No Cause Necessary!

Here lately it seems that everyone, myself included, wants to help and support people who are involved in a specific cause... like all of the efforts to raise money for cancer research, or children's hospitals, or diabetes, or this-or-that kind of tragedy. But I think we often forget the opportunities we have each and every single day to honor those that aren't capable of doing the things we can do. We whine and complain and look for excuses not to take care of ourselves - I'm too tired, I have a headache, I just don't feel like it, I know this isn't healthy but I'm going to do it anyway... and so on. I decided today that I no longer need a formally organized event to champion the cause of health and wellness. I don't need to wait for the Race for the Cure to honor my dear friend Andrea who has suffered through the darkness of breast cancer. I don't need to wait for the next PanCan walk to honor my great aunt, and second cousin who were all ravaged by pancreatic cancer. I don't need to wait for an American Cancer Society race to honor my sweet uncle who was taken from us way too soon by esophagus cancer. I don't need to wait for the Tour de Cure to honor my grandpa, my uncle and my stepdad who struggle every day with diabetes. Instead, every single day that I can wake up and move forward on my own two feet, I am going to be grateful that I can do all the things I complain about. I am going to run with commitment, pedal with determination, and swim with resolve, because I have been blessed with the ability to do it. I know that all of the people who can't would give anything to be able to depend on their own bodies, and it would be such a shame to waste the gifts I've been given - it would be dishonoring to those beautiful people. You know, I think it's funny how God works - His ways are so mysterious. He must have known I needed a reality check and reminder that I should be grateful that it hurts when I run because I have 2 legs to run on, and that I can only go 11-12mph on my bike even though I'm pedaling for all I'm worth because I have 2 arms and 2 legs to operate the bike, and that I feel like I'm going to pass out when I swim sprints because I have 2 arms & 2 legs with which to propel myself through the water, even though I look like an "angry squirrel". I've been listening to my ipod alot lately, and it has a ton of music on it from various sources - Kurt actually preloaded it for me, LOL! But these two songs keep coming up... The first is Melissa Ethridge with "I Run For Life": and the second is Rob Thomas with "Her Diamonds"... I've tried to link to YouTube, but if they are having problems you won't see the links to the videos :( Anyway, they hit me so close to home. They remind me that I have a duty every single day to honor God for blessing me with good health and a strong heart and a duty to honor all of those who are not able to enjoy the things that I call "torture". I won't be waiting anymore on any organized "cause" to motivate me - I am going to sim, bike, and run in tribute to my loved ones and everyone else's loved ones who can't. I will keep them with me every day and do my very best not to take anything for granted. I am going to swim, bike, and run for life every single time and do my best to endure the pain & struggle, because one day it just might be my own life and sickness that someone else is running for. Andrea, Tim, Betty, Jim, Robert, and Jerry - you're with me always!

My Hunny Man is HOME!

He's here! He's here! He's finally here! No, not Santa - my hunny man is home! Kurt is finally back from his trip to Colorado, and I know he's only been gone 2 1/2 weeks, but I tell you it has been the most stressful and eventful 2 weeks of my young life... I think nearly all areas of my life have been put in the blender and puree'd, but now that he's home it's all going to be better :) but SHHHHH! Don't tell him, or else he'll get a big head about it, LOL! Now that he's home, I don't have to get up extra early to make sure the dogs get to eat and potty before work. Now that he's home, I don't have to stay up late to make sure everything gets locked up when the kids get home well past my bedtime. Now that he's home, I don't have to do my own laundry, and I can stop buying new clothes because I'm tired of doing my own laundry. Now that he's home, I don't have to pump my own gas or check the oil in the car, the van, or the lawnmower. Now that he's home, I don't have to watch movies by myself, and our DVR can finally be emptied of all the shows that I couldn't watch because we only watch them together. Now that he's home, I don't have to let the girls have a slumber party in my room to keep me company. Now that he's home, I don't have to bear the weight of sadness and hurt feelings all by myself because there's no one else to talk to. Now that he's home... well.... the list just goes on and on and on. Now that he's home, I don't have to leave all the empty spots in my life open, because my better half (he truly is what makes me a better person) has finally come back home :) Ok, ok, ok... enough of the smushy stuff... :) I'm sure the harping and nagging will kick into overdrive as usual first thing tomorrow, LOL!

And the Race is On

(and here comes pride up the back stretch)... Oh Sorry! I was hearing George Jones in my head :)

Over the last couple of weeks I've been working on getting my race schedule lined up and I started registering for things left and right! I had planned to race the Rev3 Olympic in Knoxville, but a few days after I paid for it to the tune of a couple hundred bucks, I learned that my first-born's high school graduation is that day :( BOOO! So I had to back out. BUT, luckily the folks at Rev 3 are giving me credit against a future race so all is not lost. Even if it would have cost me the entire entry fee, I couldn't miss my baby's graduation, now could I?

