What pays the bills

If anyone is interested, you can see what the hubby is working on - his research is his passion and it also helps to pay the bills.  :)

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/15775.html

Little Runner

Because I am determined to be the coolest aunt ever and I have this crazy need to spoil my niece, I buy her every cute thing I see (do not tell my husband)!! This weekend I ran across infant running shoes and I had to buy them. Could.not.resist!!! Cute little Saucony Pro Grids in size 4 (9-12 mo). Her first running shoes. Seriously, how freaking cute?!?!?!




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If you build it...

...they will come.  Funny how that little quote applies to a lot of different things, like say, building medical centers.  I'd like to know when Health Care Reform will include hospital reform and not just insurance reform.  It really does go both ways.

http://www.ibj.com/building-binge-hasnt-crimped-hospital-profits/PARAMS/article/22328

The Whole Family

Found the picture of the whole family from June!  I miss Grandma.  I was supposed to be seeing her this weekend.  We usually make the trek once a month and this weekend was when we planned to go...

Missing Grandma

Grandma with Todd and I at our wedding, January 2004

This weekend is my first Grandparent's Day without a grandparent.  I've always made sure to celebrate Grandparent's Day.  The day symbolizes the importance of grandparents and the wisdom they pass on to their family.  It's true.  My grandma was the matriarch of the family and was always teaching us something.  But, my grandma passed away this week.  I just got home from her funeral.  It was a long two days, but I know she would have loved the service.  It was a perfect celebration of her life.

Her health has not been good for some time now, but every time she took a turn for the worse she always found a way to bounce back.  Last weekend, she fell and her body couldn't take the stress anymore.  She passed away on Monday, September, 6, 2010.  She was 91.  It was not a surprise that her health was not good, but it still didn't make the call at 2:30am any easier.  I think it took about 5 minutes for me to register what had happened when my parents called.  I didn't cry right away, but once I did, I couldn't stop.  I didn't really sleep the rest of the night.  I was thankful Monday was a holiday because there was no way I would have been able to go to work.

The visitation was from 6-8pm on Thursday and was a steady stream of people.  My grandma had so many friends and family.  Friends she has known for 30 and 40 years.  I guess that is what happens when you live almost your whole life in the same small town.  Friends from church, her bridge club, her birthday club, PEO, her school where she retired as secretary many years ago.  Family came from as far as Massachusetts.  Family friends traveled from several hours away, too.  Most that are 91 tend to have small funerals as they have outlived much of their family and friends.  Not my grandma - she has friends from every generation.  I knew most of those that came through from seeing her so often and even going with her to birthday club lunch or dropping her off at bridge club and meeting her friends.  It was neat to hear some of their stories.  One friend has lunch plans with my grandma for next week.  She is still going to go and celebrate the day by thinking of her.  Some of her friends are probably feeling as sad as the family.  Friends she has traveled with and shared holidays with over the years.  So many people came through that I was exhausted by the end of the night.  But, my grandma looked good and would have loved that so many came in her honor.  After getting something to eat, we headed back to Iowa to stay with Todd's parents.

Friday morning before the funeral was a little stressful.  Todd's parents live about 30 minutes from my grandma.  The funeral was at 10:30am and I left their house at 9:20am.  I've done this drive hundreds of time to go visit my grandma.  We come up every month or two and I always come see her or pick her up for a holiday celebration.  What I didn't know was the amount of road construction that had been set up since I was up to see her in August.  There were three spots where the road was down to one lane.  The road is a 2-lane highway and it is pretty much the only way to get from Iowa over to Illinois, so it is busy.  The drive took me an hour, due to stopping to get through the construction zones.  I was a wreck.  Todd, my brother's family, and Todd's parents were all several minutes behind me.  I walked into the church and broke down.  I was frazzled from the tense drive, upset to be so late, worried about the others getting there, and freaked out knowing that would be the last time I would make that drive.  Ever.  I cried when I got the call and cried at the visitation, but I just started crying uncontrollably at this point.  My mom had to take me to the bathroom to calm me down. 

