Liz W. is my hero.

I'm back in the game.

Thanks to Liz, I think I'm onto something that works. She sent me a video that gives advice on stretches AND workouts to strengthen the muscles needed to stabilize the joints. I dove right in Tuesday night.
   Wednesday I got back to C25K!! Week 1, Day 1.  Cory went with me. And I completed it!! My knee only started to twinge a little in the last couple of sets of jogging. I tried to do some stretching, but the workouts weren't happening. I was SORE from the night before. I was going to try to push through it that night, but we had a family dinner out for my older brother's birthday.

Today, I had a lot of errands to do in anticipation for relatives coming in to town (more birthday celebrations) and a bridal shower for my brother's fiance on Saturday.

But tonight I did the stretches and workout, and I didn't have any knee pain all day, even on stairs. Yippee!

Next week Cory and I are trying a vegetarian week. I intend on updating about how it goes.

Encouragement

So, I have continued to be grumpy about the whole not having a good routine thing, and trying to add too much at once. But I have seen improvement! So yesterday I was just feeling like, "ok, I guess now I'll do this" This being whatever chore I saw at the moment, or activity I could come up with, but I just felt like I was killing time until Cory got home, which is just no way to spend every day. Plus it makes time go SO slowly and makes any productivity seem I dunno... minimized. Plus it sounds really lame to just be waiting for my boyfriend to get home from work and not have anything of my own going on. At the same time, I don't really have much going on right now- most people I know work, and I don't have a lot of disposable income, being unemployed and all. When I was in NC, I always had people around, and there was a lot on my plate with the program so I didn't have time enough to get bored. Before that, I was so exhausted and depressed all the time that I literally only counted TV and sleeping as hobbies. So it's been from one extreme to the other. And now I'm trying to find a balance while I wait for a job to pan out. 

Yesterday I narrowed it down to my routine foundation: shower early and don't lay around in pjs for half the day, make the bed, and take care of the dishes/ clean the kitchen sink. Both the bed and the sink are things that drive me crazy if they aren't done, but also I dread doing for some reason. By setting those as the routine, anything else I do I can feel productive about because the "I should"s no longer hold me back. For example, if I think I should exercise every day, get all the laundry done, have a spotless apartment, cook, budget, read, etc, then when I do any of those things, I'll still feel behind and like I haven't accomplished anything. So now when I get my list done, I can say, oh good, Check! And the other things I can give myself a pat on the back for and not stress that I'm not on the perfect schedule yet. I made a checkbox grid for the week for it, with a spot to write in extras I do that I want to add in the routine at some point, but for now just give myself credit for them. I think two weeks is a good amount of time between each add-on. I am rambling, so for that I apologize.

My success for today! : I did some stretching of the tendons that give me trouble, and then figured I'd look through my yoga book. I realized I hate down dog. I am so inflexible and it makes feel like a failure, plus it is really uncomfortable, I look mangled, and it hurts my wrists. But I found a routine that doesn't require it! Another bonus, it is for anxiety (allegedly) and I can use all the help with that I can get. I was able to do all the poses enough to feel like I did the routine, but also that I still need a lot of work to do it well and like as I get better it will improve my abilities overall! I don't think I phrased that well, but whatever. It stretched my muscles and challenged me without hurting quite as badly as some poses. Here is a picture from the book:

Now that I don't feel like I should have to exercise every day, and now that I found yoga I can work on, I actually WANT to do it again tomorrow! :)

Trying to jump back on....

Alright.  I've been the biggest slacker the past few weeks.  The first week I was back home from all the craziness of summer, I had this stupid cough.  And I was still SUPER tired from, again, the crazy summer.  So sleep whenever possible was on the menu.  Then the cough didn't go away the next week.  And then I just got complacent.  I haven't been able to get back on a normal sleep schedule so that I'm not exhausted every day, and my energy level has been really low.  Ugh.

But today I burned some calories!

I did my work out video today and I'm really happy about that haha.  Henry the pug was adorable and just say next to me for a while and then got bored and moved to couch and watched me a bit sadly/disdainfully.  But I did it!  It was harder than before, but that's only because it's been so long since I last worked out.

I'm really glad I got off my butt.  I just need to keep this going because my body needs it, dang it.  So here's to keeping the energy going!!

HONK!

Spending Energy to Make Energy

Busy seems to be a common theme around here! I've just been in the midst of moving too, and wow, is that process exhausting! I'm excited about my new job, so this helped me to maintain some momentum all along - packing up my Savannah apartment and getting out of it (during which I accidentally stabbed myself in the arm with my pocket knife, which resulted in an ER visit, a tetanus booster, a heavy course of antibiotics and pain meds, and three whole stitches); getting into the new place (it's furnished already, and boy, do I have a ton of crap); and beginning to unpack all these boxes. 

Now though, I think I've definitely hit a lull after all the hubbub. I'm once again thankful for little Boo, who insists on at least three, one-mile walks a day. Today, I've already walked him at 6a and again at 10a. I think he likes SSI. :) I can't believe how devoid of physical energy I am. It's like moving lead. And getting any speed or heartrate increase? Forget about it! It's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other. But I've done it, and I keep telling myself that if I keep it up, exerting the energy will yield an overall energy increase. Just wish that increase would hurry the hell up.

I also need to confess that I've been eating so horribly that I pretty much disgust myself. Little victories though: I finally dragged my butt to the Publix to do that initial I-just-moved-and-have-to-restock-my-cabinets grocery trip. There is fruit! There are vegetables! There is hope!

Prayers for all of you during these new fall beginnings!

Boy, was I in a bad mood today. I am not sure what did it. Actually, I think it was that I am trying to establish too many new things in my routine at one time. Exercise, eating healthily, but also cooking, budgeting, new cleaning routine since I'm in a new place, and flossing my teeth (no clue why I can't seem to get that one to stick. Sigh). I guess I'm just overwhelmed and feeling like I'm not being consistent with anything, even though I'm dabbling in all of those things.

Cory interrupted me yesterday when I was writing to watch a movie, so where my head's at has shifted, naturally. Also, I am aware of the grammar monstrosity of that last sentence. :).

