Signing Off...For Now

Good morning! It's currently 3:05am and I'm ready to go to Florida. Being that our plan leaves at an early time today and we still have to drive to Detroit, we had to get up this early. I highly doubt I'll sleep on the plane, but I can hope. By the way, I was successful in acquiring the new Runner's World Magazine. Yes! The evening which I posted, we went out to Waldenbooks aka Borders and it was there. I should've known that they'd have it out first before Meijer or Walmart (after we were at the mall we stopped by Walmart and I noticed they didn't have it out either). My other reading material of choice is Anderson Cooper's book Dispatches From The Edge: Memoirs of War, Disasters, and Survival. I dig Anderson (we're on a first name basis don't ya know). I'm thinking it will be on the same pages as Tom Brokaw's series, The Greatest Generation, which I loved. I also think it'll be the type of writing like DOG's book....biographical and an easy read. We shall see. Of course in looking for a book I found several that look interesting. Looks as though I'll have to start a book list. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Lily's little party went great as usual. I have a few pictures but those will have to be posted when I get back.

Alright, better go through my checklist one last time....I'll see ya when I get back!

Lily, The Therapy Dog

For awhile now I thought that Lily would make a great therapy dog. A therapy dog is a dog that goes to a hospital/nursing home and makes rounds to lift the spirits of patients/residents. She's just the perfect size, isn't overly rambunctious, and loves attention (which she shows by wagging her tail and doing her "bow"). So I've been looking in to making her an official therapy dog, which means you have to go through a course and finish by presenting your dog at a hands on type of exam. I've been cautious as I wouldn't want to spend a ton of money on it and find that maybe she won't be the perfect dog for the task. In addition, I was unsure if local hospitals/nursing homes would require such documentation. So I thought of the idea of sending out a letter to local places saying that we were available if interested, but once again thought "What if she doesn't work out." I presented the idea to my coworkers, who thought it was a good idea, but still put it on the back burner.

After presenting the idea I found that another coworker was also interested in pursuing the idea. Just as with me, she wasn't exactly sure what to do. And then an opportunity arose. She was at her second job and just happened to run into an activities director for a local nursing home. Figuring she might as well ask, she brought up the idea of therapy dogs, and asked what was required. The director said that she'd be very interested and that all we have to do is present a current vaccination history and a letter from a vet saying the dog wasn't vicious. Can do! My coworker got contact information from the activities director and has been in contact with her since. She even sent in both of our dogs' vaccination histories today and we think we have a date set up to do a "dry run" (meaning take the dogs to check it out and see how it goes). I am pumped about this! As stated previously, it's something that's been on my mind for some time. And it's something I can do to give back to those around me. Not to mention I think Lily will love all of the attention. And if it works out, I can then pursue other locations in the area. Now for the big question...what should she wear?

Time To Pack

Just wanted to check in here. I'm so glad it's Wednesday. That means I have to work today, tomorrow, then I'm off to Florida for the weekend. This past week or so has been crazy at work. Not only are we booked, but we're also double-booked and then some. I don't know what's going on. Usually we slow down right as school's about to start, so it's been unexpected. I can't complain all that much because I'd rather have appointments instead of sitting picking my nose, but as usual it's feast or famine here. I don't go into work until noon today but I looked at today's schedule before I left last night and we were already booked with a few appointments double-booked. Ah, we shall see.

With the craziness of work and the OROC 5K my packing has been put on the back burner. Can you believe it? My trip is less that 2 days away and I'm not packed. What's going on? This can't be the real Heidi. No fear. Having the morning off allowed me to start to get things together. I really have no reason to pack for trips so early, considering I could more than likely drop everything I'm doing, pack for an entire week's trip, for both of us, and be out of the house in less than 30 minutes, if that were to ever happen. Just guessing though, it never will. So I got most everything ready to go. Just has to be put in my carryon suitcase, and then away I go. Can't wait.

I'm in search of some reading material for the trip. Last week I decided to buy "You Can Run But You Can't Hide" by DOG The Bounty Hunter. It may sound crazy but I am truly a fan of his show. I had seen that he was having a book come out and finally broke down and bought it. Of course that was after I walked away from it a few times and David had to buy it for me. I hate buying stuff for myself. Anyway, that book was supposed to be my entertainment during the trip but having had desk duty at work for 2 days I finished the book. Bummer. What to do now? I don't read much, but when I start to read, I love it. I guess when I'm in school reading is the last thing I want to do since that's what I'm doing so much. But being on break has allowed me the opportunity to read something. I went to Meijer in hopes of getting the Runner's World magazine but it looks as though the new one hasn't come out. According to my calculations it should be out any day now. So I guess I'm just going to have to wait until the airport, hope that there's something there, and pay top dollar for it. By the way, Dog's book was very good. It gave me much insight into his life and bounty hunting. It also explained the Andrew Luster case in detail, which I had felt I was in the dark on. So I highly recommend it, if you're into stuff like that. It's pretty short and a simple read. Can't argue with that.

Lily's birthday is tomorrow. My little girl is turning 4. I'm getting to the point where I don't want to celebrate the dogs' birthdays. It starts to make me sad that they keep getting older and older, but they deserve a birthday. And what kind of mom would I be if I denied them that? Since I'll be leaving very early on Friday we'll have to have a short and sweet party fo her, but I'm sure she can't wait to have some cake.

Hope everyone has a Wacky and Wonderful Wednesday

PKD Walk

Hello Everyone! I just received an email from my friend Jen. Looks as though she'll be taking part in the PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Walk For A Cure. PKD is a disease that is genetic and runs in her family. At the age of 20 she was diagnosed with the disease. Although at this time she has great health, it is her desire to raise money toward finding a cure for PKD. If you're interested in learning more about PKD or making a donation, be sure to check out her site!