The actual funeral service was beautiful.  My grandma would have loved it!  It was the best funeral service I have ever been to.  I laughed and cried the whole time.  My grandmother's friend of 30 years gave the eulogy.  At first I was upset about this.  My mom had asked if I would say something and agreed to do so.  However, she later called and told me that one of my grandma's longtime friends would speak.  I felt strongly that someone in the family should speak, but on the flipside, this was perfect.  It would have been too difficult for a family member and this friend did a fabulous job describing my grandmother.  It was the perfect tribute.  Another friend from my grandma's church sang two solos, both of which she had requested years ago.  He was amazing.  I was also upset about this at first because I wanted my sister-in-law to sing.  But, it would have been hard for her and he did such a wonderful job.  The minister did a great job on the sermon, too.  I have the audio from the service, which I need to digitize so I can listen to it again.  The coolest thing is that my 5-month old niece was asleep in her car seat between my brother and I.  She sleep like an angel the entire service and kept smiling in her sleep.  I am not sure what she was dreaming about, but we think grandma was talking to her in her sweet dreams.

My grandma loved dark chocolate M&Ms.  We always brought her some whenever we visited.  We found several bags when we were cleaning.  She always had a bowl out for herself and any visitors.  It was her trademark - everyone knew she would have some when they came to see her.  So, we put some in her casket and had them out in bowls at the funeral service.  My mom also had the M&Ms graphic printed on her memorial pamphlets.  I think she would be surprised that we did this, but thought it was neat.  She always liked neat, cutesy things like that.

The burial was short, less than 10 minutes, and my niece stole the show.  It could have been a sad time, but those that gathered there couldn't help but focus on my niece.  She was in the cutest outfit, in the best mood, and my mom was holding her as the minister gave the final blessing.  She was smiling at everyone and we all joked afterward that grandma would have been watching her sweet face had she been there, too.  It really made me think about the circle of life.  Lily only 5-months old and my grandma 91 years old.  My grandma got to see her twice since she was born and loved every minute of it.  (In fact, in the eulogy, her friend said she was worried at one point that she might only ever have great-granddogs.  There are 6 dogs between 6 grandchildren.  LOL)  The luncheon following the burial was a good time to see more family and friends and eat more M&Ms.  :)

It was harder than I thought it would be and am still worried about several relatives and friends.  She meant so much to so many people.  She was a truly special person and treated her friends like family and spoiled her family.  She did so much for her church and the community.  I miss her already.  She has been with me for many holidays the last five years, especially every Thanksgiving.  It is going to be hard not having her there this year.  While I wish I could talk to her one more time, I am thankful I did get to see her so often despite living 6 hours away.  So, for those that still have living grandparents, hug them if you live close or call them if you live far away.  Wish them a Happy Grandparent's Day and let them know you are thinking of them.  As one of my friends told me, they are very special people.  I wish I could call my grandma this weekend.

My family at Lily's baptism, June 2010 (minus Todd beind the camera)

Going to see my niece!

I just want to squeeze those thighs! Love them!!

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New freezer!!

This is our brand new 21 cubic foot upright freezer! Now, I'm sure most everyone else could care less, but I love it. And better yet, we got an amazing deal! It was marked down as a scratch and dent model. You can hardly tell and this is for our garage anyway, so who cares!! We pointed out a bunch of dents and asked for another $50 off. The same model new is $650 and we got this for $450!!!

I have so much room and no more digger through the chest freezer to find something! I've frozen a lot of stuff garden to cook with this winter. Yep, 9 gallons of tomatoes, 8 quarts of rhubarb, 9 quarts if zucchini, just to name a few things!

I love my new appliance!!