Moving on. Cory and I took a walk yesterday instead of starting C25K. I had this strange ankle pain I'd never had before, I was grumpy, I hadn't stretched my IT band or hip flexors like I'd planned and just felt discouraged overall. I didn't want to get out there and have to quit on account of my tendons. And I knew that was a real possibility based on the fact that they will get inflamed if I walk too much. So even though I haven't been running in forever, I've had little reminders from my joints that they will throw a full on tantrum if I try.

Anywho. The walk was great, and by the end of it my ankle felt healed! Which was surprising because I had been walking inside all day and it seemed to be getting worse to the point that I was limping when the walk started. It was nice to be outside and nice to have real time with Cory, without the numbing of the tv and Internet.

Unfortunately, I think we will have to have separate workout schedules. I really prefer having a buddy to keep me accountable and for encouragement, etc. but I find it stressful to try to coordinate cooking dinner, Cory's work schedule being inconsistent, and timing my own meals and snacks. Also, I have a really hard time getting out of bed in the mornings and if Cory is working late, then he'll need to exercise beforehand.

So, baby steps. I'm just impatient. Plus I want to be in good enough shape to run races again!!

life events and nonsense

So, I have been busy. That is definitely only an excuse for my lack of exercise, but oh well. I found some really fun looking races, so that is motivation to start the C25K again! One of them is the Firefly Run on October 6th. I know Matt is in, anyone else?  http://www.fireflyrun.com/index.htm  

But now I'll elaborate on my busyness! Cory and I moved in to an apartment! We moved a lot by car on August 4th, then I hired movers for my furniture and a few boxes I'd managed to pack in the meantime on August 9th, then yesterday Cory rented a U-haul and with the help of his brother, moved the rest of his furniture. I'll show some pictures from the middle of our progress. First, the pool! Because it looks so refreshing.

Makeshift Furniture: TV stand

Our first dinner! On our... "table" 

Here is the bathroom. One of the only rooms that actually felt complete by the end of moving day.

More bathroom. Because having a functioning, clean, and decorated bathroom is so nice.

Sorta blurry shot of the kitchen:

The dining area with a table instead of a storage tub! (We now have the other two chairs as well)

Poorly lit view from kitchen to dining area.

Bedroom! Looks pretty much like my old room, but the day before this, instead of a bed there was an air mattress on the floor, and boxes serving as nightstands.

In job hunt news, I had an interview with my old hospital today. But for an observation unit, so it'd ideally be less critical patients and it wouldn't be as stressful. Plus I am applying for part time, which hopefully would help me deal with the stress of that place. On a positive note, they do seem to be trying to get their act together (the hospital I mean). I talked with my old manager today, and she said they no longer get 7 patients each, they cap the unit off at 24 instead of 26 so no one has to go to 7. For those of you who don't remember, I started getting 7 patients in January 2010, 3 months after coming off of orientation. Which is stupid and dangerous. By the 7th patient, you lose track of at least 1. Six is tough enough, but once you reach 7, you just pray no one has an emergency, and that no one catches all the corners you have to cut. Anyway. So it's good they don't get that anymore. Plus they now have "free charge," which means the charge nurse (who is kinda the shift leader) does not have a caseload of patients- they are there for more system things like checking that we are following all the guidelines we are supposed to, doing customer service things, and helping out with discharges and admissions. Ok, that was a lot of rambles. 

Moral of the story: I'm moved in, I am looking towards getting a job, and I am hoping to get back to C25K tomorrow!

I work out!

Hey guys!  It has been a hot minute since I've posted and A LOT has been going on.  Well maybe not "A LOT" but surely "a lot" anyway.  After making all A's last quarter I had a nice two week break where I got back into running on a regular basis.  During that time my itch to get back into the gym came back pretty strong.  I ended up joining Factor X Fitness in Valdosta ($10 a month no contract).  I've got a basic workout schedule set up of 5 days a week at the gym; Monday, Wednesday, Friday cardio and lifting and just cardio on Tuesday and Thursday.  I also plan on running at the track on the weekends.  All in all I feel really good about where I am moving forward.  I'm hoping that my change in school work ethic will transfer over to working out as well.

It's been so far so good I must say.  I'm keeping my weight down, feeling stronger.  I feel really good.  My only concern right now is managing my time.  Between classes, studying, kids and working out (trying to eat right, granted that doesn't take up time as much as it does mental energy) the days are pretty full.  Suffice it to say your continued prayers and support would be much appreciated.

Thank you guys so much as always.

HONK!

Matt

automated answering services

Let me just start out by saying, I loathe automated answering services. I feel like we are put through so many of them these days that we (and by that I mean I) zone out the second they start talking, feeling the same sort of feeling when you are commuting home, like you already know the route and don't have to actually focus. It usually takes me a couple times of realizing "Crap! Just because all of these sound the same, doesn't mean the options are the same." Which, I mean, duh, of course the options aren't the same if you are calling health insurance people vs. cell phone providers vs. doctors' offices, etc. I feel like I've had to deal with an unusual amount of these in the past couple of months. I feel like ultimately phone processes would go much quicker if they just let you talk to a real person. I think this principle also applies to my current job hunt situation a little bit.

Let me explain. I have been applying to jobs off and on in the past couple of months, with little feedback from said hospitals. As a general rule, they do not contact you if you are rejected for a job, they only contact you if you are interested. They also rarely list a phone number online for any kind of HR person you can contact, and they NEVER list nurse managers or how to contact them. So, nurses looking for jobs are forced to just bombard the system, with no feedback on how to be effective. This is the second round of me essentially applying for jobs I am not eligible for. Now. If I had been able to track down the information I needed, not only would I have applied for the RIGHT jobs, but I would not have wasted hours and hours filling out other applications. So, that means that I had to do more work than I otherwise would have, and so did the HR people, because they still had to actually review and then discard my application. If they made themselves more available, I think that yes, initially they might feel a surge of extra phone calls and explaining things to applicants, but in the long run, it seems it would help because then instead of nurses applying to every job under the sun in hopes that they'll be lucky on one of them, they'll find out whether or not it is even worth it to apply, or whether or not they are eligible for said job. Grumble.

