I Love Productivity :)

It's been a busy weekend here for me. And not my usual kind of busy, where I am hurried here and there and can't seem to get everything done, but the productive kind! Yesterday, I was supposed to run with Cathy in the morning. However, we were unable to go because she was feeling under the weather. So, I crawled back into bed and caught a couple extra hours of sleep. When I got up I decided to fix some lunch and then Jason wanted to head over to his Mom's to help her do some rearranging. I declined going because I really, desperately wanted to get some major cleaning done in my own house. Normally, I would've gone along with him because I have such a hard time saying "No." However, I knew that if I went I would regret not getting my own house in order. And I always feel better when my house is cleaned!

So, I spent my entire afternoon super-cleaning the house! I vacuumed the rugs and I mean vacuumed...I am not sure there is any dust left in the carpets at all :) I scrubbed (on my hands and knees) the kitchen floor and got all the dirt out of the grout! I swept and mopped and scrubbed to my heart's content! I got all the laundry washed and dried and folded and hung up. I got all the dishes cleaned! I dusted. And overall, I was tired after I was done. But I felt accomplished because I finally after months of spot cleaning, got an overall deep cleaning on all the surfaces of the house! Then, Jason and I went out for dinner so I could keep the house clean for just a few more hours!

Today, I headed out to visit at my friend Jay's church. He was preaching this morning and had invited me. Jay is a great guy and very positive and encouraging to be around. I have heard him preach before and I have a couple of his sermons on CD and they are very good and thought-provoking and on point. So, I was happy to get the invite to come here him speak again. He and his wife, Jennifer, are the worship pastors at their church. Let me tell you...this couple is equally matched in their amazing talents. They complement each other so well. In all things you can tell that they were meant to be together. I love participating in their worship services because it is such a joyful and meaningful experience and what worship should truly be. And the sermon this morning was exactly what I needed to here. Jay was discussing atmospheres and how we need to guard our atmospheres and to not let other things control our atmospheres (at home, work, in our marriage, etc.) It was a great message for me to hear since lately my stressful work atmosphere has been taking over everything.

So, that was the start to my day and it was pretty awesome. I feel refreshed and renewed. Then, I called Cathy to check in on her to see if she was feeling better. We agreed to grab lunch together and get a walk in at Riverfront Park. Lunch was delicious and we had a great walk and talk. I also saw Tye today when he came over to pick up the mattress and box springs we were getting rid of. He also handled a spider problem in the backyard for Jason. Then, I fixed up a great dinner and tonight, I am going to pick a movie and we are going to just chill before I head to bed.

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to training with Tye in the morning. Then, I am headed to a blood drive to donate blood. Then lunch with the hubby and picking up Chuck for a visit. It promises to be a busy but great day!! Hope everyone has a great week!

Me + Motherboards = Epic Failure!

Okay, I have no idea what exactly it is that I do, but I have actually killed 6 motherboards in 10 years now. Now, I don't think I deserve the credit for the one motherboard that was fried by a roach crawling into it and committing suicide, but it did happen to me! Yesterday morning, after I finished typing up a document for work at Staples (and luckily got it e-mailed out), my laptop chose to die. It was not a slow or a pretty death either. Ugh!!!

Now, I will admit that it had been having some issues and I kept telling myself that I needed to back up my documents and photos since I had not done that in about 6-8 months. However, life has been crazy and backing up my computer was always on the back burner. So, yesterday morning when my laptop died, I had hoped that it would have one last boot in it so that I could quickly back up my information and then take it to the Geek Squad. Alas, it did not have a last hurrah in it.

Jason had figured that it was a good possibility that it was the video card since it almost booted up and would post. (LOL, I almost sound like I know what that means!) However, when we took it to the Geek Squad, the agent (LOL) informed us that it was most likely the motherboard! Ugh!! My curse continues!!! I was concerned about a few documents and photos that had not been backed up and he said for the amazingly low price of $100, we could guarantee that my hard drive information would be backed up. Could I justify that expense for some photos and documents....No. I am just really hopeful that my hard drive is not effected. Jason says he thinks that the agent was simply trying to get an extra $100 out of me since my computer has a replacement plan on it! Personally, I am just hoping the hard drive does not get damaged/has not been damaged.

