Asking for prayers/ positive thoughts

Please pray for my coworker and her father.

I have a coworker who is going through a difficult time as her father has fallen seriously ill over Thanksgiving. I don't want to provide to much information because she is a very private person but I want prayers or positive thoughts for her father and her family.

She is in a lot of emotional pain right and he is in a lot of physical pain. In your prayers tonight please include her and her father.

Jingle Bell Run

The Jingle Bell Run is just around the corner. It looks like I will be running this event by myself. This will be a challenge because I've always needed someone there to encourage me but since I can get anyone to go with me I have to do it solo. The other challenges is that I haven't trained as much as I wanted to. This may be somewhat painful.

It's just in two weeks and I'm only up to running 2 miles. That's not completely bad but it's not where I wanted to be at this time. I wanted to be at least at a slow three miles. Time to increase my training and get where I need to be.

I was planning on running this morning but after 4 hours of hunting on rough terrain yesterday my inner thighs muscles are killing me. I might just push through the soar muscles and see what I can do anyway.

I'm enjoying the races and plan on running more 5k races next year. I'm already tagging a few that look both interesting and are fundraiser for charities I believe in.

I thought I wanted to do a mini one year but after last years training I don't think I'm build for long distances. The last run I did before I hurt my back was 6 miles and I have to say I didn't enjoy it. My body hurt with every step and running became more of a choir than something I enjoy.

Which, of course, for several months I stopped running. Then picked it up and then stopped again. This year I'm planning on running on a more consistent basis. If I schedule myself for a 5k every month it will give me a goal to focus on and a reason to run.

Now the scary thing is I am still interested in completing a sprint triathlon....maybe something for me to focus on in the future.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope everyone has something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. I know I have a lot to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for my health, family, friends and my job. I could write an entire novel about why I'm thankful for each of these thing but I don't want to bore everyone with the details.

I'm also thankful that for the first time in a while I actually felt a true laugh. I smile and laugh but I haven't really felt it inside. And the other day I was getting out of my car and something on the radio actually struck me as funny. Don't remember what was said I just remember bursting out a single laugh and feeling it. It was amazing, I'm finally coming out of my dark fog. It's so great...I just can't explain it.

I'm also thankful that my little ladybug made it through surgery on Monday. The mass has been sent off to biopsy and I should hear something next week. I have to say I was shocked when I picked her up and found the vet had removed the entire breast. I thought they were just going to go in and remove the mass and some of the breast tissue. Boy was I wrong!!!

Here she is showing off her war scar:) Just four days after surgery and she is running around like nothing ever happened. Its amazing how fast a dog can recover from surgery.

My dad made it through surgery yesterday as well. Nothing serious, just a hammer toe that needed to be fixed. It sounds like he will be off his feet for a while. But over all he is in good shape.

So now I am cleaning house a little bit and cooking green bean casserole to take to my brother to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Poor little one:(

About a week ago I discover a lump in my little doggies breast. I decided to wait a week to make sure it wasn't a swollen gland or anything. It didn't go down so I took Ladybug into the vet yesterday and we determined that the lump needed to come out.

She is scheduled for surgery for tomorrow morning to remove all the breast tissue and the mass. From there I am having it biopsied and depending the outcome depends on the next steps. Now I can plan all I want but I think this time I'm not going to plan anything. I'm going to wait and see what the biopsy comes back as before I start planning. At this point there are to many "what if" scenerios to try to start planning.

How can your heart not fall in love with my little princess? Look at that face! So damn cute!!!

Full night sleep finally!

For a while now I haven't been getting a good night sleep, waking up around 2-3am every morning. I think I finally figured out why.

It must have been my furnace. For a couple of years my furnace has made this awful rattling sound as it was shutting down. My furnace guy came out last year for the annual cleaning and I pointed it out to him. He poked around a little bit and found that is was the motor. Which was a sign that is was heading down hill. He told me he could replace it then or wait. I decided to wait and see what happened.

Now a year has passed and the past couple of weeks the sound has gotten unbearable. It's gets so loud I have to up the volume on my TV to hear it. At night it seems to echo in my house and in the weeeeeee hours of the morning I am woken up to this sound.

I had the furnace guy come out for the annual cleaning again except this time I asked him to fix the noise and now it's fixed!!!!

Last night was like a dream. I never work up (at least that I can recall) and I was up bright and early this morning feeling refreshed for the first time in a very long time.

Jingle Bell Run

I'm doing it again this year. With the weather the way it has been I'm sure December is going to have better weather than last year. It was sub-below zero! Completely to cold to run but I did it last year and ,although I've falling behind in my running, I'm going to hammer away at it again this year.

It's only a 5k ( I can't believe I just said only!).

Last year at this time I think I just barely complete 1 mile and it was a painful mile. So I'm better off than I was last year...I'm up to an easy straight 1.5 miles. It won't be any time before I warm up to my three miles again. My time maybe slow but one thing at a time.

It felt great to get up and run again...although my legs are feeling a little mushy and sore. I run two days then off one day. By the end of this week I will be at 2 miles.

I just can't explain how good running makes me feel....both physical and mentally. Plus it prepares me for skiing....yes it's that time of year again!!!

It's my own little theater:)

I'm so excited. My 46" LCD is installed and I'm enjoying every inch of it.

Before

After

Doesn't it look great?! Mitch came down tonight and helped me arrange and hook up everything.

Love this entertainment center because we were able to remove the top portion to make room for my LCD. It's at least a quick fix.

Ski Boots

Very quickly.....I got my ski boots this weekend!

So, now that I'm completely broke I have to stop buying stuff:) Which I'm glad because I don't need to purchase anything else.