Jen's PKD-Walk For A Cure

Monday's Thought For The Day

The 5K Experience

The OROC experience was great. I don't think we could have chosen a better race. It was for a great cause and it had the big city atmosphere. They had a pre race activities with music, speakers, and even jugglers. Then a ceremony for ovarian cancer survivors just prior to the race. Following the ceremony the music started back up.....'Ding, ding, ding.....LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!" Oh no they didn't. My already nervous tummy started doing flip flops and I was ready to go. All I gotta say is, thank God I used the porta potties not once but twice before the race. Shoot, I wasn't messing around. I wanted to be totally empty before going anywhere far from a toilet.

I don't think I had that type of anxiety since riding horses. It's not a normal anxiety/nervous feeling. It's hard to explain. I guess I'd have to call it my competition anxiety. The type where you know you've done all that you can do and prepared all that you could, it's just waiting for the time to come to be able to perform. So it's been awhile since I've had that feeling but I remembered it as if showing horses had happened just yesterday. Just get into my zone and get it done.

As the race started I just reminded myself to pace myself, even as people passed us. Then the first challenge surfaced. Uphill. And we're not talking small hill. I'm talking about the entire first half uphill. I'm not even kidding. Had to self-talk myself through that one. But that means the end was a downhill. And since the end was downhill, flat, then downhill again it was an "easy" downhill that wasn't too hard on my knees.

There were a few music groups throughout the course, which made the experience even better. The first musicians were a small group from St. Ignatius. They were playing "Hey!" I couldn't help but feel as though I was in the the Starbucks commercial where Hank is going in for an interview/presentation. Haha! The next musician was a bagpiper in full garb. He was awesome. We also passed him near the end of the course. Hearing the sound of bagpipes the second time was a relief. I smiled as I ran by and he even winked at me. Small gestures like that mean the world to you when you feel as though you're about to die.

I must say that I was surprised at the number of kids in the 5K but they were holding their own. Most of them weren't dressed accordingly and you knew they were obviously there just for the fun of it. Nearing the end of the race I decided to change my focus not so much on myself but on this 11 year oldish boy that was running near us. He'd run, walk, run, walk. Anytime he ran I could here some candy in his pocket jingling around. So as I stated, I switched the focus of my pain to focusing on keeping him motivated to keep going to the end. I'd say, "Come on boy, the sooner you get done, the sooner you get that candy in your pocket. You can do it." He'd just smile at me. And he made it.

At the end David decided to challenge the guy next to him to a final sprint to the finish. After they took off I focused in and my body kicked it up a notch. I don't think I've ever run that fast, even when I sprint to the finish on a daily run every so often. I could see the person ahead of me, which I had decided I was going to pass, and I could hear people yelling, but it was as though I was flying/gliding along with having an out of body experience. Whew! I was so in a zone that I totally forgot to stop my Garmin until atleast a minute after ending the race. Whoops.

The entire experience took the idea of the runner's high to a different level. Now, I know it's just a 5K and I've run the distance before but it's everything wrapped together....something for a good cause, somewhere different, and people yelling for you (including your loved ones and some that have never met you and never will). Just an awesome experience that is something I'll remember for a lifetime. In addition I've met a goal that I set for myself and then some. 4 months of running have gone by. I started this journey watching Erika working towards her goal. All I wanted to do was be able to run from my house to the end of the block and not feel like I was going to die. A 5K didn't even enter my mind. Then with the encouragement of those around me, I thought, "maybe. just maybe I could do it." I chose a race, signed us up, worked as hard as I could and the 5K arrived. We showed up and ran from start to finish with no stops. I think I can actually say I'm a runner now. Wow, it's amazing and I love it. There will be no stopping of this anytime soon. Now that I've got the bug, I want more. I'm already looking for our next race. I look forward to continuing to challenge myself to go longer and heck, maybe even faster. Thank you so much to all those around me for your encouragment and inspiration. From Erika's inspiring story, Jen helping me get started, David waking up with me every morning and keeping me going, my parents making sure that we got the right gear (even if it means paying them later), and both sets of parents waking up early and driving all the way to Cleveland to see us run past them for a few seconds. It means more than you know. This is not the end, only the beginning. And I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings.

OROC Pictures

I hope to have more time later this evening to write about the OROC 5K. For the time being though, I'll post pictures and say that it was an AWESOME experience. There are more pictures on our Flickr account.

Pre Race

Sita's co-worker, Patty, is currently battling Ovarian Cancer, so we ran in honor of her

I had to laugh when I saw my picture. I was smiling the entire time I passed but my dad must have caught me before that point. It looks as though I'm in pain but trust me, I was feeling great. I had entered my second wind by that point. Another side note, look at my hands. I had to think about it, but that's they way I hold my hands when I run. Don't know why. Hang ten dude! Or better yet, Aloha!

Here comes David!

Garage Frustration

I've got a weird work schedule the next few days here. Usually I work a half day on Friday, but today I'm working all day. The owners are going out of town so we'll be closed today and monday. However, someone has to be present to direct emergencies to the right location, sell Rx's, and OTC type of stuff. I volunteered since I'll be missing all next Friday due to my Florida trip. And since I'll be in the same pay period, I'll be able to earn some of the hours back that I'll miss, by working all day instead of half. Got that? The only thing is trying to stay busy for 10 hours. I don't want to jinx myself, so I'll just say, I know I'll keep myself busy in one way or the other.