Anyway, that being said, huge shout out to Liz Williams for potentially getting me a nannying gig! I talked to the lady today, and she has a 2.5 year old and an 8 month old. She seems nice, and I'm going to meet her on Friday. I still aim to get back to nursing, but I'm determined to get something on a unit I want, which may take longer than I'd like, so at least this way I might not have to use anymore of my savings for a little while.

Notice I have yet to include anything about exercise. Sigh. That brings me to my next point. Cory and I have been on the hunt for an apartment, and we have hit as many snags there as I have trying to get a job. We were denied from the first place thanks to an issue from 2006 when Cory was blamed for stuff people who lived there after he moved out did, even though he signed a key release. So. At the next place, we let them know we were working on resolving the issue (which had been handed over to a collections agency). This required calling the apartment complex where the issue had happened, but they don't keep records past 5 years. So then we had to call the complex we'd been denied from, then call the people they get to do their background checks to get the name of the collection agency, then call them, and haggling with the woman on his case and offering something lower than what he owed, getting her manager to go for it, and then paying for it. The report could not be faxed until 4 days later, but in the meantime, the apartment complex we were/are currently trying to get into required me to bring in my social security card for verification purposes, after which point the "system" was still saying that my SS# had never been issued. Obviously there was some mistake because I've had no trouble with anything else: banking, health insurance, nursing licensure, etc. So my new best friend, Tracy (and by that I mean the complex manager who I have had a million and one emails back and forth with at this point), said she had to pass it on to her boss or something. Then yesterday I call our collections person (Lisa) to fax over the proof of payment report, and she says she'll do it in 10 minutes (this is like 9 am). At 3, after more emails, I get one from Tracy saying she has yet to see the fax. So one more call to Lisa, who says she's waiting on her manager's signature. One more email to Tracy to let her know that it hasn't been lost, just delayed. Today we call the complex and have to talk to Todd, who is not as competent or friendly as Tracy. He says the regional manager is reviewing the application. Cory called off and on all day, and apparently Tracy was stuck on a conference call for a while. Finally, I get an email saying, they just need verification of the proof of payment. I thought proof was proof but whatever. So when I last heard from Tracy she had a phone call out to the old complex where Cory had the issue, but that as long as they got that, we should be accepted. I did let her know the old complex didn't even seem to have record of his living there and talking to Lisa might be more helpful. This was around 5 pm, so I just pray I get some contact tomorrow. I would obviously prefer a "YES," but if another stick gets thrown in my path I'll deal.

So, you see Ladies and Gentleman, these are the gorillas I referred to in my most recent status quote:
‎"It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you are tired, you quit when the gorilla is tired." -Robert Strauss

But the exercise thing. I just feel like once I'm not driving all over the northeast suburbs, and living half out of a duffle bag getting a routine will at least be theoretically feasible. 

Thank you all for your patience with my long rant.

Genius

So it's been a hot minute since I posted but these last couple weeks have been crazy.  I had a ton of stuff due  the last two weeks of my first quarter at GMC so as much as it stunk I decided I had to prioritize school over running.  And boy did it pay off.  This is all I have to say:



My finals went like this College Algebra: 95, Lit: 100, Biology: 102.  I actually asked my Bio professor if she could grade it right then when I handed it in and she said she would.  She was totally cool about it, didn't seem bothered at all.  I was genuinely worried about it which is why I asked to grade it then. I haven't got my final grade in my Lit class yet and only one of the grades has been officially posted but I got all A's this quarter.  I told my friend Nicole that I hated to sound braggadocios but I am just way excited, kind of in shock and very proud of myself.

Anyway on to the exercise part of this deal.  I told myself I was going to run last night but ended up falling asleep.  So when I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep I decided to go running.  So I went to the track at like 5:30 this morning and it went really well.  I didn't try and push myself too much cause I had taken some time off but then like a crazy person I went for a run again tonight!  It went well too. It felt great to get back in the swing of things.

Lastly I'm going to be joining a gym the first of August.  My mom said she was going to get me a gym membership for my birthday and I have been kind of holding off and shopping around to get the best deal and still be at a decent gym.  I found one in Valdosta that is month to month and it's only $10 a month so I'm totally going with that.  My primary goal is to lost weight and train my body for running.  I'm going to work out my whole body obviously but I want to really focus on my legs and back, specifically the lower parts of both.  Those are what hurts the most after I run for a long time.

Anyway, whew! that was a long post.  Hope you guys are doing well!

HONK!

No Exercise July

That's what I'm calling this month.  No Exercise July.  Why?  I ended up not doing the Peachtree Road Race (a decision that I was really glad I made in the end), left for a week for Sawyerville Day Camp, just got back yesterday, and I'm leaving again on Saturday for our mission trip.  At some point I'll get some sleep in this week!

I can definitely say that I feel all icky and whatnot because of the no exercise.  It's sucked.  But I'm definitely looking forward to getting back on a normal schedule soon.  Well, in a couple of weeks actually hah.  (Once I return from our mission trip, I'm leaving again the week after for some much needed sleep and rejuvination...like going to the lake and staffing the Diocese of GA Happening hah.) 

Anyway, I just wanted to give a little update on how things have been and what the craziness of my life has looked like hah.  Here's to getting back on track soon! :)
HONK!

Dear Bandwagon,

I'd like to get back on, please.

