Finish What You Start

Yesterday was a beautiful day. A perfect day for a marathon. Mom and I left for Akron at 5am and made one short stop before arriving at our final destination. Upon arrival in Akron we found the exit that we were to take was closed. Uh oh. So we continued on and got off at the next exit. Since we knew the race started near the University of Akron we followed the signs and surprisingly found it within minutes. In addition, free parking was easy to acquire. We got out of the car, got organized, walked out of the parking garage and were at the start of the race. Our arrival couldn't have been more perfect. As the National Athem was being sung we searched the corrals for Erika, with no luck. But considering it was still dark outside that wasn't a surprise. After the National Anthem finished, all of the sudden you hear, "Clang! Clang! Clang!" You feel the energy of the crowd rise, the huge bell continues to ring as the runners shuffle to the start, and take off. Oooh, goosebumps. After seeing everyone leave it was time to head to our destination at mile 3.

We staked out our position and readied our signs. It was then that I realized, "It's kind of cool out." With it being in the lower 50's my hands were quite chilly. Mom offered her earwarmer to keep my head warm, which definitely helped. Not long after we got to our first destination you could see lights in the distance. Then a high school band started up with "Eye Of The Tiger". You could then see the leaders of the pack coming into view. We had fun dancing around with our signs, hollering at the runners. Every so often we'd get some smiles and even a "thank you!" or thumbs up. At one point we even received and "O! H!" Of course we replied with a hearty "I! O!" We kept our eye out for the pacesetters with their signs. Knowing that Erika was more than likely around the 4:30 sign we kept our eye out for her. She unexpectedly came into view as the 4:15 sign passed and all I could do was quickly click a picture (which ended up blurry), yell, and give her a hug. I more than likely messed up her momentum but I didn't know what to do. I was so ecstatic to see her! We stayed in our location for a bit longer then it was time to move to our next destination, which meant it was our "possible first position" on KD's map.

While we were heading to the next destination at mile 9.5 I received a call from KD. I gave him an update and he said that they were on their way. Since the course looped back and forth at the beginning we ended up walking the opposite direction of the runners. While walking to our next place the leaders once again came into view. Goodness, they're fast! We staked out our area and readied our signs again. Not too much later KD called to notify us that they (KD, Erika's parents, and the kids) arrived and they immediately came into view as we were still talking on the phone. We kept our eyes open. This time I was able to see Erika from a distance and her cheering section broke out into our shenanigans. (Oh what fun that is!) She continued on and it was once again time to get moving. At this point we split up. KD and his crew had to head up to mile 19 and 24. Since mom and I were unsure of the area and didn't want to get stuck in traffic and run the risk of missing everything, we decided to go to the Canal Park Stadium, where the finish line was located.

By the time we got to the stadium the sun was shining down making a comfortable and beautiful day. The half-marathoners were steadily arriving. The runners entered from the outfield, continued around, down the 1st baseline, and finished near homeplate. After 2 hours and 27 minutes the men's leader in the marathon entered the stadium. He effortlessly finished the race. A few minutes later the men's second place entered the stadium. They continued to roll in. Then it was the women's turn. The woman's runner arrived at 2 hours 52 minutes. At that point we enjoyed everyone's arrival. There were signs with inspirational quotes leading the runners down to the stadium. One of the runners grabbed a sign and carried it into the stadium. It said, "Finish what you start." You had people high-fiving the crowd as they entered the stadium. A woman acted as though she was a plane and was coming in for a landing. There was also a wheelchair racer who had entered the race. You could tell he was trying with everyone ounce of his body to get to that finish line. Shoot! Arms aren't made for that. So amazing. Then a couple who was pushing their mentally handicapped son in a wheelchair. They had walked the entire half-marathon. The entire crowd would erupt in cheers now and again. And you'd have moments where sections would cheer for their specific person they were there to cheer on. So many emotions. Time continued on and we knew we were on the countdown for Erika's arrival. I didn't know what to expect from myself. My adrenaline was so high. All I could do was send positive thoughts and energy her way. I finally received a call from KD notifying me that they made it to the stadium and she's running on time. At that point they stayed where they were and we moved down to a new position so that we'd be right on the rail to encourage her. My camera was ready. Mom had the sign ready. Keep looking for the turquoise shirt....There she is! Erika! Oh my gosh. She's here. The moment was a blur. I don't even know what I was doing or saying. I just kept yelling and taking pictures. She finished. Just amazing. What an experience it was. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. You go through so many emotions throughout the day that it's something you can't even put into words.

Thank you Erika for your inspiration. It's because of you that I now run.

You finished what you started.

Ziggy, The New TV

Good morning! It's 4:30am and I'm up and ready to go. I'll be picking mom up here shortly then we'll be going on our little roadtrip down to Akron. It looks like it's going to be a a perfect day. High of 71 but Erika will get to run in the 50's-60's. And no rain forecasted. Beautiful.

