Cherries, and Apricots, Polenta with Comte Cheese, Spiced Apple topping over ice cream. Recently, we have been sharing a farm-share with my mother-in-law, so I have made some new veggie recipes...Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette, Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Beet Greens...you get the picture. Tonight I am making an Asparagus and Yellow Pepper Fritatta, Chili Lime Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Cinnamon Applesauce. Yum.
  
• I have been reading. I read the two books that Keith has blogged about, plus starting The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson. I also read The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. Everything so far has been pretty good, but definitely agree with Keith on the Stieg Larsson books.

More to come...and I am trying to run again.

Chad's Eating Habits

He seriously needs to update this. I mean, the man ate beets last night in a salad with onion, orange, beet greens and balsamic vinegar. He also ate acorn squash last night with a spicy lime cilantro sauce that was yum-o. He ate polenta squares (with cheese in it) on my birthday. He regularly consumes dishes with more creative veggies like fennel and eggplant. He loved eating at the Clay Pit (Indian food) and thinks that the fennel naan is the best flavor.

We should all be impressed by him. Here's a peek at the yummy beet salad and acorn squash from last night. They don't look so good (all the more reason to admire Chad's willingness to eat it), but they sure tasted good.

I O U

Sorry! I know I owe you some sort of update. There has been too much going on.

I have been enjoying things besides the computer and blogging, so I haven't really felt like sitting down and typing stuff up.

Anyone still out there?

NASCAR Weekend!

Birthday Bike

Hooray! I got the bike I wanted! Here's a pic of me getting fitted.

Running Update

Well, there is not much to report on the running front. I still have not completed a run without pain. My hamstring and hip still hurts and my toe is still painful. Argh! Before you say "you need to stop running", consider that I really haven't done a whole lot. I would say that of the people who ran Portland, I'm probably one of the lowest total mileage runners of the group, if not the lowest at this point. If not, I'm guessing my longest run is the shortest 'long run' of the group.

October is shaping up to have fewer than 60 miles total running, and that is including the marathon mileage. This is the lowest monthly total that I have had since the month of our wedding and honeymoon in March 2008. Before that, I think the months of my the debilitating hip injury in Sept/Oct 2007 had the lowest mileage total, but not by much. Taking out the marathon mileage on Oct 4 puts all of these months at about even. Pathetic, but at least I know I'm doing my body good.

Since October 4, I have run a whopping 23.3 miles. Each week I have run no more than two times (for 7 total runs) and the furthest I have run at one time is 4.2 miles. The fastest pace of those runs hovers right around 9:10 pace. I have been to five yoga classes and have aquajogged three times as well. Fifteen workouts in twenty-four days is pretty relaxing for a marathoners 'rest time', especially considering over half of them have been crosstraining. I have had nine complete 'off days', which equals the number of off days that I took in the entire last seven weeks of marathon training and that includes the 'taper weeks'.

Today I get a massage from Lisa, which I should have scheduled a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully her magical painful hands will work on these tired legs. I would really like to run again, but I don't want to feel pain anymore. It just isn't fun. I may have to break down and not run a single step for a week or so. I will go crazy if that happens.

Oh yeah...for my birthday I got a big chunk of cash money, so it looks like my wish of getting a cruiser bike will come true! I'm hoping to do some more test riding this weekend, so maybe I'll have another crosstraining activity to add to my non-running days! Hurray!

Miko loves Chad

She loves to lick his scalp. Gross.

Post-Birthday Dinner Pinot Silliness

Happy Birthday to me! No idea how much wine I have had. 32 feels
pretty darn good. Thankful for good friends and family.

A Rarity

Chad with all three Jones kitties in the same frame. Felicia on his
lap, Miko on the armrest, and Beans on the floor. A relaxing Sunday
at our house.

Ouch! Blisters!

And these puppies aren't from my running shoes. These are from the
cute red shoes that I wore on date night last night. Yes, the shoes
were already broken in.

The blister on my heel looked like it was a big open flesh wound last
night, but it turned out to be a long, juicy bubble.

I am afraid to pop them as much as I'm afraid to wear any shoes other
than flip-flops. These are worse than any blisters I have ever gotten
from running shoes.