In addition to all the racing I'm doing, there's alot of things I'll use as "training events" as well as a team-building day for work. After all was said and done and my debit card stopped smoldering, here is what 2011 looks like for me:

April 9th - 65 Roses 5K race
May 1st - Scenic City Sprint Triathlon (doing this as a relay with my girls, and I've got the swim leg)
May 21 - Dragonboat Race (I actually signed up to ride 62 miles for the Tour de Cure, but I forgot that I had already signed up for the Dragonboat Race)
June 11 - Chattanooga Rat Race (1.2mi swim in the Tennessee River)
June 26 - Tellico Sprint Triathlon (800m swim, 16mi bike, 3.1mi run)
July 24 - Tri the Mountains Blue Ridge Sprint Triathlon (600yd swim, 18mi bike, 3.1mi run)
August 21 - Fall Creek Falls Olypmic Triathlon (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run)

and then....

the big Kahuna...

the Mack Daddy of my 2011 season....

September 25th - Ironman Augusta 70.3 - this is my very first 1/2 Ironman and will consist of 1.2mi swim, 56mi bike, and 13.1mi run.... yes folks that is a 1/2 freaking marathon AFTER the swim and the bike! YIKES! I'm really nervous, but I've just got to look at it the same way as all the other races.... one foot in front of the other!

Also this July, it looks like I'll be registering for a full Ironman in 2012. I almost peed my pants just typing that, but hey... I've come this far, right? There is no going back now - I mean, there's no other way to earn that IM tattoo, so I've just gotta do it. Unfortunately IMs sell out quick - some within minutes - so I'll have to be poised and ready when the registration opens, which will be the morning after this year's race. Can you believe it? I'll have to register a year in advance, which will mean I will have 365 full days to freak out and think what the heck have I done! LOL But with any luck, come July my new motto will be Lake Placid or Bust!

Pressing the "RESET" Button

Well, hello again, my bloggy friends! It's been quite a little while since I've blogged about anything, and it's just been because I've been feeling like my life was put in a blender turned on "puree". Somewhere near the eand of January, I started feeling out of sorts - nothing I could put my finger on specifically, but just "not right". I assumed it was because I was getting close to needing another dose of my hormone pellets, so I just did the best I could with trying to force my way along "business as usual". I was able to take a fabulous vacation at the beginning of February to see my dear friend Shell in San Jose, and for the record, Shell, I will be forever indebted to you... You'll never know how very much I enjoyed that trip! It really helped me to remember to put "First Things First" and take time for joy! So when I got home, I tried to cut back on some of the things that were overwhelming me, and essentially I "uncommitted" myself to all of those activities I'd been trying to cram into those 2 spare minutes I'd find along the way. I thought it would help, but nothing seemed to make any difference. As a matter of fact, I just started feeling worse and worse, spiraling farther down to a place where motivation and desire and appreciation just seemed to disappear. I gave up on healthy eating, training, spending quality time with people I care about, and all that just broke my heart because it wasn't that I didn't want to do those things... I mean I wanted to want to, but I just couldn't make myself really want to enough to get up and do them. Sounds like jibberish, I know, but there's not really an easy explanation for where I was.

When I went to the doctor, hoping for more pellets to end this madness, we learned something completely unexpected. Oh, before I forget to mention, I decided to change doctors - I didn't like the old one anymore (really cold bedside manner), and the search for a new one just made me even later for pellets. Anyway, because I was a new patient, they had to do the whole "how do you do" blood work up and physical, and would not just slice-n-stuff my pellets like usual. I was so frustrated and sad, and at this point in my journey I was just a mess.... crying over every little thing, just desperate to find me again. but I'm telling you, it was a good thing they insisted, because getting those pellets at that time would have had really big consequences. We thought my problem was lack of hormones, but in reality, when my bloodwork came back, my levels were OFF THE CHARTS high for both the estrogen and testosterone. I was so shocked! I've been on the pellets for years, and no one had ever bothered to check them along the way. It's no wonder I felt like I wanted to do pinch somebody's head off and then felt horribly emotional and depressed at the same time! It was like Roid Rage, PMS, and Postpartum Depression got together and had some kind of hay day with my body.... brutal I tell ya! So, my new doctor (nurse midwife actually) has made a plan, and we're changing some medicines around to help me get back to normal. Subtract the pellets, add in progesterone, multiply all that by a little less hectic schedule and more sunshine, and we've got an equation for health with any luck!

After almost 2 months off of training and eating right, I'm finally starting to see the light! I've been out on a few runs, a swim and a couple of bike rides, and although I can tell I've lost some speed and it hurt really bad like I when I just started working out, but admittedly it is feeling really good to start making my way back to the land of the living! A couple of weeks ago, I got my Road ID in the mail. In the midst of my chaos, I had forgotten that I'd ordered it. And it was waiting for me when I got home one day. Once I looked at it, I couldn't help but feel that little spark ignite way down deep. I remembered the thrill I felt when I pedaled past that guy at the Tellico Sprint last year, and instantly knew whatever it takes, I'm going to get back in the race to the rhythm of Katie Perry (not that I advocate her views at all, but her song inspired the catch phrase on my Road ID)....