Our weekend started off interesting. I got home and David says, "I've got some bad news...." Oh, what now? Our tv went. He was watching tv and "pop!" no picture. He messed with it a little and still nothing. And of course I said awhile back. "Well, when it goes then it will be time for a flat screen." I don't mind getting the flat screen, I just wasn't planning on it this soon! And you know David's going to hold me to it. He brought our little 12 inch tv from our bedroom downstairs so he had something for the afternoon. It looked quite funny I must say. So anyway, we've been pricing them here and there and basically knew what we wanted so mom and dad met us at Sam's club and we made our big purchase. It's a 37 inch Vizio. Not huge but bigger than our previous 32 inch. And MUCH lighter. I couldn't believe how light the box was. And after getting it into the house it was even bigger than I expected. So I guess I'm "happy" with what we got. I'm still sad to see our old one go for obvious reasons, but also because that was our wedding gift from Justin and Cass. Ah well. Of course David loves it. He couldn't wipe the smile from his face. As we drove home he said, "It's like Christmas." He'll love watching sports on it, especially now that we have the HDTV ability. He already played some Madden on it and was thrilled. I did notice a difference, but as for me, eh, I could honestly careless. I could probably even go without tv since I'm not that huge of a fan, but at the same time I understand David's thinking. I'll try to post some pics later, when I get home from the marathon.

Oooh, you know I'm taking my camera today, and will hopefully take lots of pictures. It's time to head out. Hey Erika! I'm sending positive thoughts your way. And don't forget....

The Forest Gump Mindset

David had another call for work at 2:30am this morning. That's two days in a row. I guess that's just something you deal with when you're on call. Yesterday morning he didn't leave immediately but today he left soon after receiving the call. I guess he couldn't sleep since it was on his mind, even though it wasn't an "emergency" call. He got back just as our alarm went off, so I rolled over to him and said, "Well? Are we running?" He said, "I'm real tired but I know I won't be able to sleep." So it was decided that we'd run but it would be our shortest route due to him having to leave early for work today...Thursdays he has to make an early morning deilivery to a factory so we get up early and have to run a shorter route.

We took off and since I had such a rough run on this route this past weekend I decided to try a different mindset. Instead of thinking, "This is the short route, it will be done before I know it." I thought, "Steady. This is such a long route. It's so far." I don't know if today was just a better running day or what, but it worked. When we were about halfway on our short route I thought to myself, "I think I'll go a little longer route to home." So I passed the information on to David and handed him the key to the house. I told him I should be home before he was out of the shower and that I wasn't sure what I was going to do but I knew I was going to atleast extend the route by another block. Well, I got to that point and thought to myself, "I've gone this far, how about another block?" Then it just kept happening and happening again. All the way until I ran another whole route. So instead of just running the 1.2 miles that was planned, I ran 2 of our shorter routes that totalled 3.3 miles. Not bad. I guess I had a bit of Forest Gump in me today...I'd hit one goal and figured if I made it that far I might as well keep going. All the while singing "bumpin' up and down in my little red wagon." (think 1 little, 2 little, 3 little indians melody. Great song by the way. A children's singer/songwriter named Raffi. Always listened to him as a kid. Recently I was downloading some songs for a friend's child and it brought back fond memories). Ah, a great run that was unexpected.

I'm also getting pumped about this weekend. This weekend is the Akron Marathon, which Erika will be participating in. Will I be there? You bet I'll be there! Even if it takes leaving at 4:30am, I'm going to be there. This will be my first marathon experience so I can't wait to stand on the sidelines and cheer her on. I've got my sign ready and all. I've got a sign? Heck yeah I got a sign. Actually, I've got 2 signs. If I'm going to do this, I'm doing it right. Don't forget to holler at her before Saturday. Go Erika Go!

We've Got Grass

The little area in our backyard that I seeded last week is already producing some grass. Cool. I have't really ever grown grass or paid attention when my parents had, so I didn't expect it to produce that fast. It will be full and lush before we know it. Just one more little thing to beautify what's around us.

Ah, today is already Wednesday. David had an unexpected call this morning for work so he was unable to run. And instead of getting up as early as we usual do, I slept in a bit and then headed out on my own. It's amazing how your mind and body work. After learning that David had to go into work early I just thought to myself, "I'll just take the day off running." But would I let myself do that? Heck no. You almost guilt yourself into doing it. But I guess it's a good guilt trip in the scheme of things, eh? David's also having the same "problem" as me, so at least I know I'm not the only one guilting myself into running. It's so stupid if you think about it though. Because as you wake you have this, "ugggh" feeling but once you get out moving and afterwards you feel great. I guess if I look at the situation closer it's not so much tough to get out running, as it is to actually wake up at 5am and move. Okay, enough analyzing.

Our break in weather has come but it's real overcast today. I'm just waiting for it to start raining. As of yet I believe we've been in the pockets of no rain. We shall see as the day goes on. But it looks as though the cooler weather is here to stay for a couple days. A few degrees cooler would be even better.

Time to get ready for work. Have a wacky Wednesday!

Poor Sloopy

I woke up this morning to an email from mom saying Sloopy wasn't acting right. I headed over there to find that she was right. Poor guy. He ran to me when I entered then let out several yelps. So he'll be taking a trip to work with me today. Wish him the best!

Monday's Thought For The Day

Happy Fall

First things first....Go Tribe!! This is the first year in a long time that we've (especially me) been following the Indians closely. Can't wait to see what is yet to come.