Since I had to get up to go to work this morning that leaves me no time for my normal "cleaning hours" today. So last night I worked on my cleaning. As I did that David headed outside to work on our garage door. For the past few days it's been doing the whole, going all the way down, closes, then opens right back up. If you keep opening and closing it, it's been staying closed after a few tries. But that's not fun. In the past we've been able to recalibrate the transmitters with the opener and it's been fine. Well, that's not what's happening this time. And do you think we can find the manual? No. Which leads me to my next thing...I swear we had one at one point and David disagrees...and I've found it impossible to find on the internet. Don't you think you'd be able to find it? They must not post it because in looking at forums I'm not the only one looking for a missing manual. So after searching the house for the manual and then the internet, we started searching the internet for troubleshooting help. I've tried turning the little circle knobs in the back that supposedly control how far the door goes, but that's not working. Not to mention the forum said, "turn the knob on the back 1/8 turn" Well, I have 2 knobs...figuring one is for the up movement and the other is for the down? What one do I move? Or both? After messing with it the door actually worked properly so of course I say, "open and close it again to see if it's right and not just a fluke" then all of the sudden the door stopped working all together. It'd click when you pushed a transmitter but it wouldn't move. Yep, overheated (per the forums). So we gave it rest. A while later tried it again. Same thing...after a few turns of the knobs it seemed to be right, then trying it again it would open right back up. So we're at a loss...not to mention a night of frustration, sweating our butts off in the garage. My confusion is why does it work every so often instead of not at all or working all the time? It's a crap shoot. So David's plan is to come home mow the lawn and try to fix it again. We shall see. Not that I ever want frustrations but I just wish I didn't have it now.

Preparation

I'm having one of those whirlwind moments as I go through the week. With having the OROC on Saturday and thinking about the Florida trip next week, my mind doesn't know where to start or stop. But I just remind myself to live in the moment. It's not that I'm worked up over it, just excited for both events. And you know me, I like to have everything ready to go early in advance. Let's just say I'm very surprised with myself that I do not have the luggage down yet. Usually I'm packed and ready to go by now. Yes, we all know that I'm not right. I will say that I have several lists going on here at the computer desk though. One for OROC, then Florida, and a grocery list. Next will be a to-do list for cleaning next week. Another thing I HATE to do is leave the house dirty. I know David will still be here but I like to leave the house in as perfect of shape so when I come home that's the last thing I have to deal with. I guess that's what helps me enjoy my vacation better though....the week before I leave I'm running around cleaning and getting things together that by the time the actual vacation comes it's time to relax. No dirty laundry. No dishes. Everything spic and span.

I'm also keeping my eye on the weather for Saturday. Earlier this week it was to be a high of 75 degrees with a possibility of rain. Well, as each day passes the degrees continue going up. As of now we're at a high of 77 degrees with scattered thunderstorms. The rain isn't bad, I just don't want hot and humid. For instance, when we did that Masters Challenge for Seniors a few weeks back at Osborne Park it was the worst running conditions ever for me. So humid you couldn't breathe. Once again I'm not worried, just aware.

I believe I have decided what to wear Saturday too. I'm trying to stick to my normal schedule and gear as much as possible, as to not throw my body out of whack, so it's nothing special. Also, I am trying to figure out what I can hold in my right hand. On every run I have my keys and mace on a ring. I have a specific way of holding it. It may sound crazy, but I'm so used to holding something in my hand that it'd be odd not to have something. Any ideas?

With the exception of a few things here and there it looks as though we're tying up most of our loose ends. Just got to get through the next two days, get some things together, then we'll be on our way.

Almost There

Tubeans

Recently I've noticed Lily getting some pudge on her. Okay, maybe it's been a little longer than "recently", but I decided to take her in and do a little testing on her. With her haircoat being so thick and shedding in weird clumps, the increased weight, and low level of interest in activity, I thought the first place to start was a T4 (thyroid) to check to see if she was hypothyroid.

It may seem crazy but I think most of you would be amazed to know how many dogs test positive for hypothyroidism. And that's just the dogs that are being tested. There are millions out there that do not get appropriate day to day treatment, let alone testing for these types of diseases. So I can only imagine how many dogs actually have this disease.

Anyway, I took Lily in for a simple blood draw and test to see if this was the cause of her symptoms. Nope, we just have a Tubby Beans or Tubeans as we call her. I never thought that I would be worried about Lily gaining too much weight. We've always worried about her just keeping the food in her long enough to actually gain weight. So what do we do now? We could get the dogs on a reduced calorie prescription food, but according to Doc, "If it was my dog, I'd just leave her be. She's not fat." But considering people have noticed her larger belly it may be time to take a few trips around the block to get her moving. The only issue with that is her luxating patella. Upon tiring, after awhile, she has to do the "hop, skip, run..." since it bothers her. If it's not one thing it's the other with her. Our little enigma. But you gotta love her.

Monday's Thought For The Day

Simple Act Of Kindness

Have you ever been driving and seen someone walking, and you want to pull over and give them a ride? I have this feeling all the time. I watch the people walking wondering where they're coming from and where they're going to. I see some that look like they're coming or going to work and think to myself, "boy, they probably had a long day...I should give them a ride." I think that the kind gesture could possibly mean the world to someone and make their day. But then reality kicks in. More than likely the person would decline the ride for a multitude of reasons. Would you get in the car with a total stranger? Not to mention I shouldn't let a stranger enter my car. We no longer live in a society where kind gestures are the norm and you must always be on guard for that person(s) who is out to get you. It just hurts my heart because I want to reach out to someone and help with a simple act of kindness, but can't.

(Mom, don't worry. I won't let anyone in my car =) )

Raining and 60 Degrees...Perfect

I guess it's time to do some posting. I've been slacking this week. Give me a break, sometimes you need some time off. I guess that's not really the right wording...considering you don't take off of something you like to do. I think you get what I mean. Other things tend to work their way to the top of your to-do list and the blog just fell lower on the list. Nothing all that exciting is going on. Just counting down to the 5K. Can't believe it's next Saturday. I can't say that I'm nervous, just excited. I'm sure I'll have anxiety on the morning of the race. Come on, if I didn't you'd wonder what had happened to the real Heidi. But more than likely the anxiety will be from just wanting to get there, be on time, and get settled in. It's not only our first time but it's also an hour away which kind of takes it to a different level of preparation. Travel time, where to park, going through the formalities, change of clothes, etc. I'm not worried about finishing either. I'll finish no matter what. I've run the distance before. The question is if it will be a pretty finish. And it's nothing I can worry about. I know what I'm doing and I'm going to show up and do my thing. The rest is up to mother nature. I'm also not worried about the time in which I do it either. Time's not really an issue with me at this point. I just want to get out there and do it. I'm getting pumped just thinking about. Dorky, I know, but give me a break.