I can't believe how bad I've been at this lately!! My apologies to blogs I've failed to comment on (I have at least read them all). Honestly, it was one of those crazy transition times where I nearly forgot my name, much less to exercise and/or blog. Plus having mono made it harder to get anything done. We had our end of year retreat that we had to half plan and run near the end of May, then we had to write speeches for our end of year dinner, then I started feeling ill two weeks before our house inspections and move out. I went to the CVS MinuteClinic twice in those two weeks (which was actually a really great experience all things considered, surprisingly). I ended up not giving my speech at the end of year dinner, because that was around the point if I could have elected to have my tonsils removed I would have, and they looked like they wouldn't have minded it either. Honestly, it was probably horrifying to anyone who isn't a nurse. To me it was fascinating, but I showed two of my housemates and I swear one of them almost gagged. I'll be honest, that part was pretty validating, and then I didn't get any grief from anyone about bailing on speaking. Ok, I'll be honest, public speaking might be in my top 5 least favorite things on the planet, and getting that one perk out of being sick for two and a half weeks straight seemed due. :)  But then the next morning I had to drive home. Which was honestly awful. I thought it was going to be fine, that I was just kinda tired with a sore throat, nothing that would impede driving. But about 20 minutes before I left Chapel Hill I got a stomachache, I hadn't eaten breakfast, my car was packed completely full, I also had my bike on the back that just seemed not quite stable. I stopped and got a gingerale and some mints and tried to at least get a little sugar in my system. I felt like it was a combo of taking advil on an empty stomach and having congestion from my head draining into my stomach because the swelling in my throat was FINALLY abating a little bit. I'm sure you all really wanted to hear all that. But anyway. The stomachache started to resolve after about 2 hours, and by the 4th hour I was able to eat some baked veggie chips, but by that point the bike situation was making me more and more nervous. In fact, by the last hour of the trip I was literally talking aloud to my bike, reassuring it that we only had X number of miles left, and telling my bike rack to hang on and that it was doing a good job. After a little over 6 hours, me, my bike, and all the rest of my stuff made it home.

And then I got my appetite back and went out and got the most delicious gnocchi on the planet.

Since then I have gone to two doctor appointments before my coverage ran out, tried to switch phone plans, looked at apartments, tried to clean out some of my stuff with little success, got some banking issues resolved, and managed to do a little cooking. All while going back and forth between Cory's place and mine since he has been on vacation this past week so we could hang out.

Tomorrow, I leave for the beach with my mom and my aunt! I am pretty excited, but feel a little bit distant from that feeling, like I SHOULD feel more excited than I do. Last year when I went to the beach, I still had not adjusted to a daytime schedule, and I spent a lot of time sleeping in the day, or trying to get up but being grumpy and out of sorts because of it. So this time should be an improvement. Mmmm, books and laying around and the sun and the ocean and eating out!

Speaking of books, anyone have any suggestions??

Alright. I'm done with my completely unrelated to anything about exercise post. But hopefully, I'll post at the beach after I get some good walks in! And if I'm really on my game, maybe they'll be another photo walking tour!

HONK!

Confession Time

I am not, nor have I ever been, a runner.

But I've always secretly wished that I were.

The most I've ever been able to run at one time was probably a half a mile, and I remember that even this was an achievement, that it took a while for me to build up to even that short distance.

More often than not, I walk. In troubling or uneasy times, I find myself longing for great big hunks of time so that I can walk for miles and miles. I learned this discipline from a former spiritual director of mine, an Episcopal nun who would walk 12 or 15 miles a day during the time that her marriage was falling apart (she became a nun after the divorce). There is something to the distance, I think. That, and the rhythmic footfalls -- slow and steady, nice and easy. Nothing wrong with being a tortoise, I say. Walking is contemplative. Walking is prayer.

Walking is an adventure with an 11-month-old Boston Terrier named Boo Radley.

For the last nine months, Boo has been the main reason I exercise. Before that, I was engaged in a serious yoga practice which took the form of daily (sometimes twice-a-day!) "hot" yoga at the studio near my house. I think it was work stress that drove me to it, but there I was, on the mat, every single day for six months solid. And then this little guy came on the scene. Life changes when you get a puppy.

I consider myself a fair writer, but I can't even come close to describing the magnitude of the guilt that welled up inside of me when, upon returning sweaty and stinky from yoga class, I looked down to see those enormous brown eyes looking up at me from inside that crate, nay, prison cell.

Yoga went out the window.

I miss yoga, but man, I love this dog. I'm blessed to live in downtown Savannah, a mere half of a block away from Forsyth Park. (This is a terrible, onerous, despicable life I lead.) Boo has become quite the celebrity in the park, and when he walks through it, it is as if he owns it. And frankly, he does. Inevitably, one or two people always laugh and smile when they see him, and then they recall a Boston from their childhood or talk about how much the miss their Boston back home. I feel like I can sort of relate to those parents who feel as though people only see and interact with their babies and not them.


As I said, Boo is the main reason I exercise, but Boo is also a major distraction and/or straight-up hindrance when it comes to aerobic exercise. If he isn't schmoozing with women and small children, Boo is smelling every leaf and peeing on every blade of grass, branch of shrubbery, and clump of fallen Spanish moss in all 30 acres of Forsyth Park. And just when I think, this dog could not possibly have one more nano-ounce (or whatever the hell they call micro amounts of liquid) of fluid left in his body, Boo Radley somehow, from some hidden bladder or reservoir deep inside his body, somehow, Boo manages to produce a tiny drop of urine with which to gingerly baptize said blade of grass, branch of shrubbery, and/or clump of fallen moss. Our pace is slow and deliberate.

What's more, Boston Terriers cannot tolerate extreme heat. Have you been to Savannah? Generally, we can only walk one mile at a time. Ideally, I would love to walk a mile in the morning, a mile at lunch, and a mile or two more in the evening. Mostly, I pull off one mile in the evening, and if the stars are aligned, sometimes two. Boo and I both could stand more exercise. We have been working on the "Leave it!!" command, and sometimes he actually does. Today, we accomplished one very humid, very sweaty, very pleasurable mile and will strive for the same tomorrow.

I am very grateful for this dog and for the ability to sweat, move, and breathe.

I have more to say about all this, and I'm sure I will, but for now, I'd like to say thank you for letting me blog here, and that I will see y'all soon. Good night.
 

To race or not to race.....

That is the question.

So. The Peachtree Road Race is on Wednesday morning.  I've been looking forward to this for a while, as y'all know, but just haven't prepared like I should have.  Let's be real - that's just how I operate sometimes.  Plus it's been a big struggle in general to get out there sometimes.  I've had this dread feeling about the race the past couple of weeks, which has been a new feeling.  I just haven't been looking forward to it as much lately.  And that could be for a few reasons - the quick travel and turnaround to get back to Huntsville, only to leave again on Friday for a week for a day camp in south AL, plus just getting back yesterday from a few days off at the lake (and a 6 hour drive back that came with it). 