It was a great weekend. Saturday started with a round 3.0 mile run. Oy. I don't know if it was because it was later than usual...with the sun up, the change in route, added hills, or what, but I felt like I was struggling big time. But with that behind me, I continued on with the day. First edging the yard and then school work almost all day long. We went to the 'rents for the OSU game and visited with J and Cass, as they came in town for the day. During the game I got some more school work out of the way. By the time the game was done my mind had decided that it was done with schoolwork too. We headed to CP for a couple hours. I don't know if that was such a good idea though. It was PACKED. Looking for a parking space I even tooted my horn at someone. I never do that but I couldn't help but do it considering there were people everywhere, including the middle the the drive. Of course I received a couple obscenities but that's okay. After deciding there were no spots up front we traveled to the back to find an abundance. We didn't ride any rides, but it was a great night to enjoy the weather and get a tasty treat. Hopefully we'll be able to get over there one of these Friday nights to actually enjoy a ride or two without a million people.

FYI...to those who don't know, according to Sita and Alpa, CP is doing a new thing with passes next year. Surprise, surprise. I swear they keep making huge changes on a yearly basis. This year was the thing where you don't receive a parking pass on your vehicle but it goes on your pass. I wasn't really against it, however whoever has the parking pass must be in the vehicle in order to use it. In all honesty I'm not sure how strict they are on this policy, as we've always gone over there together and David's never needed it by himself. But the idea I'm sure has messed up other individuals. Okay, so for the 2008 season passes, this is the deal. You can purchase the regular pass at a certain amount as normal. However, the only way you have the ability to purchase a parking pass is to purchase the Cedar Point/Soak City pass. In other words if you purchase a regular pass you cannot purchase a parking pass, meaning you have to pay $10 (probably $10.50 next year...just a guess) for parking. Geez oh petes. Bite that hand that feeds you. So all this talk about how Cedar Point is struggling so bad I find hard to believe. If that's the case I don't think they'd be doing this, because some may not want to invest that much more money into the pass. As for us, they are our Christmas gifts from Sita and Alpa, and we are very thankful for their generosity. We will be getting the Cedar Point/Soak City pass for obvious reasons, however in our case we had pushed around the idea of getting that pass this year but decided to wait on it. Once again, I know there are others out there that are not as fortunate as us, which may mean no passes at all and no money in CP's pocket...just my thinking of course. Just wanted to pass that info onto you.

So where was I....Sunday. Sunday we woke up and went for a short run. Once again, for the second day in a row I felt like I was struggling. What's the deal? I think one thing was that David and I didn't communicate before leaving. Instead of going for a longer run, we went shorter and he decided to go a tad faster than usually. Of course as we're running I'm telling him that I need to slow down and he's yelling back, "I'm not going fast." Then I yell, "We're going 9:45 according to the Garmin." And then he says, "You can't lean on that thing like it's a crutch." Oh, it wasn't very pretty. Ah well. It's the first time that we had a slight disagreement about running but after 2 minutes of discussion upon arriving home (after catching my breath) we were cool and continued on with the rest of our day. I got to continue pushing myself through the discomfort but he has to still understand that I have limitations. We went to Panera for lunch with the 'rents and then I bummed around with mom while David went home to hang with his dad and listen/watch all the sports. Tonight we had our first dinner night of the season. Last fall we started dinner night up in the fall and continued on for a couple months...it's the best time to start that type of thing, so why not do it again? It's decently cheap and you can't complain about the company either.

It's about that time to head to bed. I can't believe we're in our last week of the month. That's just crazy talk.

New Shorts....Again.

Today is my day to sleep in. Do you think I could?? Of course not. About 2 days ago my throat started having "that weird feeling". Yesterday I noticed it more and then last night I woke up in the middle of the night with a definite throat that was swollen and a slightly stuffy nose. Great. It's too early to get a cold. So at 7:30am my body couldn't sleep any longer and I came downstairs...took my vitamins and added Zicam, Vitamin C, and a glass of orange juice to the mix. I can only attribute getting a funk to over doing it. This week my body has been telling me to slow down but I don't listen. When I get off work I feel like I could literally fall down but by the time I get home it's as though I get my second wind and I'm ready to go. I've been struggling with some anxiety this week but can't pinpoint the source. In all honesty I think it has multiple sources including school and work. But along with my anxiety comes the need to clean the house. I never knew until recently that cleaning the house is a sign of my anxiety. I'm not talking just cleaning normal things, I'm talking about turning things upside down. Because I feel I don't have a sense of control over things around me, I clean because it's something I have control of. Weird, I know.