So, for now, I am using Jason's laptop which just recently returned from the Geek Squad after having a motherboard replaced. And NO, I did not kill his laptop's motherboard! Of course, he has about 2 weeks left before his warranty is up, so who knows what I can do in two weeks to a motherboard. Just kidding! Seriously, I am just trying to not break any other electronics!

It was also kind of humorous that yesterday, I called a friend and was in the midst of talking with him, my cell phone decided to reboot itself! Ugh!! Seriously! And why was it that my technology issues didn't effect any of the electronics at Staples! I guess I just was not that lucky! Oh well!

So, I am trying to be nice to all of my electronics right now so that they will be nice to me! I would've thrown my laptop yesterday if I thought my warranty would cover it. However, I restrained myself. Am I doing anything differently...NO. I have no idea how I blew that many motherboards. In fact, the whole reason Jason got me a laptop was he figured I couldn't kill that motherboard! LOL...I guess I proved him wrong :) But at least, in my epic failure with the motherboard, Jason was smart enough to get the replacement plan and my laptop was thoughtful enough to have issues before that plan expires!!

Hope you have pain-free technology day :) Oh and if you have been praying for me to have more patience, now would be a good time to stop! My patience has been so tested lately and I am seriously failing that test! So, give me a break and pray for me to have wisdom or something else :) Thanks!

In A Funk!?!?!?!?!

If you are a Facebook friend, you may have noticed that I have been in quite a funk lately. In fact, I noticed this week, that several of my friends have been feeling quite similarly. Maybe it's the end of summer. Maybe it's how overly busy we all are. Who knows. Whatever it is, there's a lot of people out there who are just not feeling quite like themselves!

What does that mean for me? It means nothing feels quite right. I am not sleeping well. I am easily irritated (should be read as everything around me ticks me off!) My workouts don't excite me and usually are not up to my usual standard. My runs are trash...mileage but only because I have to. Generally, I am a whining and complaining mess. It sucks. And it sucks to be around me during these times too! Sorry dear friends, I love you, but I know I am a pain to be around when I am like this!

So, how did I get this way??? Well, you see, I did it to myself. I apparently am way too much of a people pleaser and have a very hard time saying No. Simple word, but so very hard for me to say. And what happened...I got way too overwhelmed and way too stressed out and pretty angry and felt slightly abused! Not good feelings I assure you!

A lot of it stems from my frustrations about my hip, work, weight loss, not getting pregnant, missing my family, etc. etc. The biggest stressor has been work though. I have not had much time off lately because I do not have a reliable backup to process while I am out. I have been trying for several months to get this one person completely trained but I can never finish his training. He is always pulled away when I am trying to finish things up. I have taken a couple days off in the past couple of months due to a visit with a friend and due to a death in my family and each time management was supposed to process and take care of my job. Each time, the whole process was all screwed up and a huge headache for me!! Ugh!!! I just want to be able to take a day or two (or a week) off of work and be able to come back and not worry about the disaster that I will have to deal with. I don't feel like that is too much to ask for!!! Oh well! I am trying really hard to get my backup completely trained in the next couple of weeks because I am definitely taking some time off and soon!

My hip is doing better. But I know that I am actually scared about reinjuring which causes me a lot of concern. I hate that I can train or run like I want to for fear of reinjury! I find myself being more timid in my workouts and my runs because I don't want to hurt. It sucks! So, in order to challenge myself further, I apparently agreed to run a 10k and 5k in September. I am already scheduled for a half in October and am seriously considering a half in December too. I guess that would mean, I need to get over my fear and just run. Luckily, I have some good friends who also run who have agreed to help me. Cathy and I get together every Saturday morning for hiking, jogging or running. We are trying to incorporate more running into our routine now and so far, it's pretty good. Also, my friend, Chuck, runs and he has agreed to try and help me out more. He told me that I need to start just running as far as I can for now (without pain) and try to keep increasing it. I like this plan. So, Monday, I jogged for about 1.5 miles. It wasn't too terribly fast but it wasn't bad either especially since it was after leg day with Tye! Tuesday, I had a bad run because my legs were still sore from Monday. Wednesday was elliptical day for me. I am hoping that if I feel up to it, I might get a good run in today...we'll see!! I am excited about the upcoming races but feeling slightly intimidated too. So, this shall be interesting. I will keep you posted.