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Injured, Part 3: Why everything sucks (right now)

See previous posts in my saga at:
Part 1
Part 2

This post is several weeks late.  Why?  Well, I've been busy with my more than full time job, taking a masters class, and teaching an undergrad class.  Oh, and the more I think about it, the more sad I get.  You know how they say writing makes you feel better because you get it all out?  Not so much for me.

So, the verdict is in. No running. For at least 3 months.

Ticked. Pissed. Upset. Sad. Depressed. Let the countdown begin!!

That about sums it up in a few words. I was expecting the news, but at the same time, it was still shocking to hear. Going from 35 miles per week to 0 miles per week for the last month and a half has been horrible. Another two more months takes my breath away. Literally.

The good news is that there is no stress fracture.  The bad news is that I'm still injured.  While there are several things the MRI turned up and we'll watch, the biggest issue is tendinosis of the hamstring. Basically, I have a torn, battered, and barely hanging on hamstring in my left leg likely brought on by overuse.  Tendinosis is very different from tendinitis.  Tendinitis is inflammation of the tendon and it is easily treatable with a few days or weeks of rest.  However, tendinosis is actually damage to the tendon to the point where it cannot heal itself.  While I am usually not a fan of Wikipedia, the difference between tendinosis and tendinitis is explained well in layman's terms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tendinosis.  There was some concern over torn cartilage where my femur bone comes into my hip bone, but after seeing another specialist, he is not worried about it right now.  I am not having any pain or symptoms from that, so it's just something to keep an eye on over time.  But the hamstring issue is still a big issue. 

I take pain pretty well - I don't complain much and tend to run through it.  No pain, no gain.  Right??  But, then there's just some pain you know is bad...very bad.  And, you can't run because it is so painful.  That's where I am.  And it sucks.  Besides no running, I also am banned from swimming, speed walking, etc., while the tendon heals and regenerates.  So, I'm pretty much a bump on a log this summer.  Right now, I am going twice per week for microcurrent and ART therapy to hopefully heal the tendon faster. 

We'll see.  Currently, it is looking like the next time I can run will be in late September or early October.  Thankfully, I had no big races planned for the fall.  I've been riding the exercise bike about 4-5 days per week and weight training (arms and abs) about 3 days per week.  But, I've lost most of my fitness at this point and am pretty much going to have to start over from scratch.  I just keep thinking about how frustrated I am right now and how even when I get out to run how it is going to be slow going and frustrating on a whole different level.  And that assuming it all heals without any issues.

(I feel like instead of filing these posts under running, it should be under lack of running...)

3 Birthdays, 1 Weekend

What do you do when you can't run and have a weekend free of races? Visit the family and eat cake, lots of cake.

We visited Todd's family in Iowa this past weekend to celebrate our niece's 4th birthday (a few weeks early). Todd's brother and grandmother also had birthdays this weekend. So, we did a lot of family meals and had every kind of cake possible. It was all good. Especially all the icing.

My grandma only lives 30 mins away, so I spent all Saturday afternoon with her. She was in the hospital last week and is now on oxygen. It was hard for me to see her labor in breath so much. So, hopefully she will get used to the oxygen even though she doesn't like it.

For the rest of the weekend, we had a great time playing with our nieces and nephews. Swimming, basketball, coloring, and all the other fun stuff. It is always relaxing to just play for awhile. When I was visiting my grandma, Todd went shopping for our niece's birthday gift. It was rather comical. First, Todd sent me a text asking if a 4-year-old could have a goldfish and tank. Then, he sent me a text saying that he bought her a dress instead. I about fell out of my chair laughing. I later found out that it really wasn't a dress, but a short set. It actually wasn't too bad, but definitely not a dress. I asked him if he got a gift bag, but he said it was already wrapped - because his mom wrapped it for him. LOL

Just in case, I stopped and bought he some school/art supplies I knew she would like, including a princess pencil bag. An "aunt" gift. It was a huge hit. She carried it around as a purse all weekend and slept with it. Too cute!