It seems like just yesterday I was telling you about how we had purchased David some new shorts that were a smaller size. The point was to get shorts and swim trunks before summer ended, to have them for our trip to Hawaii in December. Well, the time came once again, but finding shorts is close to impossible at this point. Everytime he goes down a size I ask him "Should you go one size smaller or atleast purchase one size smaller at the rate you're going?" And he looks at me as though I have 2 heads and says, "Heidi, I've never been that small, and never will be." Ha! But then within a couple weeks his shorts are ready to fall down even with a belt. Once again we're thrilled about this, but the cost of it hasn't been so enjoyable. As stated previously I'm glad that he doesn't require name brand shorts and will settle for the Levis at Walmart, but it still adds up considering we've been purchasing at least 2 pairs of shorts per month for the past couple months. And remember, he got one pair of jeans awhile back. We've decided he's going to settle with those until the real cool weather hits before purchasing another pair, considering he may be even smaller by then. Okay, so he needed more shorts and we were at Walmart so we looked. No go. Totally picked over and no options. I knew Old Navy wouldn't have any, as they were gone a couple months ago and that's why he had Walmart Levis. He thought that Kohls would have some but I disagreed since they had their labor day sales already and thought they'd have nothing. And he said that it was atleast worth a try. We arrive and headed toward the clearance racks. Found a pair. Oh, then another in a different wash! Then I was thinking, what about swim trunks? Just for the heck of it, I looked and found 2 decent pair. He went and tried them on. All perfect, and slightly snug, meaning he has room to loose if it happens. Whew! I was beginning to lose hope and thought we'd have to search the internet for shorts. I guess I was wrong about Kohls not going to have anything and I apologized to David. But wait, our story gets better. The swim trunks were both about $10, normally $40+ each. And one pair of shorts was $6 and the other $12, even though they were the same style, just different wash. When we checked out we thought it was worth a try to ask if they could honor the lower price for both considering those circumstances and the woman says, "Whatever makes you happy." Say what? Yep, so David got 2 pair of Levi shorts, normally $40 each for a total of $12. That's what I'm talking about. Now, of course I asked David if we should look at the size 32's and I got "the look" again. Only time will tell. I love that he's losing weight in a healthy way and that he's happy too, but I don't know if I can handle much more of this short dilemma on a monthly basis.

On a much lighter note....Go Buckeyes!

Salsa In The Mouth, Good. Salsa In The Purse, Not So Good

Do you ever have the feeling that something bad is going to happen and then it actually does. I had a moment like that yesterday. I got home from work and with it being my early night off David and I decided to go out to eat and spend some time together, instead of diving into my books. When I got home I ran upstairs and changed. As I was putting on my brand new crocs t-shirt I just had this feeling that I was going to something on this shirt. I didn't think much of it, ran back downstairs and we head out. So where to eat? Casa Real? Casa Real it is....one of our favs. It's great food for a great price. And even better, David and I can share a meal and get out of there without spending more than $12 with tip and they're super fast. On with the story...we sit down and are munching on our chips and salsa, chatting it up, and our food arrives. Trying to be nice I attempt to move the salsa bowl out of our way for the waitress to set down our dish and "splash!" there it went. All the salsa. The waitress didn't know what to say but "oh!", my husband's laughing at me, and I just smile and accept the napkins from the waitress and say, "oh well." Okay, my shirt is spared, so technically my premonition didn't come true, however my shorts and purse didn't fair so well. And we're not talking just a splash on the purse. We're talking all the salsa on and in the purse. Ha, I just wanted to take some home with me that's all. David didn't realize that it was actually in the purse until I said, "I don't appreciate you laughing at me." That's when we knew I was serious and found out that it wasn't just on the bench but all over me and the purse. I cleaned it up with the million napkins from the waitress, we ate, and then went home so I could change and salvage items from my purse. Ah, that was fun. I just tell myself, it could be worse. It could've been on my new t-shirt and I guess God was trying to tell me it was time to wash that purse and change to a new one anyway.

I must share with you one more reason why I love our kids. As most people, we have a routine in the morning. We get up, I change into my gear upstairs while David heads downstairs to change and let Lily outside. By the time I come down it's time for her to come inside. You would think that she'd go to her bed and lay down, but every morning she sits in her spot, on a rug, in the kitchen, watching us move about. When it's time to stretch out she comes over to greet us and then heads back to her spot. Viking does the same thing. He'll be in the papisan chair but when he sees us hit the ground he comes for a greeting then heads back to his spot too. As we leave, Lily watches us walk out the door. I think it's cute because it's as though she's seeing us off in the morning. And when we arrive home, as we stick the key in the door you can see her head pop around the corner, out of her pod bed, and she comes to say, "Hi mom and dad, welcome home. How was your run?" It's just cute. And then when we pull out of the driveway, 9 times out of 10 you'll see Mr. J in the window watching as we leave. Once again, seeing us off. I can't help but think of that Tidy Cats commercial, where they're having the party. I just think that Mr. J is acting as the lookout and when we're gone he says, "Alright, They're gone. Let's have a party!" So silly I know, but it brings a smile to my face everytime each of them do it, and it just gives me one more reason to appreciate their presence.

Keepin' Busy

I have an hour before it's time to hit the sack so I figured I'd check in with ya'll. It's been a full past 48 hours. To put it in a nutshell, our Halloween decorations are up, I'm through week 3 assignments (and working on week 4) in all my classes, and have even done some yardwork.

I can hear everyone now...."you have your halloween decorations up?" Heck yeah! The stores definitely got to me with having all their stuff out and I figure if we put so much time into decorating, we're going to enjoy it. With that being said, in all honesty we're still in the process of decorating. The lights on the fence and garage have to be put up, but the porch, bushes, and inside of the house are done. We almost decorate all the way up to Halloween night. I must say though, considering we're decorating so early it leaves no time for "fall decorating". And I just can't get into Thanksgiving decorating too much considering Halloween is at the end of October and then right around the corner we decorate for Christmas. It just isn't worth it. And as always, by the end of the "season", no matter what holiday, I'm ready to take decorations down and sometimes even start that night. Yeah, we all know I'm crazy.