BUT - this is the Peachtree Road Race!  It's fun and hot, just just an adventure all around.  And I get an awesome tshirt at the end! 

To recap, here are the downsides:

- Gas money to and from ATL
- Waking up super early to take MARTA to the race (since I can't stay with Blizz since she's doing an awesome internship at the Grand Canyon!!!:) )
- It's going to be stupid hot.
- Not as ready as I'd like to be....
- I don't like to quit, and this feels like quitting.

The bonuses:

- I've got a few friends running and volunteering that hopefully we'd get to meet up when we're all done.
- The tshirt!
- It's just a fun race. :)
- Have I mentioned that it's the PEACHTREE ROAD RACE?!

So yeah.  I need input.  Pronto. Oh, and it's not like I can't do it next year.

And I did run last week, which was nice.  I ran in the mornings, which worked out really well.  It just reinforces the fact that I need to make running in the morning my deal instead of waiting until the end of the day. 

Alright friends.  I need your help with this.  It's definitely not an easy decision, that's for sure.....ugh.

Honk.

"Looking good Billy Ray! Feeling good Louis!"

Earlier this week I went to the track for a run and forgot my ipod.  I was super pissed.  But I decided to run anyway.  I realized very quickly that it wasn't going to go well.  My calves locked up and hurt pretty bad.  That and without my headphones I could hear all the other people at the track which was remarkably annoying.  So after just two laps I decided  to call it a run.  But as soon as I got to the car I decided to go run near the softball fields which are next to the track where I run.  Well that turned out to be a great idea.  I took time to stretch out my calves every so often and ended up running for about 40 minutes or so.

Tonight's run was really awesome also!  I did a total of 12 laps, walking 4 and running 8.  But for every walking lap except the last one I ran a set of stairs on the visitor side of the stadium 4 times per lap.  It was awesome.  I never got too too tired or in too much pain.  I felt so good , I was inspired to post this as my facebook status:

Things/people that are amazing:
God
My Wife
My kids
My friends
Feeling like a total badass almost every time I run
Getting my shit together
Beginning to really believe the potential in my life that others have seen for a while

Needless to say I'm feeling pretty good about myself tonight :)

HONK!

Matt

Dead Weight

I ran this morning - yay!  The downside is that my body just felt like dead weight the whole time.  And I HATE IT when my body doesn't want to cooperate.  Trying to go longer than 25 minutes was just not in the cards.  So that part sucked super bad.  But I'm glad I went out there.  The Peachtree is only about two weeks away, and I'm not ready, but I want to be as prepared as I can be.  I'm going to run again tomorrow in the morning because I have a meeting tomorrow night in Birmingham and won't be back until later.

I like running in the morning.  I know I've said this a lot.  And I've also said that I'm not a morning person.  Which makes it super hard to get up and out of bed when I need to in order to have enough time to run.  Hah.  Tomorrow morning will definitely be a test because I have staff meeting first thing so I can't take my time to get out the door.  I also read in an article that it takes 3 weeks to get used to waking up early and 6 weeks for it to be habit....?  Something like that.  Either way, I'm going to run tomorrow.  Homegirl has a race to get ready for!

Oh!  I think I need new shoes.  My shoes aren't light in the first place because I like the stability of the arch support, but I've come to realize that my ankle braces make my feet so much heavier.  Plus I think it's just time.  So here's to hoping I'll find new shoes that are lightweight but have a good feeling of stability.  Hah.

Alright, I think this is all for the moment.  Let's make this summer count! :)

HONK!

Workin' on it!

I ran Wednesday and today - yay!  Wednesday's run didn't go very well.  I think part of the reason is that I started off too fast, which totally wiped me out halfway through.  Today's run went really well.  I'm still working on the C25K program on my phone, so it was week 5 day 2.  The running was 8 minutes and I thought that if I could do 3 laps in 8 minutes, that would mean that I would be on track for a 12 minute mile (with the time built in for me getting tired haha).  I know I shouldn't focus on numbers and whatnot, but I almost can't help it.  This is just another example of how I like levels and I love to beat them.  A smaller example is when I play games on my phone - I only download games that have levels, or an acknowledgment of completion.  Make sense?  So that part of me (I think this is the only competitive part of myself - with myself!) is what is taking over when I'm on the track.  I'm planning on going out again tomorrow and the plan is to run for 20 minutes without having to walk.  I'm nervous about it, but I'm confident I can make it work.  Another example of wanting to do well - today when I was wrapping up each 8 minute section I was already thinking that I might go longer than 20 minutes tomorrow.  I should really just listen to my body and see how it's going, but yeah.  Hah.

Anyway, I feel like this post is a bit all over the place.  It probably is, but that's okay.  I also have to tell y'all that I appreciate the encouragement boost lately.  Especially when Matt said today "Gonna lace up those shoes?"  These are things I need - I need to be accountable not only to myself, but to y'all too.  And knowing that you're going to check in with me makes such a difference.  Maybe one day I'll be a self sustaining runner, but right now it ain't happenin' haha.  I'm leaving on Sunday for Birmingham for the week for a youth event, and I'm thinking of taking my running stuff with me.  I'm just not sure if I'll have the time or energy (I'll be outside alllllllllll day working), but well see.  Anyway, I'll let y'all know how tomorrow goes. :)

HONK!

bunnies and blackberries... summer is coming!

I took a walk today! No like, premeditation (hahaha, I wrote premedication accidently... none of that either), no dreading it, it was just like... "I'd like to be outside walking around." Done. It was really nice actually. I needed some thinking time. And on my walk I saw this little guy:

He is not full grown, but the picture doesn't really look like he's any smaller than an adult :) 

I saw some blackberries on the ground, but only one or two unripe ones attached to a plant. 

Also, Saturday I got my hair cut! They took 5-8 inches off, depending on the layers and such. So as you can see, I had a lot of hair for it to still be past my shoulders at this point. This is a much better length for summer. The long hair was just so difficult to manage and keep restrained! Please ignore the face I'm making. I can't smile at myself when I'm taking pictures, so I went for an uncertain face. 