The weekend was not incident free.  After a family lunch with Todd's grandma in the nursing home for her birthday, we didn't have any water to wipe our niece's face, which was covered in icing.  Todd, in his infinite wisdom, decided to moisten a napkin with milk to get all the icing off.  It was rather funny.  Hopefully she didn't spell like spoiled milk later on.  I also inadvertantly gave my niece a fat bloody lip.  She ran into me while running around and fell on the wood floor before I could catch her.  I felt awful, especially when I saw the blood mix with tears!  But, she was fine and it appeared to be nothing serious.  Phew!  These are just a few of the incidents that happened.  Thankfully kids are resilient!!

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Injured, Part 2: Why MRIs suck

In order to figure out my injury, I was sent for a MRI. Of course, to get it approved by insurance, I had to get x-rays first. I'm all for preventing unnecessary medical tests and procedures. But, at the same time, everyone knew the required x-rays would not show a stress fracture or any other soft tissue injury the were expecting. So useless!

I've never had a MRI before and I wouldn't wish one on anyone. I had no clue what to expect and found out about the test only 18 hours ahead of time, so wasn't able to research much. Anyway, I arrived and the techs tried to stuff me in a tight tube as soon as I walked in the door. I made them stop and explain everything to me. I don't think many people ask questions, so they were quick to answer. But I was persistent. You need to know what they are going to do, right?
Having a leg injury, I wanted to know they were taking images of the correct leg!!

Anyway, I had a scan if my pelvis and lower back area. I spent 30 minutes in the tube for the first scan. Not too bad - they gave me music, had my bad leg propped up, and I was positioned so my head was slightly out if the long tube. I definitely felt less claustrophobic that way.

They pulled me out to reposition me for the second scan. That was a disaster! I had a lot of pressure on my back, so it was sheer pain. I got very hot and I was having a hard time staying still. I started freaking out at the end. I was thankful to be pulled out, but learned I would have to go back in for a few more images! At that point I was in so much pain, I started tearing up. The tech put some props under me to take the pressure off my back. When it was over, I was covered in sweat and so happy to be done!

I was happy to get the test done to know exact what problems exist, but MRIs suck!

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New Truck!

Todd got a new truck...finally!  He's been talking about getting a truck for about two years now.  We finally pulled the trigger once we found out he got tenure.  It was like a little present to himself!  I don't mind at all because I love the new truck - a 2010 Honda Ridgeline.  The reason I love it so much is that the CR-V was so uncomfortable to ride in.  I got carsick every time we sent somewhere, and it wasn't only me.  Other passengers complained when riding in the car.  Also, with the truck, the dogs will be able to ride along with us without being physically in the car.  This means no dog stench or dog hair in the car.  I had to prep people for riding in the car.  It was not pretty, nor did it smell pretty.  The dogs will ride in dog boxes in the back of the truck.  That deserves a whole other post, but the dog boxes are popular among hunters as a way to haul dogs without having a truck topper.  Some people call the Ridgeline a girly truck because of how it looks.  All I know is that is rides awesome and I will take my heated leather seats in the girly truck over the uncomfortable bench seat of every other truck out there!



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Heat Wave

It's hot. While I hate working in a job that keeps me inside all day everyday, this heat is too much. I'm thankful for AC.

When it's this hot we carefully watch the dogs to make sure they don't overheat. They are outside almost daily for a major part of the day, but on days like this, we let them come in and take a break from the heat. Also they have their own kiddie pool and about five water bowls. Oh, and a cool spot dug out in trench-like fashion under our back deck against the foundation of the house. Yes, that is not an approved method but what can you do? It gets dug out again as soon as we fill it in.

I was out in our front yard with the dogs and Lucy found a cool spot next to some new landscaping. Good thing I rank her as one of the best dogs ever because she should not be in the bushes. LOL





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Injured, Part 1: Why injuries suck...