Birthday Week!

Happy Birthday to my Dad, who turns 59 today! It is so crazy to think that he will be 60 next year. In only five days, I will turn 32. It seems like time has gone by so fast over the last few years.

Anyhoo, I'm ready to turn 32. It is such a blah age, not the 30 or 40 that call for big celebration. Hopefully the unimportant number this year means that the excitement will come from the rest of the 364 days instead of just one big day.

Happy Fall!

Our house is ready to welcome you to have a Happy Halloween and Happy
Thanksgiving!

A Little of This, A Little of That

What a splendid weekend. Really, Austin was the best place in the country to be this weekend. We had gorgeous (the best all year) weather, the home team won (hurray!), and our little family got some time to relax and take in the best of the season.

We celebrated Chad's mom's birthday on Friday night at Jasper's...great food, great wine. On Saturday, I got to run with my Tara and have two runner breakfasts (well, the second one was coffee only) with friends. The TXvOU game ended with the score in the right direction for celebration. Saturday night's sleep was 11 hours...simply divine. Top off the weekend with some good house cleaning, a touch of home improvement, simple Fall/Halloween decorations, and two meals eaten on patios, and I don't see how much could be better. Well, I hit race weight and fit into my smallest pair of pants...that made it better.

Life is good. May the good days continue...

Music Change - One

My favorite U2 song.

One

Is it getting better, or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you, now you got someone to blame?
You say one love, one life, when it's one need in the night.
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you baby if you don't care for it.

Did I disappoint you or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love and you want me to go without.
Well, it's too late tonight to drag the past out into the light.
We're one, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other... one

Have you come here for forgiveness,
Have you come to raise the dead
Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much, more than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got.
We're one, but we're not the same.
Well, we hurt each other, then we do it again.

You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law.
You ask me to enter, but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on to what you got, when all you got is hurt.

One love, one blood, one life, you got to do what you should.
One life with each other: sisters, brothers.
One life, but we're not the same.
We get to carry each other, carry each other.
One, one.

U2/Muse at Reliant

Just a short post to say that we had an absolute blast at the U2/Muse concert Wednesday night. Seeing my favorite band play with the biggest band on the planet was an early birthday treat of the highest level.

The Muse setlist was almost exactly the same as the setlist in Dallas, but instead of playing Unnatural Selection (from their latest album) in the middle of the set, they added Plug In Baby (from an early album) as their final song. The whole set was really awesome and Matt Bellamy's voice sounded absolutely brilliant belting out some of the choruses in that huge stadium.

Dance of the Knights (intro music)
Uprising
Map of the Problematique + Who Knows Who outro (watch)
Supermassive Black Hole
Interlude + Hysteria
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Time Is Running Out
Plug In Baby

U2's set was fabulous, as expected, and the visuals of the massive stage set-up were stunning. It is hard to describe, but as they kept calling it their 'spaceship', it did seem other-worldy at times.

Good times. No pics or videos. If you want to see some, see Mike's blog for pics and videos from the Dallas show.

Pre Show at Reliant Stadium

Music Change - Hysteria

Today is finally the Houston U2-Muse concert. Gahh!!! I'm so excited! A bunch of folks went on Monday to the Dallas show and said it was really great, so I'm completely pumped up to go.

So, in honor of the concert tonight - Hysteria

The Muse Wiki in case you'd like to know more about the song. Also the Wikipedia article on Hysteria is kind of an interesting read.

Muse - Hysteria

It's bugging me, grating me

And twisting me around
Yeah I'm endlessly caving in
And turning inside out

'cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
And I'm breaking out
I'm breaking out
Last chance to lose control

It's holding me, morphing me
And forcing me to strive
To be endlessly cold within
And dreaming I'm alive

'cause I want it now
I want it now
Give me your heart and your soul
I'm not breaking down
I'm breaking out
Last chance to lose control

And I want you now
I want you now
I'll feel my heart implode
I'm breaking out
Escaping now
Feeling my faith erode

Obligatory Voodoo Post

Yes, still catching up on Portland posts...Since there was so much excitement about going to Voodoo Doughnuts while we were in Portland, here is my post a la Mike and Keith.