So far this semester seems to be going quite well and as always, I'm learning a ton of information. It looks as though they've scratched the video assignment for the one class I was expecting to do this semester. Whew! One less thing to do. I'm not complaining. This is my second consecutive semester of doing 3 classes and I haven't lost my mind yet. So that's good too. We're also preparing for our AAHA inspection that is in November. So everyone's busy at work getting things where they need to be, basically crossing our t's and dotting our i's. With that comes responsibility, which tends to land on me since I'm there everyday and mostly since I've gone through this before. For those who don't know, AAHA stands for American Animal Hospital Association. It's something that you have to strive to achieve and isn't easy to acquire or maintain. Once you acquire accreditation you are inspected every few years to verify that you're doing everything up to par. Basically it's jumping through the hoops for the sake of the animals we treat...from certain record keeping, safety measures, to the quality of care that we administer. And technically all we get out of it is a plaque on our wall, but it's comforting to me to know that we are doing things "right" and our clients can be assured that we are taking appropriate measures to make sure we are. There's only about 13% of veterinary hospitals in the United States that are accredited and I've been lucky enough to have 2 of my 4 hospitals that I've worked for be AAHA. Okay, enough information about AAHA.

Now, for the yardwork. We've finally decided to work on the back corner of our backyard. It's the part that was originally a square "garden". Last year we angled it off and planted some foliage in the corner, but the outline of a square was left. I wanted go an entire year, verifying that I got all the grape hyacinth and other bulbs out. I could only imagine planting grass and then having to dig it up again. That'd be a bummer. So tonight we went to The Depot and got 6 huge bags of soil and grass seed. As the sun was going down I was still spreading and watering the stuff, but it's done....atleast I think so. In all honesty I think we'll need more soil since I think it's going to settle lower than hoped, but David says it will be fine. We'll have to see. It will be great when we have grass and not a huge dirt area. I also spread some seed in a few bare spots in the lawn. We're lucky to have a great quality of lawn due to the previous owners, but of course you always dream of that beautiful carpet-like lawn. The kind you lay down and say, "ahh...." Ok, maybe that's just in my dreams and in the commercials. But that's alright.

The fall weather has diminished and it looks like we're back into summer mode for the next few days. I'll appreciate when the fall weather comes back. I like that cozy, comfy feeling. The kind that makes you want to pick apples or something. Okay, so I've never actually been apple picking, but I think you get what I'm saying. Oooh, apples means apple cider. Sounds good. Soon enough!

Monday's Thought For The Day

40 Pounds And Counting

I know I've already posted on here about David losing weight and changing sizes, but I just had to share with you something. The other day David came downstairs and said, "Well, I did it....I broke 200 pounds." I think that's so awesome and am very proud of him. Go, Baby, Go! And I've still lost and am maintaining at 115. So we are thrilled. It's kind of funny but you don't notice it until you start looking at pictures, even from a few months ago. I know I don't really look all that different, but David sure does. Those positive moments and looking at yourself in the mirror thinking, "is that really me?" are what drive you to get up at 5am and run in 49 degree weather....yeah, trust me, not that fun, but well worth it.

And as with previous posts, my hypothesis is still ringing true....the more adverse the conditions with being rainy and/or cool, the faster we go. It was quite chilly this morning and after transferring my Garmin info I noticed a lower average time. Looking through our run log, everytime we have a lower average time, it's been cold, rainy, or both. Guess my body's trying to tell me to go faster so I can get home faster. Today, I think David was just hyped about going to the Vikings game =) Whatever it is, it's working!

After working and visiting at the nursing home yesterday we spent the rest of the night bumming around. That included stopping at David's 'rents for awhile. It wasn't until a week ago that we found out they still we keeping some odds and ends of ours. Whoops! I was wondering where all my dresses went. I just thought I had thrown them in a Goodwill pile mistakenly. Nope, just at Sita and Alpa's that's all. So we dug through all our stuff and sorted things out.

I got to tell you about my hair dilemma. I actually blowdried and curled my hair yesterday, considering I thought I should be a little more professional with our first visit to the nursing home. It was a first time in a long time. Hey, give me a break, it takes forever to fix hair and you try doing that, on a daily basis, after running, and you're sweating your butt off in the bathroom. Not happening. Anyway, I realized a "tail" had appeared again. Yes Jacki, I have a tail too and I understand what your frustration was. It's something I don't usual notice, but it drove me nuts yesterday. I've also noticed that anytime I do my hair I get an achy neck or headache throughout the day. It's the weirdest thing. I'm figuring it's the flicking of my head trying to get it out of my face or something (and that's even with a clip or bobby pin). So Sita trimmed my tail last night and my hair feels much better today. I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it to the length it must be to donate. I've just had some roadblocks lately....my hair is starting to break off due to pulling it back everyday, which will not be changing anytime soon. Actually, the longer it gets, the more of the hair I will pull back. And my cousin told me that most people actual prefer synthetic wigs to real hair wigs. Kind of a bummer hearing that. So I'm just unsure about what to do at this point. I will admit that I should go more often and get my hair trimmed, but everytime I do, they hack it off and it's hard to find someone that I love how they do my hair, and I don't want to pay tons either. Personally I prefer my hair a little shorter than it is now, with it stacked in the back and longer in the front, but I also long to be able to pull my hair back in a ponytail. The problem is, when it gets long I never know what to do with it and it always becomes a hassle. And when it's short, I want it to be long and you have to go so often to get it trimmed. Don't you just wish we could have a switch that allows you to change your hair length on a daily basis?