So, long time no post.  This summer has been a little busier than I thought.  Unfortunately, I was hoping for a nice relaxing summer, but no such luck.  Between my more than full-time job, taking a grad class, and teaching an undergrad class, I spend about 18 hours per day in front of my computer.  It sucks.  My only relief from the glaring computer screen is running.  My one true passion, hobby, and stress reliever in life.  I am not super competitive, except against myself.  But, I like to think I am a decent runner.  Over the years I have been slowly chipping away at my race times and that makes me happy.  However, in the midst of my summer madness, my running has come to a complete halt and I am bummed more than words can express. 

After my crazy spring running adventures, I took a few weeks off from really running.  I ran a couple of short runs here and there, kept up my weight lifting routine, and generally took it easy the other days.  This worked out well as I was at the end of taking a grad class and needed to focus on the final project anyway.  After that ended, I started to ramp back up for the July half in California I had signed up for.  I was so excited about the Napa-to-Sonoma Half.  It was going to be my first destination race.  I was excited to see that part of the country.  Also, the hubby is a huge wine freak, so I thought this would be a great way for him to enjoy the trip, too.  A definite win-win for both of us.  Then, about a month before the race, I ran my worst 10-miler ever.  Seriously.  I cannot describe that run other than it was hot, I was dehydrated at the end despite water stops every 2 miles, and I was way off pace.  So far off I can't even look at my Nike+ stats for that day without gasping at the disaster that it was.  I chalked it up to a bad day.  It was the hottest run I've done in years and every runner has bad days.  However, the next day I woke up and could barely walk.  The shooting pain down the back of my leg was horrid.  I had never felt that much pain before.

I remember trying to get out of bed and wonder if I would be able to walk to the bathroom.  At first I thought I slept on it wrong, but as the day went on, I knew it was something more with my left leg.  I tried a short 3 mile run thinking it was just a tight muscle and circled back home after 2 miles.  I was in pain.  I got right in to see my favorite sports doc at Bloomington Sports and Wellness.  Seriously, Dr. M has healed my aches, pains, and knee ailments for years.  He knows I am a freak about running and always gets me back into shape quickly.  After I saw him one time, he restricted my running immediately.  Yep, injuried.  Definitely injured.  I saw him several more times each week still with no running.  After much rest and me going crazy, he finally said I could rest two more days and then go for a test run.  Nothing crazy, maybe a 5k, and let him know how it goes.  He had done ART on my for several sessions, I was having no pain, and I was hoping to get back out there and run!

To say it went bad is an understatement.  I left my house and actually felt pretty good for the first half mile.  Then it all hit at one.  Pain shooting down the back of my leg.  At this point, I was a week out from the half in California.  When I first went in for treatment, I still had a goal to run the race.  After a couple of sessions, I let myself think I would be able to run-walk the race since my training time had been cut short.  After this trial run, I came home in tears.  I cried all day as I realized I would not be able to do this race.  We had everything arranged, plane tickets, hotels in two cities, rental car, race day prep, and excursions all lined up.  We even knew another couple from Bloomington running the race and planned to meet up with them for dinner and winery tours post-race.  I was so excited for this break from life and a chance to do my first destination run.  We had decided to make a vacation out of the trip no matter what happened with my leg injury.  However, I immediately knew we would have to re-arrange our trip because I wasn't sure I could handle being near the race that I had registered for without being able to run.  I wanted to cheer on our friends, but at the same time I knew I would not be in a good state of mind.  I don't mind spectating races, but spectating a race you were prepared to run is a whole different story.

After much discussion and crunching of numbers, we decided it wouldn't be the fun trip we had hoped for and decided to cancel.  Why not save the money for something that would be a fun time.  We were able to cancel everything with no penalty, except for the plane tickets.  But, we have a year to use them after paying the change fee, so it isn't a total loss.  I was also able to sell my race registration to a pretty cool guy.  After I posted on the race Facebook page, I had like a dozen people email me about buying my entry.  I ended up selling it to a guy who was buying it for his wife to run.  They are both runners and are also opening up a winery.  They have the coolest business model in that all profits they make are donated to charity.  How amazing are they??  Anyway, we went back and forth several times even after we transferred the money/registration around.  He said I should stop in to them if we are out in the area soon.  So, my shameless plug for a super nice guy:  Be sure to check out the website and wine of Bruliam Wines.  Not only are they really cool people, but their website is awesome and I love their catch phrase.