We did make it to Voodoo Doughnuts on our last morning in Portland. It was Monday morning about 9:00am and there was absolutely nobody in line (which is crazy considering the line that was there all weekend). We walked right in the doors, admired the menu, the colorful case of doughnuts, and made our decisions rather quickly. Most of you know that I eat gluten-free, so this was a major breach in the diet. There aren't any gluten-free choices here...that would be mighty difficult to pull off. They do have vegan offerings that looked scrumptious, but I went ahead and ordered the "Captain My Captain", a yeast doughnut iced with vanilla frosting/glaze, topped with Cap'n Crunch cereal. Chad got a powdered sugar cake doughnut.

It was okay. Not my favorite, though I give it points for originality. I prefer a Dunkin' Donuts Blueberry Cake, a Krispy Kreme original, or that Krispy Kreme that has the white fluff in the middle with the chocolate icing (I think like the one Keith described, except I must clarify that I don't like the vanilla pudding creme, it must be the white fluffy icing in the center). After eating half of the Captain My Captain, I threw the rest away and suffered a horrible stomachache for the duration of the morning. As you can see below, Chad enjoyed his.

Working Out the Workouts

An update on running/non-running workouts - The past recovery week has been pretty great as far as workouts are concerned.

• We got back from Oregon late Tuesday night and Wednesday was a complete day off.
• Thursday evening I attempted to run 3 miles as a post-race shake out run and by the end of 2 miles I wanted to stop, not because I was hurting all that bad, but because I just didn't feel like running anymore. If I hadn't been running with Chad, I probably would have walked home. Add to that edging the front yard and it was a good way to end the day being active.
• Friday involved plans to go aquajogging with Katie, but waking up to thunderstorms and heavy rain nixed those plans pretty quickly. I didn't bother trying to squeeze in any other workout and just took the lazy Friday as an off day.
• On Saturday, Tara and I went to Kula Yoga to try the Yoga for Athletes class. I liked it pretty well. Parts of the class were easy and relaxing because it was first thing in the morning, while at other times during the class, my legs were burning and shaking as I tried to hold poses that should have been only moderately difficult. In all, it was a great balance of poses, perfect for post-marathon stretching and strengthening. Add to that tea and oatmeal at The Coffee Bean, and it was a great off-season Saturday morning.
• Sunday was attempt #2 at running. I managed to do 3 miles again, and it was easier than Thursday's run. I felt my hamstring and my toe, but the blood flow to both areas seems to be relaxing the muscles and joints. Part of me also thinks that all repetitive upward dog/downward dog transitions in yoga aggravated my toe joint. I'm going to have to be mindful of that as I roll from the top of my foot to the bottom. Oh, and speaking of the aftermath of yoga...my shoulders were so freaking sore. I guess running doesn't really use the shoulders and upper arms like yoga does. Ouch!
• Monday morning was better weather-wise for aquajogging until we all got to the pool. Big Stacy Pool is supposed to be heated by a thermal spring in the winter, but apparently that has to be 'turned on'. The water was not warm at all! Boo! We all still got in 30 minutes of aquajogging, but if they don't turn on the heat soon, I don't see us braving the chilly waters as much.
• Monday afternoon I went to another yoga class - Ashtanga I. I used to practice Ashtanga several years ago, so I knew that I needed to start again at the beginner level to not be completely embarrassed. Goodness, I'm glad I went to the level I class, because it turned out to be less explanation of the practice and poses and more of just diving into the sequence. I somewhat wished the instructor would have called the transition of breaths to movements a little more thoroughly for a beginner level, but I hung in there. Actually, I think I did pretty well for not having practiced in years. Running has definitely hurt my flexibility. It was obvious in a few poses that I could not bend like I used to and couldn't advance to the next variation like I used to. It is no matter, but the change in my body was obvious.

I'm going to keep up the yoga, the aquajogging, and the three mile runs for at least another week. I might throw in some weights and some hiking (not running) on the greenbelt soon as well for variety's sake. I hope all of my other Portland peeps are doing well and recovering, too. I don't miss the running as much as I do the group.

