I haven’t had a lot of time to write, but really wanted to highlight this past weekend . If you read my last post, you read that I am still keeping the faith in regards to my career progression. While nothing has changed since my last post, my faith still remains strong. #Godhasaplan
This past weekend was my youngest daughter’s 10th birthday. The big 1-0, double digits baby. She was more than thrilled to say she is finally TEN YEARS OLD, so I planned a wonderful weekend in the city not only to celebrate her birthday, but to give my daughters and I time to recharge our batteries.
I took Friday off from work, and we headed down to the city at around 10 a.m. After getting slightly lost once arriving to Chicago, we finally found our hotel. We stayed at the Wit hotel in Chicago, and I highly recommend it for any future visits. They treated us like loyalty, and we are just good ‘ole normal middle class folks. #winning We spent the weekend eating great food at places like Sienna Tavern and Bottlefork, went on an awesome architecture tour via boat, and shopping ’til we dropped almost literally.
So here’s our weekend wrap, mostly in pictures. I wish I had words to describe this amazing weekend, but there really aren’t any. Sure, we bickered some as of course to be expected with 3 woman with each other non-stop for 72 hours, but mostly we bonded, laughed, joked, and there were even a few tears from me as we sang Happy Birthday to my youngest, knowing her Dad would be sad having to miss this day. My heart broke a little, but my daughters helped me find my smile again.
First day at lunch at a place called O’Tooles“Cocktails” at the roof top bar at the WitUs at dinner at the Sienna TavernCheers!A signed copy of Fabio Vivani’s cookbook!!Wouldn’t be a birthday without Dylan’s candy storeDay 2 at Navy PierViews from our tourMore gorgeous viewsUs on the way to Bottlefork for dinnerShopping at the MAC store, hehe!Never too old for fun!Fireworks show at Navy PierWorn out after a long weekend, LOL
While there wasn’t much working out for me last week other than my daily plank, we logged over 12 miles of walking this weekend so I’ll take it. I’m wrapping up with Holly and Tricia for the weekly wrap since these ladies rock, and I’ve missed linking with them. Please head over and check them out! ❤
How was your weekend? Do you explore the city you live in? What is your favorite touristy thing to do?
It’s been 20 weeks and 2 days since my hubby left. I am still brought back to our departure on days like today when it’s humid, dark, and stormy out. Sometimes in those dark times I struggle. But sometimes those dark times test my faith to the 100th degree. And that got me thinking…
I haven’t had a TON to blog about since he left. More so I haven’t had TIME to sit down and write thoughtful blogs. But every now and then I am reminded about the power of prayer and faith so I just had to share a few thoughts. Those of you that have been following this blog for a while know that I have been in the same profession for 25 years. I work in a pathology lab, and it was job that was chosen for me by the Air Force. While I have always enjoyed my profession, it is NOT my passion and I am NOT where I feel I am meant to be in life at this point in time. What DOES keep me going at my job is my coworkers, but that is a whole new post filled with fun and laughter because this group is AHMAZING. I digress…
Over the last several years I began to really pray. PRAY. And then I pray some more that God would lead me on the right path and help me find a job I am more passionate about, and one that will provide a better life for my kids.
Pic from Pinterest
And with those prayers, have come phone calls from recruiters, emails, and opportunities that while may have not yet been the RIGHT one, have been presented to me non-the-less. The last opportunity came to me a few months ago and I’ll admit, I was pretty excited about it. Just one day prior I had said some pretty desperate prayers, and the very next day I got a call from a recruiter. Several days later I interviewed, and although I felt I did a great job interviewing I realized that I had to trust my gut in regards to the negative vibe that I was feeling and decided to pass on the job. I am very happy where I am despite bad pay and working weekends/holidays and I won’t trade that for negative surroundings. The opportunity gave me restored faith, and the will to keep praying.
So I’ve been praying continually, sometimes about my career situation and often times about other aspects of my life. I pray for my kids happiness, my patience (thank goodness for wine), my husband’s safety, my family’s well-being and honestly just to keep the faith. Because I do believe whole heartedly I am destined for more in life than where I am at now, all while remembering that I am content with all that I have as well.
Yesterday I prayed out loud while driving home for work. I said the words, “I have faith.” I talked to God in detail, and told Him I would trust His plan. See, my “church” is often my daily commute. ❤
Pic from Pinterest
Today, I got a call that could potentially change our lives…and even if it doesn’t-that call gave me renewed faith. Pretty cool how that works…
Do you believe in the power of prayer to a higher power?
When I saw the Wednesday word over at DebRuns was pragmatic, I just had to jump in for the link up. Make sure to head over and check out her blog. Debruns.com!!!
From vocabulary.com, the definition fit me perfectly. Well. Lately.
“The opposite of idealistic is pragmatic, a word that describes a philosophy of “doing what works best.” From Greek pragma “deed,” the word has historically described philosophers and politicians who were concerned more with real-world application of ideas than with abstract notions. A pragmatic person is sensible, grounded, and practical — and doesn’t expect a birthday celebration filled with magical creatures.”