Skol Vikings!

David and his dad just left to head up to Detroit to see the Vikings vs Lions. You know me and I had to get some pictures before he left.....I remember when we were in high school and he'd go to a game. He'd have a jersey, normal hat, and a coat on. I think every game he kicks it up a notch. He's one devoted and crazy fan....Helmet, check! Customized jersey, check! Wristbands, check! Crazy socks, check! Viking crocs and Jibbitz, check!

His Custom Helmet

Lily's Debut

Today was Lily's debut as a therapy dog. As with most experiences you have your doubts and concerns, but it definitely met our expectations. Lily and Jackson (my co-worker's dog) did very well, with no problems, and I think the individuals at the nursing home enjoyed our visit. Basically what we did was went around with a worker to meet everyone and to see who liked/disliked dogs. At this time we'll continue going around with someone until we get adjusted and people get to know us. It was an enjoyable experience and we're looking forward to future visits.

Ready To Go!

Whew! It's Tiring Making People Smile.

Watch Out For Them Thar Sidewalks. They'll Jump Up And Bite Ya!

A new season is here. With the change in seasons comes a change in running issues too. No longer are we worried about being too hot while we run. The newest thing is trying to see in the dark and trying to find a happy medium between hot and cold.

Let's start with the darkness. It's great to be able to run under the stars, but not being able to see where your feet are going isn't so much fun. Over a week ago I almost took a tumble, only to catch myself and keep going. Then yesterday it was David's turn. It was raining and there was a downspout that was overpouring with water. To avoid getting wet I hurried to get in front of David and all of the sudden "crash bang boom! he was on the ground. But man is he fast! Before I could even turn around to say "are you ok?!" he was up and running. Of course I was all worried about him as he just brushed it off. Come to find out later that he tripped, tucked his shoulder, did a somersault, and just kept going. I didn't know he was that limber! I guess something good did come out of the Marine Corps. I've been looking for something to use since it's been so dark but haven't come up with anything creative yet. With already having my mace/keys in one hand I don't want to be carrying a flashlight in the other. I've already moved on to the headlamp/head torch idea, but really don't care to go that route considering I'd look like a miner running down the street. Ah, but it'd be a good laugh though. We'll just have to see. After thinking about it we realized our best lit route is the one we tend to run the most so we may just have to stick to that for the time being and hope that with the time change it will help.

As for the hot/cold issue. Fall seemed to come overnight last night here in northern Ohio. We knew it was coming considering we keep an eye on the weather, but it still doesn't make it easy. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE fall weather, it's just trying to get my body used to it, especially with the whole running thing. I know I don't want to dress too warm, but at the same time I don't want to freeze before getting warm enough. Before we went to bed we checked the weather to find that it was supposed to be 54 degrees at 6am. I then headed to my running gear to decide what to wear. I had first decided capris and t-shirt, but David talked me out of that saying that I'd be too warm and that I need to wear shorts. So it was decided that I wear shorts, t-shirt, and an Adidas jacket. We woke up and it was quite chilly...however not as chilly as predicted. Only 60 degrees according to our thermometer. We did an out and back run. It was a brisk start to the run with some wind but then it diminished. By the end of the first half I was pretty warm. Warm enough to unzip the jacket. Then we started to head back. Oh boy, wind coming at us. I was wondering where that wind went, ha! it was at our backs...now we were heading right into it. Then the chill came over me. I was hot and cold at the same time. To make it worse, inside my nose started having that weird feeling of being in cold weather. I could feel myself falling apart physically and mentally, but I wasn't about to give up. I kept going with my thighs burning and all, self-talking through it. "Come on Heidi. You can do it." And we made it. I know running will always have it's surprises but this first year I know will definitely have it's challenges with all the seasonal changes. Hey, something to look forward to, even if they are challenges, they are challenges that we can overcome. Drive, Drive, Drive!

Oh yeah, with my crazy schedule this past week I forgot to blog about the alcohol and my foot. I bet I got you wondering now....So the day after I got back from Florida I was doing wash and pulled down the detergent off the shelf and all of the sudden there was immediate pain coming from my foot. "Son of a....." The isopropyl alcohol that I had been using for the dryer fiasco, a couple weeks ago, was up on the shelf next to the detergent. Well, that little puppy, the entire quart, decided to plop down on my foot. Youch! It hit the top of my foot right behind the 3rd-5th digits. It immediately began to swell and I had a decent amount of pain for the first 24 hours. Knowing nothing was broken, I kept running and as time went on it continued to change color on a daily basis. In all honesty I think it looks worse now than it did when it happened. I don't have the aching pain anymore, but if the bruise receives pressure it lets me know it's still there.

Okay, enough of this blogging stuff tonight. I gotta hit the books for an hour or so, even though I've had my nose in the books almost the entire day...all morning before going to work and every spare second I had at work. And it's only the 3rd day of the semester.

Newest Additions To The Family...