And my sleep schedule has been so off this summer. I sleep but I don't think I get quality sleep a lot of the time. This week, I have slept in our guest room because I am tossing and turning a lot and don't want to keep Jason awake. I feel like I may have gotten a little bit better sleep most of the week. However, for some reason, last night, I went to bed at 11:00 p.m. and was wide awake by 2:30 p.m. I gave up on sleep at 3:30 p.m. and can only pray that coffee will sustain me today because it's another full day!!! I will likely sleep pretty well tonight though!!

I have had quite a few meltdowns on friends this week and last week. I hate that too. I try really hard to keep it all together because that's generally what everyone needs from me. But lately, I feel like I am falling apart. And I have fallen apart in front of a few good friends and I am thankful for them. I think being able to be real and cry through some frustrations is helping me to feel better and to work myself out of this funk. It's hard to pretend everyday that life is grand and wonderful. I hate when people tell me that you should just fake it and eventually it will be. Sometimes you have to be dead honest about your feelings...positive or negative. Sometimes you have to be 100% real. And lately, I have been holding back a bit too much. Don't get me wrong, I am still reserving a good bit of things (that's just me!) However, I am releasing some unnecessary frustrations too!

And this week, my lesson is to learn how to say NO. LOL!! Tye was preaching at me today about learning that. I am a people person and I like to help others. However, I have to remember that occasionally I need to think of myself first. So, if I have to say no to protect myself then NO is the answer. That's going to prove difficult, but also be necessary. From now on, I am going to be in charge of my own schedule again instead of letting others dictate my time. And I am going to make sure that other realize my time is valuable too. Yeah, that's right, I am going to take up for me!

Okay, now I feel like I am rambling. Don't get me wrong, I have had a great summer. It's been crazy busy, but some downtime is in order. A return to my normal schedule is necessary! A return to my positive and happy demeanor is a must!! Next time, you read from me, I hope to be completely out of this funk :)

Getting Into A New Routine

This summer has taken its toll on me and my routine. It didn't help that I started out the summer recovering from hip surgery. However, I am craving my normalcy...I want to get back into a regular routine. No, I need to get back into a regular routine. Before hip surgery, my work schedule was regular and so were my workouts. I knew exactly when everything was going to take place. But this summer has really goofed up the whole routine!

So, here is my current plan. I need to ramp up (safely of course!) my workout schedule again. My next half-marathon is in approximately 10 weeks. So, I need to get my butt in gear and start getting my workouts in and my cardio and my mileage again. Next week, Tye and I are returning to our pre-hip surgery routine of 3 strength training sessions a week. I am very excited about this and cannot wait to get started...just hoping my energy level vamps up enough to help it all out! In addition, I have decided that I want to go back to my routine of taking 2 yoga classes a week at the gym. I have really missed my regular yoga practice and now that I can start doing it regularly I want to start scheduling that.

As for cardio, I need to get my plan going. I generally trade off running days with elliptical or arc trainer days. So, since that is usually pretty successful, I think I will stick with that. Just time to start getting that implemented again.

As for mileage, I am now going to be training Jason to walk his first half-marathon in December. He told me today that he wants to join me and some friends for the half that I am planning to do in Charlotte. I am excited! So, that means I need to get him started now since he is recovering from foot surgery. We will start out slow. My plan is that every night after dinner this week, we will walk a mile. I want to work him up slowly to more mileage and this plan gives me plenty of time to do that. If I get him in a regular practice, I can start increasing mileage and get him ready to kick butt in December! Jason has no grand illusions about this. His goal is completion. He knows he cannot run it or jog it due to injuries he has sustained in a car accident in 1993. However, I am so thrilled that he wants to try this out. I told him I was going to start giving him supplements to help out with some joint issues...fish oil and glucosamine chondroitin and a multi-vitamin. I think he will do awesome. My hope is that Cathy and Robert can work out their schedule and join us. That way, Jason and Robert can walk and Cathy, Chuck and I can run without feeling bad. If Cathy and Robert cannot work it out, then Chuck and I will walk with Jason and all cross together. Either way, it will be awesome!

And I will be continuing my new stretching routine...even though I missed a couple days this week. I am going to try and stretch every night for at least 30 minutes. I want to make sure I start getting the whole body stretchy and ready to go. The more stretching I do, the better my body recovers.