Anyway, I digress.  After going back to the doc after the horrid run, he took one look at me and sent me to have a MRI done.  He wouldn't treat me and sat me down with the bad news, a possible stress fracture.  While I pray it is not this and not some other serious injury, I was not surprised to hear this.  I had done enough googling to know it was a definite possibility.  The doc, not meaning to be funny, mentioned that he knew my body and it was not responding to treatment.  It's true, though.  I've been seeing him for about 5 years and I trust what he is telling me about my injuries.  So, he arranged for an MRI of my sacrum, SI joint, and bottom discs of my spine.  Something is going on in that area of my body.  After the horrid trial run, my pain has been persistent and the shooting pains are happening more often.  So, he wanted to get a good look at the whole region.

So, after the short version of the long back story, I circle back to why injuries suck.  I run an average of 30 miles per week.  Lately, I've run 3 miles in 4 weeks.  Yep.  Let's just say I have been really down or really on edge.  Recall, this is my stress relief and my stress levels have been high this summer!  On top of that, I have missed all of the local 5ks in our race series, and instead of being in California to run  the half I have been looking forward to since I registered 9 months ago, I sit at home typing this blog waiting for the results of my MRI (blog on that to come later).  The other thing that really has me down is that all my friends are pretty much runners.  July 5th was the start of training for fall races for most everyone.  So, everyone is busy training, making running dates with friends, and blogging out how great their training is going.  I love hearing about all this and I love supporting them in their efforts, but not being able to participate really gets me down.  At this point, I still don't know what exactly is wrong or when I'll be able to run again, so I trying to stay upbeat is becoming more difficult.  I am hoping the tests will show something so that I can develop a treatment plan with the docs and move ahead.  That is the one thing that is helping me get through right now.

4th Fun

Somehow I took no pictures on July 4th. Probably because we celebrated on the 3rd. That was the night of our local fireworks, so we had some neighbors and friends over for a cookout. There were 15 of us, including 6 boys under age 5. It was hot out, so we actually spent more time inside than out. We hauled out the Darth Vader Mr. Potato Head and turned our Jinga game into building blocks. Yep, those are the only kid toys we own!

When it got dark, we headed out to catch the fireworks show. It was definitely not that great, especially compared to previous years. I'm assuming the budget was low this year, which is understandable.

In general it was a nice day to relax after the walk and parade in the morning. We didn't do anything on the 4th except finally mulch our flower beds, which badly needed to be done!! It was nice to have an extra day to catch up. Between working, teaching part time, and taking a class, it was much needed!!


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View from the back

Back of the pack, that is.  I haven't had much time to blog, but I also haven't been training much.  Much might actually be too generous.  I haven't been training at all.  An injury to my leg has totally sidelined me, two weeks before a major race.  Not only was I behind in training due to my schedule and the weather, this added a major wrinkle.  I haven't run at all and have been going to the sports doctor every few days to have it checked out and "worked" on.  He isn't sure exactly what the problem is and feels I have several contributing factors.  He suggested I not run, so I haven't even set my feet to the pavement for over a week now.  It has been hard for me to follow the doctor's orders, but I have been seeing him for years and he really knows best when it comes to telling me to stop, take it easy, or go full steam ahead.  So, instead of running, I have been doing some walking.

I had already signed up for a local 5k race over the 4th of July weekend.  In addition to no running, he suggested I not speed walk, swim, or pretty much do anything that would use my legs.  Since I pre-registered, I decided to go, take my dog, and walk at a very slow casual pace.  The morning was great - overcast and cooler.  Perfect for a summer run!  To say I was jealous of the runners is an understatement.  It took everything in my body to keep me from running.  A lot of runners got PRs as the course is one of the flatter ones in the area. 