Thank you all for being patient and compassionate and for not giving up on me!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday, I turned 39, and I have to say that it was up there in the top 5 birthdays I've had in my whole adult life! The entire day was full of loving friends and family, warm sentiments, thoughtful gifts, and more delicious food than I should have eaten in an entire week. Kurt gave me his gift a couple of weeks ago so I could take it on my trip to San Jose, so really, I've been celebrating for weeks now *big cheesy grin*! The fun hasn't stopped yet, cause as soon as I'm done playing around in Bloggy Land, Kurt's going to take me out to lunch at Famous Dave's (never been there) and then on to shopping for a new couch & loveseat! But wait! There's more! If we get back from shopping in time, we'll be headed over to my sister's house for a good old fashioned weinie roast... I'm going to need a vacation from all the celebrating :)

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a few of my favorite birthday things with you!

This is a dry erase board eraser shaped like a paw print (like you couldn't tell, LOL) that I got from one of my employees - and it's magnetic too so it sticks to my cubicle wall :)

This is my dinner from Red Lobster last night - that's right folks... you're looking at a pound and a half of snow crab legs WOOO HOOOO! Funny thing is, that was the second time I went to Red Lobster... yesterday :) My fabulous boss took me there for lunch and then we went again last night for dinner... MMMMMMMMM

This is the aftermath, LOL! Little bits of crab & lobster everywhere :)

This, my friends, is the latest edition to my windchime collection - this was a gift from my favorite Kiwi fruit, Shell. She's the one I went to visit in San Jose, and this windchime came from New Zealand where a really uber talented craftsman hammered and pounded and twisted ordinary kitchen forks, spoons, knivees and fishing line into such a sweet sounding work of art... it's the coolest thing I've ever seen, and it has now assumed its rightful place of honor hanging above my back porch. Big huge sloppy wet hugs and kisses, Shell! Can't tell you how much I love it!

I received so many wonderful blessings on my birthday, way more than I could blog about, so please know that I loved every bit of it from every single one of you... God really gave me so many gifts and made it clear that I have infinitely more things to be thankful for than I have fingers and toes to count on. Thank you all for helping to make the last 39 years more than a girl could ask for!

Single Digits, Baby!

The countdown to madness is down to single digits now! In just 9 more days, I leave the Scenic City of Chattanooga for sunny San Jose, CA where I'm going to spend 5 whole days with my soul sister, my favorite Kiwi (ok, so she's the only Kiwi I know, LOL), my dear friend Shell Mackay!!! WOOOO HOOOOO I cannot wait!

We haven't seen each other since October of 2007, when Shell came to one of my scrapbook retreats back when I ran them in Colorado. It was so much fun, because we got a "surprise" blizzard the weekend of the retreat. And Shell still insisted on wearing her freaking flip flops with her green toenails hanging out in the snow, LOL!











I'm so excited, because now I finally get to attend one of her world famous Scrapgrlz retreats. Been trying to get there for years, but life has just gotten in the way! It has gotten so much in the way that I haven't scrapped more than 2 layouts in the whole 2 1/2 years I've lived here in Chattanooga. Isn't that just a crying SHAME?!!! I am barely going to be able to hold my head up and look my fellow retreaters in the eyes from all the shame! But, scrapbookers are generally a forgiving lot, so I should be okay :)

I've already warned my coach that I'm going to be spending 5 days... count 'em ONE-TWO-THREE-FOUR-FIVE DAYS.... of sitting on my rump eating absolutely NOTHING good for me and doing NOT ONE squat, NOT ONE single stroke in the pool, NOT ONE single step in the running shoes, NOT ONE single rotation of a bike tire... there will be NO FITNESS involved whatsoever, LOL!!! I'm going to be in culture shock, but it will be a fabulous change of scenery and hopefully will be just what I need to refuel. Of course I'll probably be begging Coach Andy for mercy when I see the workouts he's planned for me when I get back, LOL.... but it'll totally be worth it :)

San Jose better hold onto it's shorts, cause the Shellbillies, along with a Flat friend or two, will be tearin' it up... WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!

Widgets, Countdowns, & Tickers... Oh MY!

Ok - I'm just going to come right out and say up front that this has absolutely nothin' to do with nothin' LOL, except for some whining and griping! I have been working on my webbin' and bloggin', and just trying to get back into the technological groove lately by redoing my blog site, working on some new graphics, and actually making a point to post more. However, I have forgotten most everything I know about PSE, so the graphics are coming along VERY slowly.

SO I decided to work on posting instead, and actually have quite a bit to blog about... New race schedule starting to fill in for this year, some neat family things, and just general who-knows-if-it's-blogworthy stuff. I logged into Blogger to start drafting a new post, and I was really bummed to see that my countdown widget has stopped working - you know, the one for the Ironman Augusta 70.3?! I was proud of that one and one I really want to keep right at the top of my blog for inspiration and accountability, but the stupid thing stopped working... kicked the bucket... bought the farm... bit the big one! The website where I created it isn't working either! I've tried looking for other websites or ways to learn how to create my own, and I'm still coming up empty *sniff*.

I just don't understand in this day and age how I can be so technologically challenged! I want my widget!!!!