One month from tomorrow and I'm outta here! I've had a pretty good weekend though. Sad it is over, happy this week is a 3-day work week, nervous for Friday because we have a presentation, portfolio due, and then we are going on our year end retreat, which I am not looking forward to. I just don't want to have to do sharing activities or things like that. But it is at a lake house I think, so there can be swimming! I am excited about that part. 

Daddy Day Care

So I know I told you guys already but to set all this up I have to say that the place I work went out of business two Sundays ago.  It has been an interesting week and a half to say the least.  Because I'm not working anymore and to save money until Amanda gets done with school I'm staying home with the kids.  This has been both awesome and insanely stressful at times.  Last week was highlighted by waking up to find that AJ had vomited in and around his crib.

Needless to say my running has taken a bit of a hit.  But I have really gotten back into it this week.  I went to the track Sunday night, last night and tonight.  Last night I did 7 total laps, walked the first, ran the next 5 then walked a cool down lap.  I went tonight even though I didn't really have to but I just wanted to get out.  Tonight I ran just 5 laps but I ran all of them.  I feel pretty good about my motivation right now and I just hope I can keep it up.

On a related note, my mom has offered to pick up a gym membership as my birthday present.  I just need to go check this one place out I have in mind  to see if I like it.  Anywhooooo,

HONK!

Matt

Sometimes you just get mad

So. I've been out of my routines lately, too. Today, for some reason, I just got mad. Mad that I can't really run a mile anymore, mad that my joints are stiff at 26, mad that I'm just not very strong, mad that I feel so defenseless thinking about if I crossed paths with someone dangerous, and mad that I am totally inflexible. So I put on my work out clothes, and headed out for a walk. After a short warm up walk, I decided to jog/run. I was ok for a few minutes, but it wasn't long before my hip flexors started to complain. I tried not to overdo it, but still push myself a little before slowing to a walk. I thought about then cutting my walk short, but hobbled through it. I decided on some hip stretches and workouts that I'm just going to have to be more consistent about. I am going to try to make a check list or something for this week. I realized, when I used to take up running in high school, I was also doing lunges, toe raises, pushups, etc. So that helped maintain enough strength to keep my hips aligned right. Or whatever. And then in college we would go use the weight room. Not that consistently, but enough. ANYWAY. So yeah. I am going to try to use this anger to better my body.

I am really hoping when I get back to Atlanta I can commit to the yoga thing. I feel like maybe the running this next month and a half (I am so close to done!!) will help me stay consistent with a routine and with slightly improve some general strength issues. And if I keep making myself stretch, then I'll be that much more prepared when the yoga commences once again. I want skills.

Such a slacker. Ugh.

Last week I was a big ole slacker.  As in, I didn't do ANYTHING.  Which was definitely not helpful in this whole new endeavor, that's for sure.  It just reinforced to me how much I NEED this.  I don't feel good when I'm not eating better and working out.  I don't like how my body has gotten the past few years, and when I'm not being productive with my food and work outs, it's just even worse for me.  Sadly, that's not alway enough motivation for me to get moving.  Not entirely sure why, but there's that.  I think on one hand I'm concerned that I'll work hard, do the best I can, and still not make any progress.  It's like I'm afraid to try because I'm afraid to fail.  Oy.

But last night and tonight I got that good ole work out in, dang it.  My muscles won't be feeling very well tomorrow, but I need this.  I really need to get out and do some walk/running tomorrow.  Like, for real.  Not just because I need to move this body of mine, but because I'm supposed to do the Peachtree and I need to be able to move at a faster speed than slow hah.

I'm not really sure what's going on with me.  I know that this is something that I need, but it's been really difficult to keep it up.  Even though I know that I can do it and that I know I'll feel great when I'm done.  I'm glad that we've got this going again because I also need this lovely blog.  I need y'all to keep trucking with me and being the awesome, lovely, encouraging, dear friends that you are.  So I give you full permission to check in with me from time to time to make sure that I'm staying on task.  I need that.  Dude, I just need y'all. :)

Alright, enough of this.  I think y'all have got the picture.  HONK!

Great week

It has been a great week so far.  Ellie's baptism was Sunday and it was a perfect day.  Everything went smoothly and we got to see some of our out of town friends who were awesome enough to make the drive down.  Here are a couple pics from Sunday, including the one of Ellie that everyone just feel in love with.

My running has gone pretty well this week.  Yesterday my legs, specifically my calves were absolutely killing me.  They were burning and just really tight, like hard as a rock.  Liz W suggested making sure I drank enough water before my run and I realized I usually drink a ton of water immediately after and while at work.  But not so much before running/walking.  So I'm going to keep that in mind for next time.  Anywho, hope you guys are doing well with ya'll goals etc!

HONK!

Matt

Non exercise, life post!

This is from an email I sent to some friends.  To give you guys some background, Nursing is something I had been considering for a relatively short time, just a cpl weeks.  But the more and more I thought about it the more it felt right.  So I made an appointment to talk with an adviser in the Nursing dept at VSU and here is what happened next:


"So I wanted to share something with you guys.  I met with my VSU adviser yesterday and she told me due to the amount of classes I would need to take that I should attend Georgia Military, which is the 2 year school right around the corner from the church, due to the quarter system I would be able to get the classes I needed to get into the program out of the way.  This was a somewhat unexpected development.  At the time I was kind of disheartened.  I felt like this one just like the obstacles I ran into for ordination.  I thought "I know its supposed to be a challenge but if this is what I'm supposed to do shouldn't things be a little easier? Shouldn't doors be opening instead of closing?"  

This new detour is of course totally do able.  But it just left me feeling disappointed and less than excited.   I just kept thinking about it more and more and I just asked God to give me some direction.  