...croc family that is. During my trip to Florida I acquired another pair of crocs. Yes, that makes 6 pairs for me. I was so pumped to find dark purple, almost metallic in color, crocs that they were a must-have. Then David's came soon after (that's 4 pair for him). I ordered him the NFL Viking crocs back in late June only to find that they were on backorder. After almost 2 months of waiting I cancelled my order and placed a new order through a different seller. I was hoping that they'd be the same color as mine, as it's almost a perfect match to the Viking's helmets, but didn't want to get my hopes up. Well, they are the exact same color and perfect. Now we're just waiting for Viking Jibbitz!

Back To Business

Ok, time to get back to business. Last week was kind of a foo foo week just because I was all messed up. Then this weekend I was just trying to take it all in before digging back into the schoolbooks. In other words, school starts today. Will it ever end? I keep reminding myself it will. Let me tell you this, when it does, I will not miss the anxiety/nervous feeling at the start of the semester. Last night I went online to check if my classes were listed. Bad idea. They were, but at that point it was time for bed and too late to do anything. Meaning, I went to bed with my mind racing. Considering that and my too many naps I took throughout the weekend, I had a horrible nights rest and feel quite cranky this morning.

Yeah, so about naps, they totally threw my sleeping schedule off, which made me go to bed late and get up late, causing me to not be able to sleep. Darn football season. Give me a break. I can get into about 1/2 a game but after that I'm gone. Seeing guys ramming into eachother 50 million times just isn't my thing. Not to mention the amount of anxiety of get from just watching a game can get outrageous. After awhile I get stir crazy, so napping is a way to pass the time. And trust me, it's not just with football. I just hate sitting still. And God love my husband, but I don't get a break during the year, different season, different sport. And when it's the off season of the sport he's still analyzing all the ins and outs of what's going on. I'd say he's a diehard Vikings fan but he still knows all of the stats of all the other teams. Same goes for all the rest of the sports. It could definitely be worse and I am very lucky that he's willing to miss a quarter of a game here or there (depending on the game of course and depending on what we have to do), but for the most part, especially in the fall, Saturdays and Sundays are sunrise to sunset football. Ugh, more time to do school work, right?

Time to get ready for work. Here's to hoping today starts getting better!

Monday's Thought For The Day

A Pipe Dream Can Become A Reality

One thing with being part of the "analyzing family" (that's what David calls us) is that I'll sit and ponder a thought. This can happen from hours on end. I'll go from one idea that leads to another idea, to another, and so on. I could end on an idea that doesn't even seem related to the original thought, but somehow I got there. And after I finish my thinking, if I set my mind to getting something, it gets in my mind that "it will happen."

So a couple days ago I was sitting thinking. First I that "It was great to be able to go on a trip to see family". Then my thought was "It is great to be able to go on a trip with my mom." Then "I'm so thankful to have a husband that will not only let me go on the trips, but also spend the money to go on a trip." Then "You know, I think it'd be cool for David to go on a trip, to get away from it all." Then, "He's never been on an actual trip with just him and his dad." Then "Maybe I could do that....send them away on a trip." Then "To where? Ah ha! Minnesota, to a Minnesota Vikings game." Then, "Knowing that it will be a little more expensive than my trip, I could do it for his Christmas present." So then I was on a roll.

To break it down a bit....David's dad has always been a Vikings fan, so naturally David was born a Vikings fan. They've watched them through the years through the ups and downs (with mostly downs), but have always stayed true Vikings fans. A few years back we all took a road trip up to see them play in the Metrodome, which was everyone's first "Metrodome experience." Having always had to see them up in Detroit playing the Lions they were always outcasts...got made fun of, had beer spilled on them, etc. When we went to the Metrodome we were on home turf and it was an amazing experience. I just thought it'd be an awesome thing to be able to send them to Minnesota, to see a Vikings game, just the 2 of them, and fly them there, so they wouldn't have to drive.

Hmmm, it could be just a pipe dream, but dreams never become a reality without trying. Time to get Sita in on it and get the ball rolling. We stopped by their house last night and I presented the idea to Sita and she said to check it out. I was hoping to be able to surprise the guys, but wasn't sure exactly how I was going to do this. If you remember, I've never been able to surprise David. The problem I could see was trying to determine what game and if they'd be able to get off work.

I got home and got on the internet to see what I could find. To my surprise the Vikings tickets were cheap. I'm talkin' $15 cheap. Sweet. Now, what game? Through process of elimination I had to narrowed down to the San Diego Chargers on November 4th or the Oakland Raiders on November 18. The problem I ran into was our trip to Hawaii, Monday Night Football, and the holidays, so it was determined, The Chargers. Ok, over to flights. Check Cleveland, Toledo, then Detroit. Detroit's cheapest, there we go. Then to choose which flight. They could leave on an early Saturday morning and arrive in Minnesota by 9:30 am leaving an entire day for Mall of America, then they could leave on Monday afternoon, allowing them Monday morning to do something too. Okay, check that off. A rental car...check! Now for a hotel. The closest one I could find was 1/2 mile away from the Metrodome and then there was one 12 blocks away for $10 cheaper a night. Considering we've already been to Minnesota in the winter and had to walk those 12 blocks before I chose the closest one....Baby, it's cold outside! That way they'll also be "in the action with tailgating." I check every site known to man to compare deals, etc. and have it decided who I was going to go with for what. Alright, back to Sita...."This is what I got." And she says "go for it!" That's when my realistic side kicks in and I think, "you know, I really need to check with the guys on this one...I'm sure they won't care who they go to see play, but I wouldn't want to choose a total bust and I want to make sure that something isn't already on their schedules for that date." I pulled David over to the computer and present the idea. His face lights up and he's just short of doing the happy dance. I then call Alpa and ask him, "Would you be willing to go with my husband on a trip?" He answers with an unsure voice, "yeah." And I say, "What about to Minnesota? And how about adding a Vikings game to that trip?" I could read the excitement in his voice as his "yeah." becomes more definite. But then of course he must ask, "Who's paying for this? How is this happening?" And I just tell him, "I got connections" and leave it at that. At that point the guys get on the phone with each other and they remind me of little boys. Just chatting away, and then I hear Alpa say, "I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight." Okay, my surprise didn't exactly go as I had planned in my head, but the reaction from the guys was just as good as I had hoped, if not better.