Speaking of preparation...we usually run on Saturdays and take Sundays off, but recently our schedule has been too busy on Saturdays, making us flip the days. I set the alarm for this morning and got up to find it pouring outside with a temperature of 60 degrees. At that point I thought, "Man, another day off." We went downstairs and prepared my lunch for tomorrow (my co-workers and I rotate bringing lunch to work on Mondays...tomorrow's my day) and then went upstairs and did some strength training to take the place of running today. After I got done David did his thing and we were sitting there trying to figure out what to do for the day. We must have felt pretty guilty about not running because we decided we needed to head out in the rain. Who cares if it's pouring and cool. I was kind of intimidated but I reminded myself that I love to run in the rain and that who knows what will happen next weekend. As of now they're calling for rain. In addition I've already decided that I will continue training throughout winter, and why should the cool weather stop me today? So I got my usual gear on with a new adidas hoodie added and we headed out. I am so glad we did. First and foremost my guilt was lifted, which also lifts the guilt of eating a little something extra today and knowing that I had burned it off. But even better, it was a new experience and pretty fun. As with previous runs in the rain, it was so releasing and you almost feel like a kid out playing in the rain. The cool weather didn't hinder us much. Our lungs had to get used to it and by the time I was done the front of my legs were pretty pink from being cold, but ah well. It was still fun. Then after transferring my Garmin info I found it was our fastest run to date (since having the Garmin atleast). Shoot, and we weren't even trying to do that. Sweet. I can only imagine what the people in their cars were thinking as they drove past us. Probably, "those people are crazy." And I know this because I was once the type of person, in the car, driving by, thinking how crazy those people were for out exercising in the elements.

In the early afternoon we stopped by the movies to see what was on and decided to finally see Harry Potter. As expected it was very good. I will say though, if I was a kid I would have never been able to make it through the HP movies. They are too freakin' scary. I'm not scared now, mind you, but I remember when I couldn't even make it through Sister Act without hiding my face and crying....don't ask. But it was good. Of course after the people behind us decided to stop talking 20 minutes into the movie...and that was after David finally turned around and asked, "Are you going to talk through the entire movie?" Hey, the "turning your head and giving them the 'shut up!' look" didn't work so he had to do something. I just don't get why people pay all that money to go to the movies to talk throughout the entire thing. And I swear we're the ones that always get stuck by these people...the talkers, the singers, the too talls. Yep, we get there early to stake out our seats and it never fails that the movie starts and then they walk in. It's too late to move so all you can do is try to block them out. And you know I'm not good at blocking out, big surprise. Okay, done with the rant. Great movie though.

Now we're just sitting here. It'd be a perfect afternoon for a nap but I want to make sure I can sleep tonight. And soon enough it will be time for dinner. Hope everyone has had a relaxing, yet fulfilling, weekend.

Just Be You

It's kind of cool how music lyrics work. As you listen you may be able to see exactly where the writer was coming from. On the other had they could mean something to the writer, but as you listen to them, they could strike you in a totally different way. Lyrics, quotes, etc. help get me through tough times. They help me see through the darkness and know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Needless to say it's been a tough week or two. There's no need to go into detail here. But I will say, just when you think you know yourself and have confidence in yourself and beliefs there's always someone or something that comes along to try a tear you down just because you're different. And after your time of questioning yourself, you come full circle to find that you still feel the same as you did when you started. And you realize that you will never fit everyone's mold of what you should be or do, and that you should continue to accept yourself for who you are and what you do. Of course that's not to say that there's no room for improvement. I thought this stuff ended in junior high and high school. Hmm. Ah well. I carry on and say, "Devil, I'm taking in back."

Something has changed within me. Something is not the same. I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game. Too late for second-guessing. Too late to go back to sleep. It's time to trust my instincts. Close my eyes. And leap...
...I'm through accepting limits. Cuz someone says they're so. Some things I cannot change. But till I try I'll never know. Too long I've been afraid of losing love I guess I've lost. Well if that's love. It comes at much too high a cost...
...And if I'm flying solo. At least I'm flying free. To those who ground me. Take a message back from me!

Elphaba~Wicked~Defying Gravity

Family Videos

Recently I've been checking out our old family videos. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. David must think I'm crazy as I sit at the computer watching these laughing my butt off. I'm slowly transferring some video to our computer. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but I figured I could share some on here if anyone wants to watch. The last clips in the video are pretty self explanatory-just having fun making a "music video". The first clip may take some explaining....when st. nicholas would come to fill our stockings he would always leave an orange at the bottom of the stocking. I'm not sure why?? Anyway, I'm not sure if this was the first year for oranges or my first year actually comprehending st. nick coming but I got a kick out of getting an orange. In addition, I had a speech impediment as a kid so my "r's" came out as "w's". And ever since watching this several years back, it's been a family joke. Hope you get a few laughs out of it =)

Monday's Thought For The Day

Wake Me Up When It's Over

Okay, I've officially left the "You've got to be kidding me." stage and entered the, "You've got to be shitting me." stage. I'm up early this morning to go running and take a walk with my mom. David's sleeping in. My plan is to run over to their house, walk with her, then run back. So I got up early to eat my oatmeal and get ready. Then went to the basement to empty the dehumidifier and take the clothes out the the dryer. In doing so I here and "plop". There's the ink cartidridge of a pen that just fell on the floor. In the next grip of clothes another "plop. plop." There's the rest of the pen that was in David's work pants. I tell myself, "It'll be okay, there's still ink in the cartridge. It just came apart." Oh, could we have been that lucky. Upon removing everything from the dryer I find a huge mess of ink in the entire dryer. Enter the, "You've got to be shitting me." stage. I start brainstorming to figure out what to remove the ink with. I know at work we use isopropyl alcohol and that will remove the stain we use for microscopic analysis' off of countertops, etc. So I go up and grab what I have left of the alcohol and dig in. It works but you're almost making a mess upon mess. You have to work real fast before the alcohol vaporizes. I ran out of isopropyl alcohol and attempted to use what I had left of rubbing alcohol. Just so you know, that doesn't work. And by the way, Mr. Clean Erasers and Fantastik don't work either. So when I go to the store today I'll be buying a huge stock of isopropyl alcohol. I haven't even brought myself to look at the clothes that were in the dryer. All I know is this. I had two of my good running shorts that were in that load of wash and for some reason I decided to air dry them....whew! Thank God. Maybe I should just go to bed and have someone wake me up when it's over. No. Must run. Now. Get away from all of these things gone wrong.