Up until this deployment (well even before that to be honest as my single Mom duties have increased over the last several years) I dreamed of being so many different things. A writer, an avid runner, a Chef at my own restaurant, a life changer and so many more magical things that put the light in my eye. But as of late, the pragmatic side of me has since kicked in, and I find myself just doing what I can do get through the day.
But what kind of life is just getting through the day? Not one for me, I can tell you that. So as I talked about last week, I wanted to start running again. But with temps in the 90’s with humidity out the roof I decided I couldn’t put it off anymore. Practicality was for the birds and I had an overflowing plate that needed to be cleared.
So last night I dusted off my treadmill, fired it up, and RAN TWO MILES. Life changing? No. Day changing? HECK YEAH.
The smile says it all, my mini snapped the pic!
After the run I was so pumped up that I did 20ish minutes of strength training and a NINE minute straight plank. Yup. I did that.
she made it a whole minute!
I was reminded of the amazing powers of a good workout. My mood lifted, and I even slept for almost 4 hours straight last night, waking up only once for a total of 5 1/2 hours of sleep. #winning
So while doing what I can is all I CAN do right now, sometimes I still have to follow my heart.
Are you idealistic or pragmatic? Thoughts on running on a treadmill?
Some weeks are easier than others. Life keeps us busy, almost too busy to think about how much we are hurting inside. Last week was one of those weeks thankfully, because very minimal communication with my hubby made my mood a little blue. I think my hubby must’ve sensed this, because I got a sweet gift of plating tweezers from him this week.
I had a great week over all though, and even got out for a wine dinner with my dear friend and next door neighbor.
I broke my planking record, and am still on my streak since May 1st of planking every day until my hubby gets home.
I cooked some yummy pork chops in my slow cooker with a soy, ginger, garlic, onion, pink pepper corns, black pepper, brown sugar, lime zest and red pepper flake concoction. I let it go on high for 4 hours, and the only thing I’d change is I’d lightly pan fry the chops first to prevent drying out.
I didn’t run last week, because after a couple days of insomnia which lead to my body revolted and my IBS kicking in full force from Thursday on, the only place I was running was to the toilet. :-I
All in all it was a decent week. We ended the weekend with an amazing dinner with our friends on Saturday night, and a Netflix marathon of watching the entire second season of Chef’s Table on Sunday, LOL. My mini even joined me, which made my entire day even that much better.
Linking up with Holly and Tricia again, please make sure to check out this amazing and supportive link up. (sorry, won’t let me link the pages)
Last week was pretty uneventful to be honest. We had a blast on 4th of July, I’ve started cooking again, and I am holding strong on my planking every day for the remainder of my hubby’s deployment. I was in a funk last week, and decided I need to try and figure out a way to get outside and run. The treadmill and basement workouts are a great alternative, I simply NEED to run. So my youngest will either accompany me on her scooter/bike (we need to get her a new one as she’s grown SOOOO much), or I’ll work around my oldest daughter’s social schedule, which can be challenging, LOL!
Here is my week in review in pictures. I’d have to say the highlight of my week was having my coworkers over for the Outlander season finale. I forgot how much I love entertaining, and of course I went way overboard with food and wine, LOL! The lowlight of my week was my youngest getting sick yesterday. We think it was something she ate at a birthday party Saturday, because within 24 hours she was feeling better. Goals for this upcoming week are to workout more consistently, and stay on track with my eats.
4h of July fun!4th of July selfieMy new record straight plank!Puppy planksAMEN!Leftovers and planksLOLParty planning and planksLove that my planks are consistently in the 4-5 minute range now!best nurse maid, ever!
I’m wrapping up with Holly @https://hohoruns.blogspot.com/and Tricia http://www.misssippipiddlin.com/ for the weekly wrap! Please make sure to check them out!!! (Sorry, I can’t seem to put links in anymore)
How was your week? What are you goals for the upcoming week! Do you like to plank?
In the last 17 weeks and 2 days of this deployment I’ve learned a lot. A lot about myself, my kids, my family, my friends, my coworkers, and people just in general. Some of the things I’ve learned I will hold on to dearly. Like the fact that despite REALLLLLLY wanting to crawl in to a hole for the next year, I have MADE myself get out and do things. Fun things with my girls. Even a few outings with friends have made the time apart from my hubby a little more bearable. I’ve also chosen to keep my kid’s happiness my number one priority, because they deserve the very best in life. And in that choice, means a lot less “ME” time which can take it’s toll on me from time to time.