Birthday Party Crosstraining

The dance/step game at Dave & Busters definitely qualifies as crosstraining - movement and coordination are required. I danced a few rounds, one with the birthday girl, and almost worked up a sweat. Shooting hoops with Chad for a few rounds of 'Nothin But Net' counts as well.

Happy Early Birthday Mom!

Livin' on the Edge

Supposedly my car has a 15 gallon tank. Hmmm...

Flights!

At Cru

Portland Update - Round Two - Race Report

I don't think doing anything differently leading up to the race would have changed the outcome of Sunday's race. I was rested, hydrated, trained, all of that regular business. I did everything right. The weather was good. I had a clear strategy to follow. I didn't get it done on Sunday, and I knew my A, B, and C goals were all out the window fairly early on in the race.

Start - mile 8 - The start was great. I lined up just in front of the 3:20 pace group with a bunch of teammates. The wave start didn't bother me at all...I was running the pace I wanted to run from mile 1. Here are the things I remember - awesome drum groups and music on miles 1 and 2. Lots of crowds downtown cheering. The hills between 2 and 4 were much more significant than I expected, but it was great to have Jonathan and Keith nearby to help focus on my own pace rather than the crowds. I caught Keith on the downhill mile 4 and we ran several miles together at 3:20 pace. After about mile 5-6 we heard a train horn, and the whole pack of people near our pace group rumbled with assorted 'Oh Shit!', 'Thank God!', 'No Way!', as we realized that the train tracks that we had just crossed over were about to be closed due to a train in the middle of the course. Unbelievable! Thank goodness we were ahead of it already (as some of our teammates we found out were stuck behind it). The out and back from 7-11 was really flat. Maybe a little too flat in retrospect.

Mile 9-17 - This hurt way more than it should. I felt like I couldn't keep pace starting at mile 9. At mile 10, my hips started to hurt and I let Keith go with the 3:20 group. Mile 11 hurt in my feet and hips. Mile 12 was uphill and I felt like my neck was tired and that I was struggling to expand my lungs. Jon and Michael caught me (after having to make up time because they were caught by the train. Let me tell you that I wasn't hurting because I was tired. I was just hurting. It was like I had just done a 70 mile week and somebody was making me do my Sunday recovery run. Not fun.

By mile 13, I figured out that my sports bra (under my Nike long sport top) felt way too tight and I debated what to do about it for a mile. It was beyond uncomfortable and was the major cause of my upper body pains. So, I pulled over behind a chain link fence and did the old 'shirt trick' that girls do to take off their bras, but with a really tight, wet sports bra and not under a t-shirt...it took about a minute to get it off. When it was just me and my Nike top (which has a little support in it, though also completely white) I felt like a huge weight had been lifted, or rather that the super tight constricting band had been removed from my ribs, and I could now breathe and move freely. Running was better, though I felt like every spectator was now staring at my white tank top with cold nipples showing through. I have no shame.

From 15-17, my legs still hurt and I eased up the big hill nice and steady. A fully decked out Aggie passed me (male) and I was pissed off. I knew as we descended off of the bridge and my body did not like the downhill grade that there was not going to be any hope of any of my goals. Downhill was not going to be my friend.

Mile 18 - Finish - I remember being ticked off at some of my Facebook friends for quoting Finding Nemo in their status updates recently - 'just keep swimming...just keep swimming...' In the past, my usual marathon mantras are 'This, too, shall pass', 'Invisible rubberband', and 'You can do this'. Nope, not in Portland. Thanks to my Facebook friends, I repeated to myself over and over 'just keep running...just keep running...' a la Dorie in her sing-song voice. Argh, the stupid new mantra helped me move forward, but I was so annoyed that that is where my mind went for those lonely hours on the road.