2 Weeks to OROC

Great run this morning. I was all by myself, made no stops, went at a later time to help my body adjust to the warmer weather being later in the morning, and did the whole eat my oatmeal, wait, then run. And better yet I kept at a good speed. Sweet. I even passed several couples that were out walking and a guy that was running. Wait, I'm in Sandusky and people are actually out exercising early in the morning?? Cool. Now, out to the lawn I go...mowing and edging.

I Keep Breaking Things

I've come to the conclusion this past week that anything I touch will break.

Just over a week ago the autoclave (thing that sterilizes our instruments) at work went kaput. Sometimes it'd get on the fritz if the wiring got too damp underneath it (because of overflow). But you'd let it dry overnight and it'd be fine. I got to work the next morning and it still wouldn't work. I then got it to work but the GFI switch would switch over about mid-cycle. After running surgical packs through 2 half cycles for a few days it totally went. So what happens but they say, "Heidi, get it fixed. Do what you have to do but get it fixed." Why me? Then that's when the goose chase started.

I called the number on the machine and it's been disconnected. Come to find out the man that serviced our autoclave decided to retire within the past year. Ohhh, so that's why a neighboring vet's office called to ask who we have service our autoclave. It's all coming clear to me now. So who do we call now? Ghostbusters?! Don't think so. So.....how about Firelands? Nah, when you call they say they don't have autoclaves. Say what? Right. You're a hospital and don't have autoclaves. I must be talking to a candystriper (is that what they even call them anymore?), can I talk to someone in surgery? After getting hold of a few numbers with the help of a co-worker, I start to make phone calls. I end up leaving a message at one place and talk to some guy at another. They say it sounds like the outlet. So I attempt to move this whopping machine not to just one other outlet but three other outlets to see if it works. Nope. Not the solution. The guy I left a message with ended up calling me back and said he'd be out to look at it that day. Good to go.

He comes out and sees that we need a part. I fumble around to figure out where to get this part. Figure it out, order it, and have it overnighted. Thank God the autoclave knew someone who knew someone because it made it a lot easier for me to figure out who to call to order the part. Remember, this isn't something that I'd normally do. We get the part the next day, I call the guy, he comes back....uh oh. We need another part. I call to order that part. Shoot, they only have 2 when we need 3 and it's pointless to have it overnighted because we need 3. Not to mention it was a Friday, so we had them drop ship for our 3 parts. Tuesday comes and we have the parts. I call the autoclacve guy. He doesn't call back until Wednesday. His schedule was crazy and he was in Columbus. So then Thursday arrives. He comes and we find that the parts ordered do not fit into the old parts. The old parts were somehow placed aftermarket and so once again, we have to order more parts. You've got to be kidding me! I'm ready to give up. We order MORE parts, they arrived today, and I called the guy. So today when I left, the poor autoclave guy was still working on the machine. So we'll have to see what happens.

Next dilemma. I refilled the fixer in our x-ray processor yesterday. During surgery I keep hearing the machine running. Not thinking anything of it, the day passes. Trust me, when you have the issue of the autoclave and trying to figure out how you're going to do surgeries on the only packs you have left, it's easy to overlook. Well, I go in to x-ray to turn the processor off at closing and find that it ate entirely through all the fixer I had mixed earlier. In addition, all the developer was gone too. I wasn't too worried about the developer because I had some left in stock. But considering I had just filled the fixer I had no back up. But, there was some still in the actual processor tank. Whew! My boss comes in and once again says, "You figure it out." Why me again? So going into work today I knew I was faced with another dilemma. After reading the manual and making a few phone calls to verify what I think happened, I think I got it figured out. Only time will tell.

Now, on to the third dilemma. This may take awhile. A couple weeks ago my check engine light came on. Me being the OCD one, I call the dealership and get my car in immediately. I even leave work and set up for David to pick me up. Upon arriving at the dealership the check engine light turns off and they basically tell me they can't do anything unless it's on. Come on, at least make me feel better and look at it. They tell me not to jump the gun on check engine lights and that oftentimes cars diagnose and fix the problems themselves. I continue on and the check engine light comes on and off. By the end of about 2 weeks it's more on than off and on Friday night decide it's time to take it in to the dealership again, and work it into my schedule for Monday morning. That evening my ABS light goes on. I take it to Autozone to have them check it with the analyzer. They print out what it says and can't explain what it means since it was mostly in code. I keep driving my car that night with no significant problems. The next day we go to leave the house in the afternoon and my car is squealing. It's the weirdest thing though because it's squealing when you're driving, NOT when you're breaking. We turn around and head out with David's car. I don't drive it the rest of the weekend and take it to the dealership first thing on Monday. Of course halfway there the squealing stops. Thankfully the ABS and engine light stay on. They find I need 2 new sensors and they tell me they should arrive in 3-5 business days. I continue to drive David's car to be safe. A week goes by and I don't hear from the dealership. However, I do receive a bill in the mail for an oil change. Yeah, the oil change that was to be free with the purchase of the vehicle. And the one I specifically said, "If the free option is still available please change my oil. If not, do not change the oil." Time to make a phone call. Looks like only 1 part have arrived and the other one they said wasn't guaranteed until the 15th of this month. Right, what about that 3-5 business day thing they told me? And how about my oil change? "We'll look into that." The next day I received a call letting me know my part arrived. So this morning we did the ol' dropping off the car with David meeting me at the dealership to drive me home. I was excited to have the car fixed. And better yet they dropped it off at our house before I had to leave for work. Yay! I have my fixed car. Oh, not for too long though.