Now in the past God has sometimes shown me a bible verse, one I don't know.  Literally something like "John 2:11"  would pop in my head and I would go look it up.  This at one time was a pretty regular occurrence.  So early this morning I was having these thoughts and asking God for direction and "Mark 3:14" popped into my head.  I looked for my NRSV bible like a good Episcopalian but couldn't find it so I grabbed my copy of the Message and looked it up.  Now because the Message doesn't individually number their verses it looked like it was just a listing of the 12 disciples.  Well I thought to myself "that was completely unhelpful.  Then almost immediately "Mark 4:13" popped into my head.  So I looked that up.  I kid you not it read:He continued "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way"  I sat there a little dumbfounded thinking "Is God just screwing with me?"  I'm sitting here desperately trying to discern a huge potential change in my life and I get one verse that is completely useless and then in response to my frustration God tells me "This is how it works"

Well probably less than a minute later another verse pops into my head "Matthew 8:16"  It reads: That evening a lot of demon-inflicted people were brought to him.  He relieved the inwardly tormented.  He cured the bodily ill.  He fulfilled Isaiah's well known sermon:  He took our illnesses, He carried our diseases...........

I literally said out loud: Wow, unbelievable.

If that isn't a positive sign that I should continue down this path I don't know what is.  "He cured the bodily ill......He took our illnesses, He carried our diseases"  Now I'm not saying I'm going to become a spiritual healer or anything but when discerning a call to the health care profession and to be led to that verse, that is a pretty strong sign to me.

So as of this morning I am a registered student at Georgia Military College.  I am registered for the summer and fall 1 quarters, taking 16 hours each.  I am quitting my job to focus on school.  Which will have some yet to be determined financial consequences.  We will be applying for Govt. assistance and getting student loans.  Summer loans aren't all that much but we'll just have to see how it goes.  As much as I don't want to put us into a financial bind I more so don't want to screw around and make bad grades.  I essentially need to make all A's to really give myself the best chance to get into the nursing program at VSU.  So obviously prayers would be appreciated.  

Any feedback you want to give about this email please do, i welcome it.

Peace, love you guys

Matt"

Please forgive the formatting, I copy and pasted this from my email.

Matt, again

That's gonna hurt tomorrow...yep....

As you know, I've been working on getting back in to running and a little while ago I downloaded the C25K app on my phone and would sporadically get back in to the swing of things.  So last week I finished up the week 4 and today I started with week 5, which is the running at 5:00 minute intervals.  Tomorrow I think it's for 8 minutes or something like that.  I knew it would be hard, but it was definitely harder than I expected.  Right off the bat I couldn't get my breathing together, which resulted in a lovely side stitch the whole time.  Fail.  The last 5 minute interval was just really difficult so I spent that time running the straights on the track and walking the curves.  I'm just glad I didn't puke, which felt like a real possibility a couple of times hah.

So I get home and really felt the need to put on the ole work out video and bust out another 45 minutes of calorie burning fun.  The videos I own have different levels, so once you master one level, you move on the to the next.  I decided last week I was moving up to level two, which begins the involvement of resistance bands.  Which make my muscles scream and yell at me every time I use them hah.

Moral of the story, tomorrow is going to HURT.  Like, real bad.  But I'm going to have to get out there and get my run on tomorrow because I need to take advantage of the times I'm able to run.  I'm working all weekend and I want to make sure that I get something done before then.  Hopefully I'll get some workouts done via running or the videos, but I definitely want to make sure that tomorrow, I get back on that track. :)

The bonus part of my run is that I listened to a new album I bought the other day.  It's a band from Iceland called Of Monsters and Men.  They're super awesome and I LOVE their album.  So go check that out. :)  Here's an acoustic version of their first single Little Talks.  Love it. :)

The funny/most annoying part of working out at home, especially when I'm doing crunches or leg lifts on the floor, is that my dear, sweet, lovely puppies feel the need to mess with me.  Today it was only this one...dear sweet Mille......

Don't let her adorable face fool you.....she really wants to be all up in your face while you're doing crunches, trying to lick all the sweat off your body.  Gross, but true.

Now this one, Henry, usually likes to be all up in my space, too.  But today he just felt the need to stay on the couch.

Needless to say, I was happy about this.  One puppy in my workout bubble is more than needed.

So I guess that's all for this go 'round.  Tomorrow will be all fun and sore, but I'm okay with that.  Homegirl needs it! :)  

HONK!

It's a brand new day

HONK!  So I wanted to share a cpl exercise related notes with you guys.  First and probably the one I'm happiest about is Amanda and I went and walked the track Sunday night in Adel after the kids went to bed.  We did 5 laps and we even raced the straights.  Like I told Liz W, I won of course.  Amanda says her pants were falling but that sounds like an excuse to me......I kid, her pants were totally falling down which was hilarious but I still would have won.

Secondly I had a great walk/run today around the Draz's neighborhood.  It went well and I actually enjoy getting out in the heat sometimes and working up a sweat.  Plus it helps me work on my sexy tan, ooooohh yeaaaah.

Anyway some exciting things on the horizon.  Stay tuned. and as always.........

HONK

Matt

More walking tour!

I have kinda fallen down on the job as far as blogging is concerned from the past few days. But never fear! I have still collected quite a few photos for your enjoyment. I have not taken a walk every day, but I think the frequency is increasing. Finding things to take pictures of is really motivating. And it makes me notice the little details all the more. Here is from Thursday's walk I think: There is this house a street or two over with this massive sculpture garden. 

Shiny Easter Island Guy

Here we have some unidentified things and a megaphone. 

This is Chapel of the Cross, the church out of which my program is run. It is really pretty and old.

They have some really lovely rosebushes out front.

Last night, Drew, Merrick and I went to trivia at a pizza place! I went for a nontraditional choice of pear, mozzarella, goat cheese, caramelized onions, and walnuts. It was pretty delicious. Unfortunately, we did not win trivia. 

Here starts today's photos. Here is the back of a school and its playground. The bike path runs right behind it, so that was the route I took and just cut through the little path between them. But in doing so I was inadvertently following this old lady dressed in neutrals with long grey hair. And then she turned off the connector path and I swear she disappeared. I was really creeped out because there just really wasn't anywhere she could have gone, and the connector path is just too short to lose someone on. Yikes.  

Being Carrboro, this school has an outdoor classroom of course! It reminded me a whole lot of Camp Mikell as I was traipsing through the woods to get to it.

Here is ANOTHER park within walking distance. It has some gentle "hiking" trails, too! They are great, except when you get lost. That happened at the beginning of the year and I ended up in some neighborhood and I had to call Cory to google map where I was and direct me home. 

