Ouch!

I keep wondering why I choose to abuse my body, but the sad thing is is that these thoughts only last for a couple of days, and then I am over it, and forget about it when the time comes to sign up for the next one.

We completed the St. Louis Half yesterday. What a day! I even set a PR, and met my goal of completing one in under three hours. Our time was 2:59:20. Previously my best was 3:12:36, and that was two and a half years ago when I did the one with my dad. Brad did great. He even helped push me towards the end, and I don't think we would have made it under three hours if it wasn't for him. I am so proud of him for being able to do that, and for just completing it. I know he is sore, too, and his hamstrings are not doing so great. The boys at his office will probably be picking on him a little bit today. But I was so glad to have him with me, and to beat that goal with him. With all of the family drama, in some way it is kind of symbolic to me to beat the time that I set with my dad, and to do it with him. Part of the moving on with my life process, and great that I have found one of many people who absolutely support me in that venture and don't bring me down.

So, speaking of the family drama, I think I may have pissed off my dad's side of the family, but don't really care anymore at this point. I saw Janice at the race expo, and guess who is wearing an engagement ring! Amazing, engaged to another man within two years of the death of my father. And, when we consider that her divorce has been finalized for MAYBE three years, and she has been engaged twice now, well, it lets her true colors shine and makes one question her motivation. So, when I found that out, on the way to the car leaving the expo, I called my grandmother and let her know. She was quite surprised. And I gave her a small piece of my opinion about how her daughter is handling my dad's estate. So, at this point, I am really unconcerned with that side of the family. I have seriously contemplated legally changing my last name, to my mom's maiden name. I am still considering it, but with Brad moving in, I don't want to do it and pay a fair amount of money if there is the possibility that it will change again in the relatively near future.

Onto that subject... he hasn't told his parents that he is moving in with me yet, It doesn't really bother me per se, but I am one of those people that I want to get things over with. I am pretty excited about this whole situation as well, so I want to tell people. I consider it to be a pretty big step in the relationship, and I am excited, and I like to share things when I am excited. That is one of the big differences between him and me though. I am definitely a much more expressive person than he is. One of the things I am trying to accept.

I am definitely in mode to do a lot of cleaning and getting rid of stuff now that I know he is going to be living there. Plus, the current state of my house is driving me crazy. I know my mom is working hard on getting the house ready, which I greatly appreciate. I need to get rid of a lot of my stuff, and just reorganize, and clean up the house as much as possible. That, I guess, is part of the plan for this week. Lots of work to do, and it always seems like I am running out of time. I head to Nashville in 11 days, and then come back and am back for a week, then leave again for a week for the cruise. So much to do and so little time! Plus, with the weather warming up, I want to get out and visit with friends, something that I am not able to do enough at this time. So, here's to a busy summer with hopes of lots of time with friends, and warmer weather!

I love the Jewish food... but not the Borscht!

Traci hosted an AMAZING Seder last night! I was so stuffed when I got home, I didn't even eat breakfast this morning! I love how every Seder I have ever been to is just a little different, and it was great to spend some time with people that I have not seen in a VERY long time. I have been so busy that I really haven't noticed how much I miss all of my friends. I am looking forward to getting back in with the group and catching up on more functions, even though things are going to be a little crazy at the end of this month and into next month. But I think that I definitely need to get Stefani's kugel recipe! Steffan had the most comical event of the night, with bringing Borscht on accident instead of kosher for passover grape juice! At least us gentiles can provide some entertainment! I can't believe I drank that stuff, even though it was only a little bit. Maybe that is why I wasn't feeling so well when I woke up this morning! I think it is allergies, though. A lot of congestion, whoopee.

I am kind of getting nervous about this weekend. We didn't run at all this past weekend, and really I haven't run since last Monday, and it is looking like rain the rest of this week. I know that I can finish the half marathon, but I am just concerned about how I am going to feel doing it. Having the foster dog in a cast has kind of kept me from running, because I don't want to leave him out and run with the other dogs, and have been less than motivated with this cold weather. Not to mention a rough weekend of too much drinking. I am really hoping that it doesn't rain during the half marathon on Sunday, but it looks like it could be a possibility. Still a little too early to tell, I guess, after all this is St. Louis. I am definitely looking to the road trip with Eric, Karen and Michael in a little over two weeks, Nashville here we come! I got my final instructions for that race yesterday in the mail. And, only 4 and a half weeks until the cruise!

April Showers bring May Flowers

Ahhh, it's been too long since I have posted. The rest of March seems like a blur. Brad's birthday went pretty well. His mother and I agreed upon a party finally, he and I made a pretty major decision about where we are heading, and we both enjoyed the day off for his birthday. I survived the two year anniversary of my dad's death and burial much better than I anticipated. I actually allowed Brad to go to the cemetary with me, which was nice, but I think I might need to go back by myself.

The training has been going... I did 10.5 miles yesterday, and my legs are a little tight. I was concerned because I pulled a muscle in each leg during the training, but it seems to have worked it's way out. 13 days to Spirit of St. Louis, and 26 days until Nashville. I am really ready for the time off to go to Nashville, even if it is only for one day. I think I am really looking forward to the road trip with Karen and Eric.