Upon leaving work I put my car in reverse and backed up. It started to back up then all of a sudden went into neutral while still in reverse gear. Ok, put it in park, try again. Nope. How about turning the car off and trying again. Nope. Alright. It will still drive so away I go. I then pull into a parking lot and try things out. At first it wouldn't reverse and then all the sudden kicked into gear. I mess around with it a little and it seems okay to drive. As I drive I'm paying attention to the gears shift and it sound awful rough. I pick mom up to go out and ask her to pay attention to my car and see if she notices anything...making sure I'm not just crazy. Oh yeah, she notices it and she's not even driving. Even worse, when I shift from park to drive and/or back it's real rough to switch into gear. We continue on with our night. I drop her off at home and when I get back into my car my check engine light is on. Surprise surprise. Guess I'll be making another trip to the dealership monday. And oh yeah, about the oil change....don't know if they ever cleared that up. Guess I'll have to wait and see if I get another bill.

I must admit that this car thing really bums me out. I LOVE my car. And I was even thinking today, "I should write on the blog an Ode To My Aveo." It's been almost a year since I've had it. It's an awesome car. I call it My Skate because it reminds me of the rollerskate at Skate World. Call me crazy if you will, whatever.

I'm sure I've lost you in all of my dilemmas. Sorry and thank you for listening to my woes. Oh yeah, and remember that little plastic piece I was looking for during the power outage...you know, the one for the police radio. I took my work clothes down to the basement tonight and walk upstairs to see it sitting on the floor of our cellar/pantry. I kid you not...just sitting there out in the middle of the floor. I just had to smile and think to myself once again, "You've got to be kidding me." Ah well...God's just keeping me on my toes. Keep smiling Heidi. Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.

I'm Hungry

After being married for 5 years and owning a house over a year, David and I have finally made it to the step of setting up a life insurance policy. With most everything, it's something that you keep putting off, and just never get around to it. They sent me a postcard for my birthday that said, 'You can get life insurance for...." so it put a fire under my butt and got the ball rolling. We've already signed the paperwork and we're now in the process of getting interviewed/examined to get the "okay" that we're good to go. I've already gone through 2 interviews and today I have my examination. The weird thing is that they're doing David and me totally separate. Different phone calls, interviews, exams. It's weird to me because it's a joint policy and I feel they're just making it harder on themselves. All the questions are easy and thankfully I just keep having to say, "No. No. No." David on the other hand has a much more colorful medical history. So they start to ask more questions to dig deeper. All he can say is. "I dunno. You'll have to ask the Marine Corps." Considering most, if not all, of his medical history problems come from them, it shouldn't be that hard for them to get records. But then again, you're dealing with the government. But that's not for us to worry about. And thankfully most of his problems are past problems and not current ones.

But anyway, today is my exam. They're going to come to the house to weight, tape, get urine, ask questions, and draw blood. Say what? Draw blood?! Can't you just pull some hair or something? I'm not scared for them to draw blood on me. But from past experience most people don't do all that well on me. We'll just have to see. Hey, if they can't do it, maybe I'll just have to step in. I figure if I can't draw blood on an animal, what's the difference with a human? I'm just kidding. I'm also not allowed to eat anything for 4-6 hours prior to this exam. The exam is at 9am. David and I went for a run today and let me tell you, I'm hungry. Water can only do so much. A little bit longer and I'll be done. What shall I eat? Hmmmm.....

Tonight the guys are going to the Indians game. Hope the weather is okay for them. According to yesterday's report they shouldn't have a problem, but I haven't checked it today. We got sprinkled this morning while running. But a few sprinkles never hurt anyone. My mom and I are going to do something. We're also trying to get hold of Sita and she if she wants to join in. As usual, there are no set plans. Mom wants to go to the fair just to check things out. I don't think that's a bad idea. But once again, it depends on the weather. We had planned to go on Wednesday but it was God awful hot. So we shall see.

This morning's run was awesome. One of the best to date. It was still VERY humid, but not as bad as earlier in the week. It just felt good to get out. Believe it or not I think it has something to do with having a day off in between run days. I must say that I do feel guilty that our run schedule was so messed up this week with the weather, power outage, and my sore leg. But I can't look behind. Just look ahead. I also think my body is getting more tolerant to the weather and exercise. I won't complain. I dig it.

No Electricity = No Sleep

Oh boy, we had a fun night. We went to bed about 10pm, our usual time. We were out and then all of a sudden.......nothing......complete silence. With the exception of my hearing David exclaim, "What the f***!" Yep, no power at 1am.

Remember, it's 80+ degrees plus humidity, and that's in the middle of the night. Isn't it weird how your body immediately awakes when you lose power. It's like something just switches off. I lay there as David goes downstairs. Every room he enters he tries the switch. "It's not going to work David!" and he yells back, "I know. It's just habit." He goes down to the basement and looks at the breaker box and starts moving switches around. I have no idea what he's doing. He thinks he can fix it, so I just let him be. All this time you can feel the heat in the house grow by the second. And it's no use opening the windows. That will just make it worse. We're trying to check out all the neighbor's houses to see if anyone has any light. It looks like no one has power but we don't see any signs of flashlights or anything. Are we the only crazy ones up with the flashlights, checking things out?