I kept thinking about people who should be passing me. Ruth had passed me going up the big hill at 17, so I imagined Nedra would be right behind her. I saw Trey with his camera at about 19 and was confused as to why he was there...I thought Nedra was ahead of me and I had just missed her. I also thought I must have missed Kevin earlier in the day because I hadn't seen him at all. At about mile 20, I was resigned to just finish out the day with the best time possible and just keep moving forward. I tried to stay positive. I caught back up to Keith at that point, who got a friendly pinch on the butt from me as I passed :). Just keep running, just keep running...and there was some walking all through this part. I gave myself one minute at a time, but usually I only needed about 40 seconds.

Amy passed me going down Adidas hill and looked sad to see me. Julia and John cheered for me towards the end and lied to me that I looked good (at least it made me feel good). The last two miles were excruciating. I felt like stakes were being driven into my legs. I thought for sure my left big toe was broken. Nedra finally passed me at mile 25 and I was so relieved to see another familiar face. She had a good tempo going...just fast enough for me to hang on and stay 10-20 yards behind her. Thank goodness for Nedra, because she made the whole last 1.2 miles so much more bearable. I watched her hook 'em horns to some spectators wearing Texas gear (I was wearing a Texas hat). Nedra even saw a young woman wearing a burnt orange knit hat and scarf (not UT related) and gave her a hook 'em, too. I laughed at how entertaining it was to now have someone I knew to run behind. We passed back and forth the last .2 up the big hill and both had really strong finishes considering the kind of race we were both having.

Thoughts - I don't think I would have done anything differently (except for maybe the sports bra choice). I don't know where the pain came from other than my body had an especially rough summer battling hamstring and toe pain. I shouldn't have felt anything bad until at least 16-20, but I did. It sucks. I didn't get it done.

I'm really bummed that I did not PR, but I know that I'm much faster than the time that I posted on Sunday. A positive way to look at it is that I still get to say that my PR is from Boston for at least another 6 months and my Portland finish time of 3:38:57 will qualify me through Boston 2011. (I was already qualified for 2010 with my Austin marathon time this year.) An extra year of BQ is great for our little family as Chad and I have now two years to choose whether or not we want to run and it lets me have a little padding in the training schedule in case our family grows in the next two years. And yes, Chad beat me, and his outstanding time of 3:11:xx will also qualify him for Boston through 2011.

In the end, running marathons is a hobby for me and I'm very satisfied with the overall outcome of the season. Friendships have grown. I have gotten faster and stronger. I have a greater understanding of my body's abilities. The time on the clock wasn't as fast as I wanted - big whoop. Another day will come for me.

I am thrilled for the teammates of mine who had an awesome day. It was so exciting to see how well some folks ran.

Portland Update - Round One - Pictures

Yes, I will post a race report. Yes, I am disappointed in my race. Yes, I still had a great weekend. Yes, we took pictures.

First some pictures, because those are always more fun than paragraphs (and I have some of those, too). Link to more pics coming soon. This is a very small sample

Double Rainbow outside Rogue Team Meeting

Inside the Team Meeting

Recovery Day -

Multnomah Falls

Wine Country - Stop #1 - Erath

Stop #3 - Willakenzie Estate - Outside the tasting room.

Willakenzie Tasting Room Bar

Stop #4 - Lemelson - Best Pinot Noir of the day!

Tuesday Morning - Sky Tram

BFD Oregon style

Cupcake Jones

We may have a Portland Baby Name winner.

For a girl - Cupcake Jones
(follow the link)

Portland Update and Tracking Link

Hey y'all. We made it to Portland. Sorry I haven't posted any updates or any pics...honestly I'm in race mode right now and have just taken the time to focus on something other than food, sleep, packet pickup, and driving the course. There have been many things to take pictures of - the gap that we had to jump over to get off of the airplane, the line at Voodoo Donut at 11:30pm, the Willamette River on a clear, but overcast, Saturday morning, Portland Saturday Market, the bubbling water fountains, Club Rouge (as in red, not the misspelling of Rogue), and some beautiful sites from the course, but I don't think either Chad or I have snapped a single photo.

All I can say is I'm ready. My toe still hurts a little, my left leg is a little wonky, but overall, I'm feeling great. The weather is perfect, the course looks pretty fast, and I'm looking forward to eating dinner and going to sleep.