Well, I have a new foster dog. Indiana went home on Saturday, and I was in contact with Angie not more than 5 minutes later about the next one. Poor Fletcher, was hit by a car last Tuesday, and is in a cast. The little guy gets around pretty good, though, he is even able to jump up onto the beds (which is one of his favorite places to be). I must really be crazy to keep taking them in. It was kind of funny, though, because I told Angie that I wanted to wait until I got back from the cruise. Oh well. Speaking of which, only 5 more weeks until I leave for Miami! I need the time away from work and all the drama out in Wentzville, but most importantly I am looking forward to spending the time with my mom and brother. I just have to keep all of that in mind as I make it through this next month. Also, I need to keep looking forward to summer and spending time out on the water in my waverunner! Anybody up for joining me?

To put things into perspective

I got this e-mail from Brad, and I think it is pretty interesting and helps me keep a little perspective.

JUST THINK ABOUT THIS

1. The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
2. Money will buy a fine dog, but only kindness will make him wag his tail.
3. If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
4. Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.
5. A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
6. How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
7. Business conventions are important because they demonstrate how many people a company can operate without.
8. Why is it that at class and military reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
9. Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.
10. No one has more driving ambition than the boy who wants to buy a car.
11. There are no new sins; the old ones just get more publicity.
12. There are worse things than getting a call for a wrong number at 4 AM. It could be a right number.
13. No one ever says "It's only a game," when his team is winning.
14. I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
15. Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
16. The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
17. Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of OLD LADIES running around with tattoos? (And RAP music will be the Golden Oldies!)
18. After a certain age, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead.

I should be being productive

This tends to be a little bit of a problem for me. I should be studying (once again), but this just seems like so much more fun. I had a busy morning, and crammed all of my patients in quickly. Well, it wasn't really all that busy, but it is if you consider the fact that I was treating 3 patients at once in a room that measures less than 90 square feet that has a fair amount of equipment in it. Of course, I also organized my work bag, and worked on a couple of work things, but really I am just putting off studying some more. I need to keep going, but I will admit that I am doing better this time around than I did last time. At least Brad is going to be driving up to Chicago, so I just need to remember to bring a flashlight so I can study in the car. I hope to study tonight, too, but I need to run by my grandma's and then by my dad's and then I will probably bake. Oh, yeah, don't forget the grocery store. I am such a procrastinator!

So the biggest question on my mind right now is what to get Brad for his 30th birthday. He hasn't really come up with much for me to get him. I told him if he doesn't come up with anything by this weekend, he is getting a Weimaraner puppy. He knows I am not serious though. The other thing is how to actually celebrate it. His mother really stressed me out when I tried to discuss it with her, I was somewhat upset about the conversation. I never realized how true the "middle child" stories are! It makes me sad for him, because I know he deserves so much better.

And for the training aspect of things... four and a half weeks to the Spirit of St. Louis Half-Marathon. I don't feel that we are where we need to be in our training, and that makes me nervous. With going out of town this weekend, I am not going to be able to train then, either. So it looks like next weekend needs to be a 6-8 mile run/walk. We haven't even registered yet, and I keep telling him he doesn't have to do it with me. I am also starting to wonder about Eric and Karen, it's six and a half weeks until we go to Nashville for the Country Music Half-Marathon. I am looking forward to that, too, but it will probably be difficult, I hear it is pretty hilly. There will definitely need to be some training at Forest Park. I really enjoyed Rock 'n' Roll Arizona, so I hope that Nashville is just as much fun.

And on the brightest note, eight and a half weeks until I leave for my cruise!

I hate computers.

So, here I am at work. And our computer system is down. Again. But this time it's been a while, and they had these problems yesterday. So all we have is internet and our documentation software, but we can't check patients in to do the documentation. So I am hoping that I don't have to stay late to catch up... Brad and I are planning on running after work. Must enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts, but alas, I am stuck indoors at work.

The good news... I have a waverunner! My mom gave me the title to her waverunner last night. She bought Ken a car, and wanted to make it fair, and now it's mine! She says she bought it for us anyways. I am so excited! Summer, here we come! It can't come soon enough!

Let's give this a try...

Well, I guess I should join a fair portion of the rest of the world and start the blog thing. We will see how good I am about keeping it up...

Hmmm, so what has been going on in my life... well, this past weekend, Brad and I went to his brother's wedding. I have to say, I had a pretty good time. The wedding was in Fulton, and the reception in Washington MO. I really like the way that the wedding party got to sit with their significant others, rather than having just the wedding party up there and the rest of us to kind of find our way into the crowd to see if there was someone we would feel comfortable talking to. Brad and I danced, and danced, and danced. What was really amazing is that at the time, I wasn't self-conscious. I didn't care what other people were thinking of us, and I didn't really even notice that other people were there. (Maybe that was the alcohol though?) What an amazing thing for me! Of course, now, I am wondering, did we look stupid? Did my dress look okay, or was it too tight? Were people talking about us? Again, my paranoia/self-conciousness coming out. I think this is one of the biggest things that annoys Brad about me. I am working on it, and it was definitely a first for me!

I am getting ready to go to Chicago this weekend for my class... I should be studying right now, but as usual, I am finding something else more entertaining. I probably will have to cut this short, and do that while I wait for my patients to get here at 4:30. (I really dislike the two shifts thing and having to take late patients, especially with it being a 30 mile drive back home). I need to study more tonight, but my foster dog has to go back to the vet to get his stitches removed, and I need to do some yardwork plus clean the house for whoever housesits this weekend (yes, it's still up in the air). And I think my mom might be stopping by tonight. Well, looks like leftovers for dinner... eventually I need to get a run in too, less than 5 weeks until the next half marathon! Yikes! Our training hasn't been as dedicated as it should have been for the long runs (okay, we haven't hit over 5 miles yet), but at least I have been getting in at least 8 miles a week! It seems like there is always something...