Next plan, get the police radio out. Hey, maybe we're having a blackout like a few years back. Thankfully we were in New Orleans during that time. But trust me, we had MANY times where we had no power. It could've been in the middle of the day or in the middle of a hurricane....not fun. I finally found the police radio only to find the rechargable batteries were dead. Then David says, "Can't you just plug it in?" "Uh, no Baby, remember no power." He says, "Give me a break, I'm tired." We had a good laugh. I kept looking for the different adapter that goes with the police radio so you could use normal batteries and had no luck, which is just frustrating in itself. I've had that little piece of plastic get in my way a million times, and when I need it, it's not to be found. In the meantime David called his 'rents and woke them up. Whoops, guess you have power. I gave up and settled for a little handheld radio my dad gave me a few years back. Let me tell you, that thing has gotten it's use. Not to mention it picks up an awesome signal. We don't just get WCPZ...we actually have options. We listened to WCPZ, heard every song in the world that we hate, waiting to hear if they'd announce anything. Finally they did. I'm figuring it was just a generic recording but they said, "There have been sporadic electrical outages reported. Ohio Edison has been notified and are working to solve the problem."

We each sat on opposite ends of the room trying to keep cool. Of course it's when you're the hottest that all the pets want to lay on you. No thank you guys. Mama doesn't want to cuddle right now. I kept telling myself I was in the arctic and freezing my butt off. In addition, I kept telling myself the air is about to come on. Isn't that what the new Secret book is about? If you think and believe it, it will come. I dunno, just heard that on tv or something. Whatever, we finally chilled as much as we could and kept going in and out of sleep. Let me tell you, I had some crazy dreams. At the point of hour 2 of not having power I was thinking to myself, "what are we going to do come the morning?" We couldn't just leave the animals here all day in the heat. So I started to go through the thought process of getting things together for them. Once again I went in and out of sleep as I was hearing the horrible music on WCPZ. Then, beep! beep! Whoosh! The power was on. It only took 4 hours! It was 5am and time to go running. Sorry, I have to listen to my body and sleep some more. No running today. What a bummer, but I definitely value sleep. I'm sure my surgery cases today will also value the amount of sleep that I get too. And as I sit here writing it's still so warm in here.

I know Erika does the Thankful Thursday thing but today is my turn to add what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for electricity. I'm thankful that our electricity is back on. It could still be off and I would be running around trying to get things together and transporting the kids to a cooler location. I'm thankful for our wall unit air conditioning. It's not central, but it's something. I'm thankful that I have a husband that I can pass time with. It can be a talkative time or complete silence, but it's nice to be able to have someone to do that with and that's on the same wavelength as you. Oh, there is so much more to be thankful for, but I'm out of time this morning.

I swear this week has just been weird around our house. First the roof leaking, and then now this. Boy, what's next?

When Will It End?

I broke down and registered for my next set of classes for fall semester. Ugh. One more step closer. I'm lucky to have approximately 1 month off between semesters, but let me tell you, that month goes fast! And the downtime consists of scheduling your next set of classes, ordering books, and getting everything into order. This is my last full set of level 3 (of 4) classes. Next semester I'll have one last level 3 class along with starting level 4. Woo hoo. David asked, "what will you do with your time when you're done with school?" I just had to laugh and said, "Oh, I'm sure I'll find something....there's always continuing education...." When will school end? Never.

Is it humid out or is it me? Goodness. I have to remind myself I'm in Ohio and not New Orleans every time I walk out the door. Mother Nature wasn't particularly kind this morning either. We had hoped to have a small break for our run today but there was no such luck. Just as humid as yesterday according to David. My leg felt great, which is awesome. I really do think it had to do with the weather. I tend to forget about my achy leg from time to time and I don't think to put two and two together. I do have issues with it when weather changes due to having broken my femur years back. Of course it could have also been a mixture of issues though...putting more strain on it with running, etc. All I know is that the pain was constant and hurt to the point of waking me up in the middle of the night. I'm not sure what our plans are for tomorrow, we'll have to see...I'm just hoping for a break in the weather soon.

Rain

Boy, interesting weather we're having here in Northern Ohio. We've been in a drought all summer and then since Sunday, whoosh! Here came the rain. It's coming in spells and very hard at times. I shouldn't be surprised. It's the week of the erie county fair. That's what always happened.

This morning we had a bit of a surprise. I start to hear "plop. plop." I see Natchez walking over to the downstairs bathroom so I move quickly to see what's going on. Yep, the ceiling's leaking. Now, it's our downstairs, meaning there's something above it. Trying to figure it out, I thought it may have been the shower since David had just gotten done in the bathroom. I rush upstairs and there's no water in the bathroom. I then head to the loft area. Ah ha! I found it. The roof was leaking into the loft, then into the downstairs bathroom. Right, this is what I needed on a Tuesday morning. I get some buckets and towels and secure it for the rest of the day. Throughout the day I was thinking about this dilemma that has come up. I then remember that this has happened once or twice before. However, before we didn't have access to the loft so all I did was mop up downstairs and left it be. I've come to the conclusion even though there is an obvious issue, it's not a huge problem. The only time that we've had water was when it was blowing and downpouring for a decent amount of time. And upon coming home we found the buckets to be bone dry even after an entire morning of rain. And considering we hope to apply siding to our house next year, we may also be replacing the roof at the same time. So we've rigged the area to be protected and it's a wait and see. How come no matter where I live I have a leaky roof?? It never fails.

On another note, ever since Sunday I've been battling the pain in my right inner thigh/pelvis again. I'm not sure if it's the weather or what....that's an idea though. So Monday was a rest day and I made today one too. I did some strength training while David headed out to run. When he came back all he said was, "Be glad you didn't go today." It was only 5am and 82 degrees plus humidity. Yuck. We'll see what tomorrow brings. It may be another day off for me. It's something I'm paranoid about. With the 5k coming up I'm nervous about keeping to a schedule but at the same time I want to be healthy. I know it's only a 5k, but give me a break. It's my first race. I also don't want to get off of the running schedule. I don't think I'll stray away from running in general but you know that when you get a break it's harder to go back to doing what you were doing. I'm keeping with the early morning workout times though, so I don't think I'll have any issue with that. Considering I'm anal and obsessive compulsive something tells me that I'm not going to stop doing this running thing. Too many good things come out of it.

Time to get back to straightening things up around the house. Sometimes I just want to clean, clean, clean. It's one of those times....