If you want to track me, go here - http://www.liveraceresults.com/liverc1/

I am bib 1233. The If there is a camera on the finish line, the race starts at 7:00am so look for me between 10:18 and 10:30 Pacific time (that is 12:00-12:30 for those of you in Austin who can't do time zone math) - I'm wearing a white tank top and black shorts, with possibly some arm warmers and gloves. If it is raining, I'll have a burnt orange hat on as well.

We're going on vacation!

Our two alphas together in the crate. Felicia and Beans are never
this close without hissing, swatting, and screaming at each other.
I'd call this progress.

Music Change - Imitosis

Andrew Bird is playing at ACL tonight at 7:30. When we saw him perform a couple of years ago, his show was one of our favorites. If you haven't heard him, enjoy...he whistles, and it is kind of cool.

Imitosis - Andrew Bird

He's keeping busy
Yeah, he's bleeding stones
With his machinations and his palindromes
It was anything but hear the voice
Anything but hear the voice
It was anything but hear the voice
That says that we're all basically alone

Poor Professor Pynchon had only good intentions
When he put his Bunsen burners all away
And turning to a playground in a Petri dish
Where single cells would swing their fists
At anything that looks like easy prey
In this nature show that rages every day
It was then he heard his intuition say

We were all basically alone
And despite what all his studies had shown
That what's mistaken for closeness
Is just a case of mitosis
And why do some show no mercy
While others are painfully shy?
Tell me doctor, can you quantify?
He just wants to know the reason why
The reason why

Why do they congregate in groups of four
Scatter like a billion spores
And let the wind just carry them away?
How can kids be so mean?
Our famous doctor tried to glean
As he went home at the end of the day
In this nature show that rages every day
It was then he heard his intuition say

We were all basically alone
Despite what all his studies had shown
That what's mistaken for closeness
Is just a case of mitosis
Sure fatal doses of malcontent through osmosis
And why do some show no mercy
While others are painfully shy?
Tell me doctor, can you quantify
The reason why?

October is Here!

The best month of the year has arrived! I really feel like the first nine months of the year are just weeks and days of anticipation for the party season. Each year, October brings the start of all things fantastic! Bring on the parties, bring the pumpkin, bring the spiced cider, bring the crisp, cool weather. Take out the burnt orange, the browns, the mustard yellows, the dark eggplant purple...I'm ready for a new color palette!

Here is what is on the calendar so far this October -

• Oct 2-6 - Portland Trip! Running, eating, touring, drinking wine, visiting family. Woohoo!
• Oct 8 - National Night out in our neighborhood
• Oct 11 - my mom's b-day party
• Oct 12 - Mom's b-day!
• Oct 14-15 - mini trip to Houston for Muse/U2 concert!
• Oct 16 - Chad's Mom's birthday!
• Oct 17 - TX v OU weekend - we're not going, but it is a must-watch game!
• Oct 22 - Dad's b-day!
• Oct 27 - My Birthday!
• Oct 31 - Halloween

Between all of the actual dates that have been planned so far, there are always various birthday dinners to attend. There is usually a dinner with Chad's mom. There will likely be a birthday combo dinner with my dad and me. I'm sure we'll also do something with my mom for my birthday. We'll also try to arrange/attend get-togethers with friends to celebrate birthdays and the marathon. The schedule is definitely going to be full!

Recovering from Portland could not be better timed...I'm ready to do all of the things that I haven't done the past few months. The celebrations can last into November as far as I'm concerned.

Also an answer to my prayers from my post yesterday - We are now in our first official cycle trying for a baby. I will not be blogging about it from here on out until we choose to go public with the news or until we know there is a complication that I would like to blog about. It could take a while or it may not. There won't be another post about it until December at the earliest. We'll see how it goes, and that is the exciting thing about it! Yay! This is the best news to start the best month of the year.

for my ladies out there...

cd 39 wtf? I'm right there with you. This time is supposed to be exciting and fun. It is not the same journey as you ladies, but the frustrations are similar. Please let me have cd1. Please.