This goes to show you that pipe dreams can become a reality, even in just a few short hours with a little research, faith, and patience.

Florida Recap

Like I said in the last post, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things. The trip was wonderful. So great to see family and just chill. It was a great getaway. Chill, eat, swim, sleep, repeat. And boy did I do a lot of it all. I even ran. And not only did I run, I ran everyday while we were there, which was unexpected. But since I was eating so much I thought it was the least I could do. The runs went fine, just VERY humid, as expected.

When we arrived Aunt Diana picked us up and we headed over to Uncle Jerry's store. After that we stopped by Sports Authority to check a few things out, then headed to their place. We had lunchmeat for lunch and hung out by their pool. Tired from waking at 2:45am mom and I took a nap. When we woke Chris, Sam, and Ben had arrived....time for a swim! After Jerry and Courtney arrived we had Iguana Mia...one of my favs. Yum Yum! We hung out for the rest of the night, watching tv, and chilling by the pool.

The next day I got up and ran then mom and I headed to Dunkin' Donuts and right on up to Grandma and Grandpa's. After Jerry and Diana arrived after us, we had lunch and then went to their huge, awesome, pool area. It was a gorgeous day and the temperature of the pool was perfect. Not only was I able to get some sun but they have a resistance pool so I got to get some exercise too. After swimming it was time for a snack at Sonic. Yes! I LOVE Sonic and I miss it oh so much. They have commercials here but the closest one is over 4 hours away. What's up with that? We basically killed our appetites for dinner but there's always room for a little of Grandma's Fluff (Fruit Salad). We spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa then headed back to Cape Coral. I finally got to ride in Jerry's Corvette...nice...that thing can go pretty fast. The rest of the night consisted of sitting around the pool relaxing.

Our plan the next day was about the same. Get up, run, take a short swim, Dunkin' Donuts, then Grandma and Grandpa's. We stopped up at Grandma and Grandpa's old place to get a few things done and after working so hard Grandma decided to treat us to another Sonic treat. 2 Sonic treats in one visit? What do I owe this pleasure? Very very good. We then went to the mall and got some good deals. 2 swimsuits for about $10 a piece...that's a steal! I got some new crocs too. Dark, shiny, purple. Beautiful. Must be a new color. I think David's a little jealous. Go Vikings! At that point it was time to go back to Grandma and Grandpa's and have some dinner....liver and potatoes for mom and grandpa....BLT's for me and grandma. And some Fluff....just a little fluff =) It was time to head back to Cape Coral again. We said our goodbyes and said, "we'll see you soon!" then back on the road. After arriving in Cape Coral we stopped by Chris and Courtney's to see everyone including Camie and her family that had arrived earlier. It was getting late so it was time to head back to Jerry and Diana's. I didn't stay up too much later, while they stayed up to watch some Big Brother on Showtime.

Morning came, I ran, then mom joined me for a walk, then we ran into Camie who was walking her dogs, then the next time around the block Jerry joined us. So it was a nice morning walk with everyone. Once again, just chilling and having a mellow moment. It was our last day so we packed up all our goods and loaded them in the car. The good thing was we had almost an entire day to do stuff, so we once again stopped at Dunkin' Donuts (see, I told you I needed to run...if you haven't been counting that's 3 visits to Dunkin' Donuts) then to Chris and Courtney's, then to Mike Greenwells, which is a fun park....putt putt, go karts, arcade...you get the idea. It was a HOT day in the sun, so I enjoyed mellowing in the shade, just trying to enjoy the last few moments of my mini vacation. For lunch we all ate at Rib City which was very good. By that point it was time to say our goodbyes and for Diana to take us to the airport. Our flight went great with no problems and we even left 20 minutes early. Even better, because at that point all you want to do is just get home.

It was a wonderful, well-needed, mini vacation. It was great to spend some one on one time with mom, and be able to catch up with everyone. Thank you to Jerry, Diana, Chris, Courtney, and Grandma and Grandpa for your hospitality. Thank you to Camie and her family for coming down to join in the festivities. It's great to be able to spend time with our family. It's one of those things that as I get older I appreciate the time and our relationships more and try not to take those moments for granted. As the song goes, "Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography in lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young." (Baz Luhrman-Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen) And once again this little trip reminds me that yes, I can get away for a few days every so often and that I should take advantage of being able to do so. It's one of those things that can do you a world of good.

Now, if I could just back into work-mode.....

Florida Pics

Still trying to get back into the swing of things. I'll hopefully post tomorrow, but for now pictures have been posted to our Flickr account. Feel free to enjoy!