Monday's Thought For The Day

Lazy Day Afternoon

As we enter into the month of August it doesn't look like our summer schedule will be slowing down much. On Friday I received an email from a friend, Jen, asking if I could assist her in replacing hired help for her business. The first line of the email said, "Want to make some money?" Okay, I'm listening. Basically what the job entailed was going to Put In Bay and being a person at the dock, holding a sign that said,"....Follow Me!", and escorting clients to a shuttle bus for a company anniversary picnic. The company hired my friend's marketing/advertising company to put together this shin dig for all of their customers. At first I was a little timid since my friend's boss explained the job description as wanting girls that were.....well, let's just say, not the type of girls we are. They wanted some "flamboyant" girls if you know what I mean. But I guess we sufficed for what they needed. It was an enjoyable day. We got to spend some time outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. It was perfect weather, considering earlier in the week was hot and today is rainy. I was also unsure as I thought we'd be bored but it was nice to talk the day away and catch up with each other. And since the boats aren't constantly there we could come and go as we pleased as long as we were there for the boats. Sweet. Easy money and an enjoyable day. I'm not complaining.

I hurried home on the 2:45 pm boat and raced home to get ready for my cousin's wedding. We then headed over to the Sunnybrook Trout Club for the wedding. Once again, it was a gorgeous day and a perfect location for the wedding. Not too hot and everything ended as the day was coming to an end. After the ceremony we went to Huron for the reception and danced the night away. We couldn't believe when we looked down at our watches and saw that it was already 11pm. Considering I had gotten up at 5:30am to start the long day, I was beat.

Since Saturday had a kind of crazy schedule we postponed our long running day to Sunday. We didn't set our alarms figuring we'd get up on our own. Well, we did get up on our own but it was 9:30am. Whoops. It was nice to sleep in but I must say I was relieved to wake up and see it raining out. I'll settle for pouring down rain with humidity than hot and humid. It was an okay run. I love to run in the rain. It's refreshing. I ended up slowing down in the middle, and finished strong. However, throughout the week I see, according to my garmin, that I've cut off some time on my miles/minute each day.

We're also debating our upcoming training schedule. As with any training schedule it continues to get more intense. We're not concerned with the intensity but at this time we have no reason to push too much farther in our distances. For instance, if we were to continue on the schedule that is presently set we would finish up with a marathon at the end of December. Once again, we don't have a marathon planned in that near of a future and we definitely don't want to be running that long of distances in the winter. Not yet atleast. So we may go a little farther in the training schedule and just stay at "maintenance" distances and mix it up here and there. We've also been mixing in some strength training so that's helped too. That's our plan at this time.

After finishing up this morning we did our grocery shopping and came home to have a lazy day afternoon. With the rain coming down outside what better way to pass the day then by taking a nap. So that's what I did while David played XBox and watched Rocky on tv. Will he ever get sick of watching that movie? For dinner we went to Famous Dave's with Cass, J, Mom, and Dad to celebrate their anniversary. After finishing there we met David's 'rents at Tofts to catch up with them.

As previously stated, it doesn't look like our schedule's going to let up anytime soon. This upcoming week David's going to the Indians game on Friday and playing with Dan May on Saturday. Next weekend I work. The following Saturday is the OROC 5K. Then the next weekend I'll be heading to Florida while David goes to the Indians game. It seems like it will be full but fun at the same time. I also need to buckle down here soon and register for fall classes. School, already?

35 Years

Happy 35th Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Congratulations Dawn And Drew

We attended my cousin's wedding yesterday at the picturesque Sunnybrook Trout Club. It was a perfect day for a beautiful wedding. Congratulations to Dawn and Drew as you enter a new part of your lives together.

Birthday Pictures

It's one of my late days for work today, so I thought I'd jot a few lines....

After starting with a rough run in the morning and entering my work day not knowing how the day was going to go, my birthday ended up not being too bad. Work was steady but not crazy and I ended up getting out on time. We met up with my 'rents at Applebees for dinner then came to our our house. David's 'rents came over too and we had a Coldstone Cake. You know that I love ice cream, so it shouldn't surprise you that I LOVE Coldstone ice cream (Like it Cake Batter with Snickers please). I like it so much that about a year ago anytime we walked in they didn't even have to ask what I wanted. That's pretty sad. Now, we try to limit our visits for obvious reasons-health and money. It was our first experience with a Coldstone cake and it didn't disappoint. It wasn't a Tonya Cake, but it was good.

David and I didn't get anything for mom. What do you get a mother that has everything and wants nothing? Got me. After racking our brains we've decided to sit tight and when she says, "I like that...." when we're out bumming, we'll grab it. In all honesty I'm not big on gift giving for holidays. It's not that I don't like giving gifts, but if I find something at any point that I think a certain person would like, I pick it up and give it to them right then. No special occasion needed. It real hard for me to hold on to something for a long time. I get too excited and want to give it to the person. David's the same way. We hardly ever give each other something on a holiday. It's usually before or at some random point in time. Not to mention it's hard for him to surprise me since I keep such a tight watch on our money situation. He can't charge anything or I'll see. He can't take money out of the bank, because I'll notice it. You get what I mean.

Speaking of gifts....I got what I wanted =) A Garmin Forerunner 205 from my 'rents and David. This thing is amazing, and it's already been put to use. It's a GPS that goes on your wrist. It tells you everything you want to know. How fast you're going, how long it's taking you, what your speed is, how far you've gone. The list goes on and on. Upon reading the manual I'm amazed at what all it can do. And I even did research on the thing to make sure it's what I wanted. It's almost too smart. Having had a few "bad" runs here the past few days I almost feel as though I'm not worthy for this awesome piece of technology. But I know I'll come around with my rut and be able to enjoy it for all that it's worth. It was pretty cool to look down this morning and see all the numbers turning.

Mmmm. Cake Tryin' Out The Garmin
Me Being A Goober "Check Out My Garmin!"