OK that is it for now!

Early Black Friday Sale

I've been wanting a big screen TV for some time now but I couldn't swallow the cost of $1000 or more for the size I wanted. I'm just to damn cheap I guess.

Well Mitch, yesterday, told me about an ad at Wally World for a 42 inch LCD. Good size for my home! I looked into it and it was an awesome price. Called around and OF COURSE the stores couldn't tell me how many they had. Since this was an early Black Friday special I knew I had to get down there early in the morning. The sale started at 8:00am

I arrived around 6:30am and there was a small line of people. I was 7 people back. Then about an hour later they started to bring out the TV's. The tally was 3 - 42 inch LCD (1 display) for a total of 4, 3 - 46 inch LCD, 6 - 46 inch Plasma and then 2 or 3- 52 inch LCD.

Everyone started to ask each other what they wanted. Wasn't looking good for me. The first 4 people in line wanted the 42 inch!!! Crap, really!

That left me with the possibility of getting a 46 inch LCD (had no interest in a Plasma). Of course the 46 inch was a little more money...but I could chew on it. Mitch was on the phone with me and I asked him to research the Sharp 46 inch LCD and see if there was any major issues with it. He came back and said there wasn't very many complaints...most of the reviews were good.

Then the first guy got a call from his neighbor and decided to purchase a different TV for his neighbor. The rule from this store is that we could only purchase one of each item.....which sucked. With such a small inventory it would run out quickly.

We also shortly found out that the other line at a different register could also purchase TV's....so now I was running out of time. TV's were flying out of there in minutes. It was an amazing site!

The guy infront of me announced that he didn't need a TV because he just got a call from a relative who was able to pick him up one. I did the math really quick and I thought I would be able to get the 46 inch LCD.

AND I DID!!!!

I got about 30-40% off the TV. However if I couldn't get the Sharp 46" LCD I was going to walk out. Even though I spent over an hour and half standing in the same place, surrounded by rather interesting people...at least they like to talk:)

SOOOOOO, here it is. My grand Early Black Friday Sale item!!!!!





It's a splurge....did I really NEED it...No, but I wanted it. I deserved to enjoy my life a little bit and I deserve to have a Large Splurge for myself every once in a while. OK, maybe I had TWO big spluges this year the Patio and the TV. But who's counting:)

You might ask why it's not out of the box yet...there is a good reason for this. Do you see my entertainment center? See the small hole that my current TV is sitting in? Well my new TV won't fit into that hole. Good new is the top half of the entertainment center does come off, bad news I need help.....this is where Mitch comes in!

He will have to help me tear down everything and remove my old TV and then hook up everything again with my NEW TV!!!!

I can't wait to see this thing all hooked up.....next purchase? Ski boot, but these I NEED:)

Wish Upon a Hero

Have you ever had a neighbor that finds the most interesting things out on the web. I was talking to Ms. E today and she was telling me about this web site called Wish Upon a Hero.

It's a web site that allows you to put your wish out there in hopes that a "hero" will grant your wish or a part of your wish. People put wishes out there as simple as "send a Christmas card to my friend" to "help with my down payment on my van".

You can also provide comments to help them find what they are needing. Sometimes the comments are just for support. It's an interesting website. When you have a chance take a minute to go out and look.

www.wishuponahero.com

Tired....so tired

Seriously, I'm tired of working 9-10hr days. I know that it all evens out but really I'm wanting to have a better work/life balance.


I've been through a roller coaster ride with my job. There are some weeks that I love my job, some weeks that I like my job and same weeks I ask my self what the hell did I do. Right now I like my job but want to have a normal 8 hour day....not possible right now.

I still have "homework" to complete from one of my classes at work....that, to be honest, I have no plans on trying to complete it. Probably not good because I'm being graded on it...but right now I have wine in my hand, sitting on my couch relaxing.....not going to pick up work now;)

Anyway, things will slow down, someday....I hope.

X-mas gift early!!!!!

Well early sort of...I know what I'm getting for X-mas. Mitch got it Saturday!

Can you guess?

OK, maybe not!

He is taking me on a skiing in December. He purchase this package that gives us a season lift pass (no black out dates!) and 6 nights stay at a hotel. For the life of me I can't remember what hotel....but it doesn't matter. I'm excited about skiing.

And it's the gift that will keep giving because we aren't going to use all the nights in December. Don't think I can handle 6 day's of skiing in a row. Talk about a really sore body. We're going to spread it out through the season. I'm so excited.

If I could show you my happy dance I've been doing I would. I even went out Saturday and Sunday looking for ski boots. I want to make sure I am ready! I don't want to rush at the last minute and I will be damned if I'm renting ski's!

I'm so excited.....Thank you Mitch, Love you!!!!

Volunteer

I've been thinking lately that there has to be more to life. I'm missing something and I can't quite put my finger on it until this last couple of days.

I miss giving back. I miss helping people who are in need. I've been involve in the past with small fundraisers and I enjoyed the heck out of them. I want to start volunteering again.

Where?
Morning Dove Therapeutic riding center. It's a little distance to drive but I've been reading about them and it will be a mix of everything I need. I can work with horses and possible learn more about them. I can help children, with disabilities, love horses as much as I do.

Maybe not everyone thinks this is the best fit for me because I'm not the most patient person in the world but maybe the kids can teach me something too. Maybe I can learn how to be a better person through this.

I first learned about them from one of the my 5k races I did this year and was interested at that point but the change in jobs stopped me from wanting to start something new. Now that I'm getting my life back in balance I think it's time for me to start doing something to help others.

I think this is the perfect place for me to help.