The Filter - Censorship

Maybe I care too much about how other people feel. I wish I could truly use this blog as a way to express how I feel about certain things. Maybe it is because not all of the readers of this blog choose to be anonymous and I feel like I have an obligation to temper my feelings about certain subjects so as not to cause any problems with relationships or create unnecessary conflict.

I so badly want to blog about my 'mysterious post' from last week. I just don't feel like I can do so without damaging relationships further.

In most ways the situation has been resolved, even amicably I must add. However, there is still a lingering issue with me that I'm having a hard time letting go. I admitted last night that is affecting my race preparation. What I haven't admitted is how much the issue has had an effect on my excitement about the weekend. I don't really feel like being around anyone this weekend. I feel disconnected from the group and I know it is only because I am sensitive to how things make me feel. I'm trying to avoid feeling how I felt last week and all it is doing is making me that much more distracted from the primary focus of the weekend. All I want to think about right now is running a good race, sleeping in a king bed, drinking some great wine, seeing my relatives, and just enjoying the time away from home. Everything else is and has been a distraction. I have got to resolve the issue in my own mind, but I'm afraid that it will still be lurking in the back of my head until this weekend is over.

I tend to withdraw when there is conflict in my life. Only my closest friends will see my outwardly frustrated self, obviously vocal and unafraid to speak my mind. Everyone else gets the 'lay low', 'please everyone' personality that doesn't want to stir the waters. I wish I wasn't sensitive and could just blog away, not caring who reads this or how they might perceive my words. Instead, my personality sometimes demands the filter, the censorship, to protect me from additional conflict that will cause me to withdraw further

Sorry to be Debbie Downer and so vague again. Just as you know me to be smiley and upbeat, this is also what you get when you get to know me.

Music Change - Mike's New Songs

Well, four out of the six.

Voodoo, Schmoodoo - Beer, Schmeer

A bunch of folks on the team are excited about Voodoo Doughnuts being right next to the hotel. Blah, I shouldn't be eating them...they are not gluten-free. Same thing with all of the brew pub excitement...I don't drink beer anymore. Eh, I'm not going to be eating doughnuts, pasta, or drinking beer this weekend, so I'm having a hard time getting excited about some of the group stuff. Yeah, it will be fun to celebrate, but beyond the celebration, I'll be looking for other things to drink at those brew pubs.

I plan to seek out some great Oregon wine, some delicious fresh fish, and to indulge in the otherwise veg-friendly, gluten-free offerings at many of the local Portland restaurants. With all of the vegetarians and vegans that live there, it seems that restaurants in Portland are used to people with special dietary needs. I've never had more fun reading the online blogs and restaurant guides for any other city.

So back to the Voodoo Doughnut thing...I'm not excited about that. I'm excited about New Cascadia Traditional Bakery and so glad we have a car on Saturday so that I can get some goodies to eat the rest of the weekend. Yay!

Things to Avoid During Your Taper

Everyone has heard these things, the common items that coaches and other athletes recommend avoiding during the weeks prior to your big race. You've put all of the hard work in, your body is trying to get the rest it needs, so don't go and mess up your whole plan by doing something stupid.

• Don't start any new house projects - gardening, heavy lifting, painting, etc.
• Don't start going to the gym every day and lifting weights all the time now that you aren't running as many miles.
• Don't use your free time to drink like a fish or eat like a pig, even though your appetite might still be really high.
• Don't stand on your feet all day...Get off of your feet as much as possible the week of your race, especially the 2-3 days before.

I propose another item to add to the list. Chad and I tempted fate yesterday and did something that might jeopardize our race. I suggest we add the following item to the 'Things to Avoid During Your Taper' list.

• Don't risk your health by holding babies that don't belong to you.

Babies have germs. Powerful ones. Am I worried? A little. On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe about a 3. I love the baby we held yesterday, Aaron. He is my little nephew and I would never suggest that he is a sickly, germy baby. He does, however, harbor germs that I am not exposed to very often and I'm a little worried about how my body will handle it.

Yeah, we washed our hands. We should be fine, but I do have to tell you...Just moments after this pic was taken, I was holding Aaron and he ever so quickly blew spit directly into my mouth. Ack! Gotta love a kid who can read minds and foil your germ-free plan. He is clearly a genius.