I started at the back of the crowd with Lucy.  We took off rather slow and took our time on the course.  I think it took about 18 minutes to walk the first mile.  The whole time I kept thinking about what I would be doing if I were able to run.  To keep my mind from wandering to running, I started trying to talk to the walkers around me.  I definitely had some interesting observations from the morning:

• Most of the walkers were new to walking a 5k.  I passed several discussing the actual mileage of a 5k.  I reminded one couple it equals 3.1 mile.
• Many of the walkers were shocked to hear it took them 18 minutes to walk the first mile.  I guess they thought the race was about half over, and then they realized they still had several miles to go.
• Most of the walkers go from conversation to conversation.  No one seems to care if you join in a conversation as you are passing by.  I talked to several different people for just a few minutes as I passed them or they passed me.  This is different than runners.  During a race, runners don't talk to each other.  Instead, runners focus on their race at hand and think about things like pace, hydration, strategy for getting a PR, etc.  There isn't a lot of back and forth with those around you.
• Lots of walkers bring their kids.  This is totally cool and I would do the same thing, but if your kid isn't happy and you are walking, 3.1 miles is a long time!  There was one little girl who screamed for 2.5 miles.  It was loud, she was unhappy, and there was nothing her mom could do but keep going until the end.  It was funny because everyone kept commenting on how she was STILL crying as they passed her after the turn-around point.  I never understood why some events included a 1-mile family fun walk.  I now completely understand the need for this event category.
• Walkers do not really cheer for runners.  I was yelling for a few of my friends as I watched them pass me.  Some were doing really well and I wanted to show my support.  The walkers around me looked at me like I was crazy when I called out to the runners.  I don't think they really know how to encourage the racers.

I noticed a few other things along the way.  In general, the race was good and I am glad I went.  It was a nice way to enjoy the morning and see some good friends.  However, I am hopeful the next time will be to run a running race (in the words of Sam Clarke).

Patio Construction

So, we've needed a new patio since we moved into our house 5 years ago. We're finally getting a new one this summer. Long story, but getting this done has been a process. We had the estimate done in April thinking the work would happen in May. Well, the last week of June it is finally happening. However, not without issues getting what we want. The patio will be flagstone, but I wanted brick. I'm a fan of matching things in design and the firepit we had installed will not match the patio stone. Yeah, another long story I won't go into here. Ask me some other time. The patio was laid today but the company does not have the sealer to put over it. It won't come in until next Wednesday. Nice. One would think a contractor would have all supplies on hand to do a job. We planned to be gone with our dogs after the sealer was applied so it would dry for 2 days. Now? Well, I'm really not sure how we are going to keep the dogs off the half-done patio, keep it dry, and them keep them off for another 2 days after it is applied. That involves a whole week if making alternative arrangements. Yeah, super mad. Let's just say this is how the whole job has gone. I will never use this company again. It's my own fault. I had a bad feeling from the start and got the name of another good company. I never called the second company. Stupid me.

At any rate, here are some pics of the process:



Old patio is gone.



Leveling out for flagstone.



New firepit. I love having fires and with the cost of adding this, we will be using it lots!!!

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Sneaky Dogs

Due to some work being done on our house and the extreme heat, the dogs were in the house for a few hours Friday. Todd was home most of the day, but had to leave for a few hours. The dogs have a crock full of at least a dozen toys, but Todd got them out a new one to keep them busy and from destroying the house. We keep a stash for them in a bench in our entryway.

Apparently, they decided to find some other activities to keep them busy...



Here is the bench as Todd found it upon his return home. I am guessing Murphy was able to use his nose to lift up...



After opening the bench, they (I'm assuming both dogs participated in this part) hauled toys all over the house with tags and all.