On Saturdays, Cathy and I have been getting together and walking/hiking for a couple hours and then grabbing breakfast together at Cracker Barrel. (Don't freak out...we are eating rather healthy when we eat there! It's a wholesome breakfast...egg beaters, turkey sausage, blueberry muffin, fresh fruit and yogurt with granola...delicious!!! And under 300 calories) I love our time getting together and walking and talking. We have a great time and get a great workout in!

Things are about to get crazy here. I am going to start adding some ab workouts in to work on strengthening my core and helping out the hips. And all of this means, I will need to get my sleep schedule back on track! Lately my sleep has been off and I do mean really off. With Jason being out of town this past week, I didn't sleep well at all. In fact, a couple nights I got very little sleep at all. So, hopefully, I will be able to get back to trying to get at least 8 hours a night in.

I cannot wait to get into a good routine and making it all a reality. Lately, I feel like I have been letting my life run away with me instead of me running away with it. So, this is my attempt at getting things back on track. So, if you don't see much from me for a little while, it's because I am crazy busy with my training schedules for myself and Jason. No worries though, I love to blog...so I will carve out some time in my schedule for it at least once a week!!!

Oh So Tired!!!!

It's been another long week. I am tired. That seems to be how I feel all the time now. I am not quite used to that, but lately I am not getting enough sleep. My goal for this coming week is to try and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I am not sure how well that will work out for me. Jason will be traveling to Vermont for the week. I never sleep well when he is traveling. So, hopefully I can manage to get 8 hours of good sleep every night while he is away.

I did not have a stellar workout week this week. I did an upper body workout with Tye on Monday. I was experiencing a bit of hip pain so I begged off of having leg day on Monday. Turns out this was a smart plan for me. I admit last week I was not a good stretcher. I tore my legs up too. I saw Jeremy Monday afternoon and my legs are all out of sorts. I have tight adductors, abductors, hamstrings, and glutes!! Lucky me!! I am overcompensating due to injury and causing my right side to be out of whack. And I just totally screwed up the lower body by missing my massage for 3 weeks and by not stretching properly!!! All I can say is ouch!!!

And that is exactly what my hip has been saying since last Sunday. So, I am on a mandatory plan of stretching for at least 30 minutes every day. I took it easy Tuesday and did not engage the hip any more than necessary. I woke up Wednesday feeling really sick, so I cancelled my appointment with Tye. My hip was also not improved. And I did not do anything strenuous on Thursday to give my hip a rest. Friday morning, it was feeling a bit better. So, I went for a short walk with Chuck. And then I remembered Friday night that I can ice my hip when it is bothering me...duh!!! So, I have been stretching every day for at least 30 minutes since I saw Jeremy. I started icing it since last night. I really hope all this extra work is going to ease out the pain in those too tight muscles!!

This morning, I went out with Cathy and we walked the dam. I had hoped after walking a bit that my hip would warm up enough for some light jogging, but it seemed to be a little tender. So, we stuck to just walking. I am hoping this week that I can reincorporate some jogging back into the routine...and most definitely some cardio and strength training!!! We'll see!! I see Jeremy on Monday to find out if the extra stretching is helping. And to be honest, if it is not helping, I think I will go crazy!!!! I have not missed a day of stretching since he told me to, so my body better not tell him otherwise!

Other than just normal life, I am just really tired. I am heading to bed in just a bit. I need to get up early and get Jason packed in the morning and off to Vermont. Here's hoping for some good rest this week and maybe someone to entertain me while the hubby is away!!!

Reflections

Have you ever had a dream/desire that has been with you so long that you wonder whether it's truly what you want? Lately, I have been re-examining my dreams and desires and I have really been questioning some of these that have been lifelong dreams. I wonder whether the re-examination is being led by God or outside forces. I am not saying that I am changing dreams or even giving up, but mostly that I am not really clear whether the dreams I have had are the ones that God wants to fulfill for me. I feel like I need to open my mind and especially my heart to other possiblilities, even if that possibility means that it's time to give that dream up.