This Time Next Week...

It is September 27, the start of what is supposed to be a really great month. We leave Friday to go to Portland. This time next week I'll be finished with the marathon, hopefully with a time and experience that I'll be happy with. I may not be racing again for a while.

What does this week have in store? I won't run tomorrow (forced day off), and I will likely opt for sleeping in on Tuesday morning instead of going to the workout. I do have some lingering issues with my left big toe, which is still causing tightness in the left hamstring. The toe thing is aggravated by any kind of non-easy running, so I'm not going to do any pace work at all until the marathon. I'm still very confident in my abilities to run a great race...I just don't want to aggravate my toe any further in the hopes that I can toe the start line pain-free next Sunday. Wednesday and Thursday will be short, easy runs, then we travel on Friday. I'm hoping the week flies by.

The weather is looking to be good for running. It will likely be in the mid 40's at the start (perfect in my opinion) and possibly a chance of rain. Here is the NOAA site. Here is the Accuweather site (which I don't really trust until 2-3 days beforehand). I'm excited to pack jeans, sweaters and a coat for tooling around in Portland. That is also perfect tea, coffee, wine drinking weather, so bring it on!

This past week of running was pretty good...a rain run on Tuesday with Jon and Keith (loved watching us all splash in the huge puddles and staring at the fast-moving swollen creeks), some good easy running in the 'hood, a workout with my hubby that was right on pace, and a fun 15 miler with the 3:15-3:20 men where I got to let go a bit on the downhill (why am I not running St. George again? I swear I would run 3:15 there this year). This season has been a good one getting used to my faster self, trying to figure out where I fit in the pack of the team. It will be a relief to let my body heal, to try some other things (yoga, aquajogging, weights, maybe a casual bike ride) in the weeks after Portland.

I'm also right on track weight-wise. I'm hovering between 139-140 (which I haven't been in a really long time), and if I were to stay here all week that would be okay. I feel strong. I'm still really careful about nutrition with the reduced mileage of our taper.

This year I'm going to start packing early. As soon as I hit 'Publish Post', I'm going to take out our suitcases and put them in the bedroom. The race outfit, shoes, and GUs will be gathered today. Hurray!

If it Kills Me

Ladies, do you have any smart, fun, single girlfriends? After a conversation yesterday I had with another woman, I think you should know we have an overwhelming number of smart, fun, fit single men in our running group...all great catches. I can count at least six or seven, and that is just in my group. For you single gals...Rogue is a great place to not only train hard and run a successful race, but to meet some of these great guys.

For Fall...the weather changed, moods will change. Time for some softer, more serious music. Enough of the bubble pop, fun-in-the-sun stuff that is always on the radio. So for all the men out there who have had 'friends' that you felt something more for...

If it Kills Me - Jason Mraz

Hello, tell me you know
Yeah, you figured me out
Something gave it away
It would be such a beautiful moment
To see the look on your face
To know that I know that you know now

And baby that's a case of my wishful thinking
You know nothing
Cause you and I
Why, we go carrying on for hours on end
We get along much better
Than you and your boyfriend

Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me

How long, can I go on like this,
Wishing to kiss you,
Before I rightly explode?
This double life I lead isn't healthy for me
In fact it makes me nervous
If I get caught I could be risking it all

Cause maybe there's a lot that I miss
In case I'm wrong

Well all I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me

If I should be so bold
I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand
I'd tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man
But I never said I would
I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again

All I really wanna do is love you
A kind much closer than friends use
But I still can't say it after all we've been through
And all I really want from you is to feel me
As the feeling inside keeps building
And I will find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
If it kills me
I think it might kill me

And all I really want from you is to feel me
Yeah, the feeling inside keeps building
I'll find a way to you if it kills me
If it kills me
It might kill me

I won the lottery last night!

Well, not the top prize. My ticket had two numbers plus the megaball, so I am a winner! Don't y'all start calling or emailing asking for money! My big $10 prize isn't going to be shared.

Only 2,998 tickets in all of the states that played won a prize higher than mine. Only 28,152 people plus me won $10 or more. That really makes me feel like a winner :).