Who, us?? We are innocent! It is hard to be mad at them, especially since they didn't do anything too horrible. Such sneaky dogs!

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Thin Skin

So, I apparently have thin skin. For the third time in a row, I've had skin ripped off when getting my eyebrows waxed. This has never been a problem before?!?! I was told certain make-up and face creams can cause the skin in this area to thin. Not sure if that is true or not, but I don't wear make-up and only use Aveeno face lotion. So, that can't be it. Either way, it is super noticible!! People at work kept asking what happened to my eye. Between that and the Neosporin I keep slathering on to prevent scabs, I'm sure people must think I am a freak! I hope it heals fast!!!!

Running note: I have a feeling this is a running related injury. I'm serious!! I think when I sweat while running, I wipe my eyes and forehead so much that I have irritated my skin. Thus, the skin is sensitive, and is coming off with the wax. Yuck!

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Storm Watcher

This is my neighbor's house before a bad storm last week. I snapped this picture with my iPhone. The quality isn't great, but it definitely captures the amazing clouds and straightline winds. We only lost the grill, which was lifted off the deck by the wind.

I sent this picture to my neighbor. We are both on Twitter and this made it around quickly. Eventually it got to Jim Cantore at The Weather Channel. They had the picture on TV the next morning. How cool is that? We were both already at work and didn't have a chance to set the DVR. But, I do feel like a certified storm watcher now!




Running note: Right before the storm hit, I saw a woman out running. I don't think she made it home in time. Hopefully she learned to always check the weather before heading out!!

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The importance of the ponytail

Maybe it is just me, but I feel like every female runner knows the importance of the ponytail.  It is pretty much required to survive training and racing, right?  Who wants to have hair flying all over the place or flapping in your face while running?  Definitely not me.  And that is where this story/rant begins.

I hate having any hair in my face while running, working out, or playing any sport.  It is one of my pet peeves.  The other pet peeve is little short pieces of hair sticking to the back of my sweaty neck and making me itchy.  I hate it!  Every time I go to get my haircut, I give my hairdresser the same story, which is pretty much along these lines:  When you are done, my hair must fit in a ponytail.  If that means erring on the side of leaving it too long, so be it.  Seriously, I am not going lie, I say it every time.  So why is it that my hair is too short every time I leave the salon?!?!?  Literally, every time.  I either get a bunch of hair falling all over the place because the hair dresser decided to add new layers, or they left me a nub of a ponytail.  Ummm, a nub that doesn't stay in place and is too small to really wrap a ponytail holder around is not a ponytail!  This happens to me EVERY time. What about my very direct above statement is there not to understand??

I've thought about this over the years.  I generally wear my hair medium length.  It looks better short, but I have to have a ponytail, so I keep it longer for that reason alone.  I think I have come to the conclusion that the hair dresser knows my hair looks better short and wants me to leave the salon with a great style showing of her great talent.  But, I do not want style, I want functional.  Functional is the most important part of running, whether it be the hair or the running gear.  It may look cute, but if it doesn't get the job done, then who wants it?  Cute shorts that chafe?  No thank you!  Shoes that cause blisters?  No way!  Hair that is uncontrollable while racing?  Never!

I see lots of girls with shorter hair running and I admire then for being able to run without the ponytail.  I can't do it and I imagine most other female (or males with longer hair) can do it since I see so many ponytails along the course.  So, here I sit, waiting for my hair to grow out from the nub to the official ponytail yet again.  I've got my headband in to keep the loose pieces from flying everywhere.  At least I am not holding hair down with bobby pins and my running ear band like last winter.  That was a disaster!  Here's hoping my next cut is better and my hair dresser will actually do what I ask (and pay) for...

As a side, I have switched hair dressers several times and it always turns out the same - shorter than I asked for.  No, 1/4 inch does not mean 1/2 inch.  Ugh!  The good news is one of my favorite old hair dressers is back in action locally, so I am going back to her next time around.