Here is a picture on one of the trails! They are just long enough for a walk, but short enough that they don't feel like you are too far away from civilization.

I liked this flower.

One time when Cory was visiting, we went exploring off those trails, and stumbled through some shrubs into this... commune. It reminds me of in LOST when they found where the others lived. This picture doesn't do it justice. It is like half, bright and shiny, and half unkempt and sort of abandoned looking. 

They have gardens and solar panels and chickens and other communal things. Here is a path through it. Cory and I could not find a road leading OUT of the area, however, but luckily stumbled back onto the trails that connect to the park! 

Carrboro is the type of place where the graffiti is friendly messages. It didn't really show up but, the back of this sign says "We are all one."

So anyway. My walk today was longer than anticipated once I decided I wanted to find the commune again, but it was a good one. Luckily I didn't get blisters from walking in flip flops this early in the season. I have taken a couple of naps today, so I am worried I won't be able to sleep tonight. I don't know why I was so tired! Anyway. I forgot to make my bed like twice last week! It was kinda funny to me really, that I would forget since I've been doing it a couple months at this point and really like walking home to a nicely made bed instead of a rumpled one. This post is long and annoyingly inconsistent in its formatting. Grumble. I feel like I have a lot to do this week because I'm driving home this weekend and then to Birmingham for a wedding. I am excited about the home and the wedding part, but less so about the packing and prepping part.

Picture Time!

So I'm at the airport in Atlanta right now waiting for my last flight back to Huntsville.  I don't leave until 10:50pm, so that's real fun.  Our earlier flight from Newark was delayed a couple of hours (which SUCKED) but it was good because it made my layover time a little shorter.  You win some, you lose some.

Well, I didn't think I was going to run today since it was the end of the conference and travel, but Leigh set her alarm for 6:00am instead of 7:00am, so I woke up and couldn't really get back to sleep.  I went down to the hotel fitness center, but the treadmills were definitely taken so I made my way outside.  And it was cold.  6:30am is not a nice time for me in general and add in the cold - NOT a happy Liz.  I thought about going back in, but started out anyway.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be (which I'm totally okay with), and I was able to regulate myself a bit better (which was a bonus).  New Jersey is different, but there is definitely a lot of green and bright flowers everywhere.  So I took a couple of pictures of the road I was running down behind the hotel.  It may be blurry.....

So green!

I meant to take more pictures of Princeton itself, but most of the time we were running around to one thing or another and there wasn't much time.  But the main observation is that every building looks like a church and what's that like, going to class in a church?  We were having these conversations right when classes got out and students were around us, so I'm sure they thought we were idiots....but that's okay.  We appreciated the beauty of Princeton. :)  And speaking of beauty, there are flowers everywhere!  More specifically, they have a love affair with azaleas.  They reminded me of south Georgia and being at my grandma's house.  She had them everywhere.  But these stuck out more because they were multicolored and just so lovely to look at. :)

Anyway, I'm glad that I got to run today because I won't feel bad for being a slug all day tomorrow....well until I have to leave for the night again hah.  I have a feeling I'll be taking Monday off.....

Until next time friends!  And hopefully more rested....hah.  HONK!!

Walking, walking, and more walking!

So no hike yesterday.  It was supposed to rain all afternoon, ended up not raining, but Leigh and I got to walk around downtown Princeton.  We've been doing a LOT of walking this week, and my left knee is definitely feeling it.  Tonight was a late night and tomorrow we'll be going home (back to reality...oy), and I'll be getting back home super late tomorrow night.  So no running tomorrow....if you couldn't guess hah.  I would like to get some running in on Friday, but it may be a sleeping-all-day-until-I-have-to-leave-for-camp-day.  We'll see how that works out. :)

I took a pretty picture of these gorgeous azaleas here on campus, but it hasn't made it to the computer yet hah.  Overall I feel like I've eaten relatively well and the walking has seemed to help for sure.  Hopefully next week I'll be able to make it out a bit more. :)

I think this is all this go 'round - short and sweet I guess haha.  Until next time friends!  HONK!

"Personality" (or just weirdness) of Carrboro

I have had a rough two weeks. I'm just gonna be honest. I have been overwhelmed with work, home/intern stuff, and personal life (family, etc). I think I am finally making progress with work struggles. They were having me facilitate group therapy sessions by myself, and I just am not equipped for that (personality nor training-wise). I finally got out of that this week, and so far things have been a lot better. Today I was able to spend some time organizing the linen closet (which is a beast), so I'm hoping to make that part of my job more smooth. Also, today I got cake.

Anyway, my walking has been slacking, partly because I was out of town this week cleaning out my aunt's house (so I was active, just not so intentionally). Today I was productive just after work, and I was going to postpone it til tomorrow, but then Matt texted me saying he'd posted, and I realized I didn't have any real reason to skip out. Plus the past couple days have been miserable weather (cold and dreary), and today it was beautiful out. The only problem with that was that that meant EVERYONE was out and about, which makes taking pictures a little more awkward. In seeing everyone though, I realized what a great place this is for people watching! There are just all types everywhere you look. It's pretty cool. 

This is Weaver Street Market. It is kinda like a local version of Whole Foods. There are picnic tables all around outside, and they have a cafe. BEST PEOPLE WATCHING EVER. There will be music and poems and dancing and dogs and kids and stuff. Also, they have delicious cinnamon rolls!!

And here is the Cement Lady. She creeps the hell out of me. Especially at night when she is in the shadow of trees under a streetlamp. I have no idea why she is here.

In the same yard as Cement Lady, sits Fake Rocket. Another monument I have no clue why exists. Yay Carrboro! haha.

This picture needs to stay full size. If you'll remember, there was a cabbage patch kid in a tree in one of the other pictures. This is that yard. It is full of awesome. But I'm scared of getting caught photographing it.  **edit** I had to shrink it to fit everything in. Grumble! So now it's hard to tell all the decor. 

And here is their neighbor- Ah, serene garden path. Also, the yard is immaculate, but the photo isn't big enough for that. 

So yeah. All this in a 15 minute walk. It is a high concentration of... unique.