No worries...I am not giving specifics right now because I am not really sure where or how I am being led. And honestly, I am physically and mentally exhausted right now. I am so tired and just feel pulled in so many directions. My mind and my heart are just overwhelmed. All of these questions could be a result of just being tired. So, if you think about it, please pray for me. I know what I have always wanted but I am not certain that it is the life that God has planned for me and I certainly want to be open to what He has in store for me. Above all else, I want to be in His will for me!

What a Week!!

Seriously, I just had a pretty amazing week! I always enjoy spending time with friends and this week has been filled with visits from friends!!!

Monday afternoon, my dear friend, Laura, got here with her 3 precious daughters! They arrived about the same time a crazy rain and thunderstorm did!! It was insane. I wasn't sure they were going to make it from their car to the house!! And then just to welcome them to our house, the storm decided to take the lights out. It wasn't too bad at first, but the older girls got bored and it started to get hot in the house! Luckily, the power was restored and we were able to enjoy some time with Laura and the girls.

I am afraid that I don't quite have a house babyproofed for a 9-month old! I felt bad for Layla who was crawling everywhere that we had to keep blocking her. She was such a sweetheart! Annagrace is so smart and funny. She kept me laughing. I really enjoyed talking with her too. She is so bright!! And Madalyn and I had fun...middle children unite :) LOL!! She is a very spirited child and also very smart! I really enjoyed meeting the girls and spending time with them! And it was really awesome to see Laura and hang out with her again!!!

We had a great visit! Tuesday, we headed out to the zoo and spent quite a bit of time there checking out all the animals. It was so hot out!!! I felt like we were all melting!! Then we headed over to Build-A-Bear so the girls could make bears to remember their trip! On Wednesday, we hit the gym and did an upper body workout and some cardio. The girls enjoyed playing in the kids' area while we got a workout in. And after getting all cleaned up and having lunch, we headed to EdVenture, the children's museum. This was my second visit to the museum and the second time I was disappointed. The museum is pretty expensive and on this visit, a lot of the exhibits were broken or just not working. The girls had a pretty good time in spite of it.

It was a great visit. I am definitely going to have to head up to visit them this fall. Jason and I were both sad that they had to leave because we truly enjoyed having them visit!

Thursday, I picked up my friend, Chuck, so that he could hang out with us for a few days! I had asked him to come and help me take down a branch on our cedar tree that had fallen during the storm on Monday. Jason was unable to get it trimmed with his foot still healing. So, Chuck agreed to help me out.

I also went to see my orthopedic surgeon on Thursday. I got great news. Dr. Ekman released me back to my regular routines. He is very happy with my progress. And he told me that he wanted me to continue slowly getting back to where I was and that if I had pain while doing an exercise that I was to stop doing it. From now on, pain in my hip means stop doing that. I can try it again later, but I need to be careful and listen to the hip!! I was so happy to get a good report!!!

Jason also got a good report on his foot on Friday. He got the stitches out and is now able to drive again! Hooray!!!

I got to train Chuck on Friday. It was leg day and I ended up having a pretty great one!! I was able to lift a set on leg press that is the heaviest that I lifted prior to my injury. And I also was able to move from the small box to the medium box for box jumps!! I felt very accomplished. I tried to work Chuck pretty hard too. I felt like I didn't give him too great a workout until Saturday when he started telling me how his legs hurt :) Mine hurt too :) So, yay for great leg day!!!

So Friday night, we celebrated. I invited Cathy & Robert over to join us for dinner and hanging out! We watched a couple episodes of Top Gear and then we watched a movie. It was a great night!! Saturday was a long day...but it ended up being fun. I will give you details about that at a later date! Let's just say that I am happy with the results of my Saturday!

This morning, I got up early and Cathy and I headed out to Harbison State Forest for some hiking. We actually ran into my physical therapist, Daniel, and chatted for a few minutes. I assured him I was not going running but walking because as we all know I am not all that coordinated :) We had a great walk and talk. The weather was not too sweltering and it was overcast! Afterwards we grabbed breakfast at Cracker Barrel!!!

So, it's been a pretty great week for me. I am tired, really tired...bordering on exhaustion to be quite honest. But it's a good tired. I enjoyed all the guests this week and spending quality time with my friends! I am headed to bed early tonight! And I think Jason and I will enjoy some quality time until he heads out to Vermont this coming weekend.

I am looking forward to a great week. Tye is back from vacation so I get to train with him again. And I will get to spend some quality time with Jacob and Jillian :)