Photo credit : Pinterest
That choice has also brought some pretty judgy comments. “You aren’t running anymore? WHY? Just have your oldest daughter watch your youngest.” Stop. Right. There.I didn’t have kids to make them take care of themselves or each other 24-7, more importantly it’s not my 16 year old daughter’s job to watch her sister while I am out running. Sure, she watches her during the days this summer minus Wednesdays when I have her nanny come to give both the girls a break. But would it really be fair of me to have her watch her sister at night so I can go run after work when she’s been watching her all day? I sure don’t think so. I let her go socialize with her friends in the evening, attend her voice lesson on Wednesday and just be a KID. She’s already growing up too fast! There’s also the “If it was important to you, you’d make the time to run.” Really? Really…Hmm…Sorry, my kids are still more important. Take that Judgy McJudgerson. #rantoversheesh #Istillhavemybasementworkouts
Photo credit: Pinterest
I’ve also learned that being a victim or a martyr just isn’t the life path I choose to take anymore. And that’s huge in a time when I could easily fall in to the “poor me” trap. People will continually bitch and moan about how they’ve been handed a raw deal, or that no one is every there for them in life. But said people often forget to look in the mirror and ask WHAT they are doing to change their situation, or recognize how LITTLE they do for others. Quit. Blaming. Everyone. Else. Be real people. Please. It really is the only way to be. Pick yourself up, brush off the yuck and MOVE FORWARD. I promise, you’ll be happier for it. I was in denial for years and thought it was the world against ME. I was one of those people! When really, it was ME and against ME. What a life changing moment it was to come to that realization. Whew! #sogladimoverthatpartofmylife **This rant is about no one in particular, just a reminder of a road I hope to never travel again.
Photo credit: Pinterest
To keep up with keeping myself grounded, (and sane, who I am kidding) I have started cooking more, which is something I truly love so that is a good thing! Here’s Tuesday night’s bacon wrapped turkey roast, with Brussels sprouts and baked sweet potato fries! Since my hubby left we’ve been eating a lot of take out, sandwiches, frozen pizzas and soups. When my daughter said “Mom, it was so nice when I came home and smelled your amazing cooking” I was reminded of my love for cooking and the joy it brings to others lives. #allthefeels
Lastly, (at least for this post) I’ve learned that dogs truly feel the absence of ‘their people’ and it really hurts them. My dog Sammy has really aged over these last few months. He mopes around the house, eats random items, and is starting to have hip issues. We’ve got hard wood floors on our main floor and he slips and slides terribly. I think this weekend it’s time I invest in some rugs. My bud just hasn’t been the same since my hubby left, and it’s hard to see him so sad.
What life lessons have you learned lately? How do you deal with aging pets? Ever find yourself feeling like you need to explain yourself when it’s your life, and no one should be judging you?!
It’s been a while since I’ve done a weekly wrap up with Tricia at http://www.misssippipiddlin.com/ and Holly at https://hohoruns.blogspot.com/ so I thought, why not?! Although I haven’t been running consistently, I have been very busy! We’re narrowing in on 17 weeks into this deployment, and there’s never a dull moment. The blog is a fun way to journal what I’ve been up to, so here goes.
Fitness: I worked 6 days last week, so to say I am tired is an understatement. There are no breaks for a single Mom, and some days I feel it more than others. But…we are keeping busy and doing our best to keep our chins up. I’ve been consistently planking every day for 2 months now, and achieved over 5 minutes last night. I did 2 minutes of straight plank, 30 seconds each side planks, and another 2+ minutes of straight planking. YAY!
I also did Hard Corp 22 twice last week, weight training twice, and did quite a bit of walking so it’s all good! I do miss running, but spending time with my daughters is more important.
Food: Gosh, I have been terrible about cooking anything worth posting about. We do pretty easy meals during the week, and often time have simple things like chicken sausage with sweet potatoes or quinoa and a veggie. On the weekends we splurge and this past weekend I took my youngest to a place called “The Patton house” in Geneva. We had amazing outdoor seating on the deck, and my youngest and I shared Oysters Rockefeller for an appetizer. They were simply amazing. I love the fact that my 9 year old chose these as an appetizer, LOL! I’ve created a foodie for sure! LOL!
She then proceeded to order the 16 ounce Rib eye steak. yup. She ate nearly all of this food minus the cheesy potatoes.
I opted for a lighter dinner, and had a blackened creole shrimp salad. And a few bites of her steak LOL!
Facts: Big news everyone!!! My daughter got her license on Wednesday. Because of my crazy work schedule it was a battle trying to get her to the DMV, so my awesome friend and neighbor took her on Wednesday because she’s off during the summer. I loved getting the play by play text messages, and when I saw this picture I cheered!! While it’s a whole new level of anxiety, it’s nice that she can get out and about without me having to taxi her everywhere after working all day.
We’ve also started tackling updating the girls bathroom. My daughter did the painting again, and I plan to start redoing the cabinets this week! So far it’s looking great and I am super proud of how well my daughter did painting!!!
Before….
…After!!!
Speaking of my daughter, I was also extremely thrilled when Deb from Deb Runs – http://debruns.com/ asked to feature my daughter’s poem she wrote a couple months ago titled, Pride. Please run over and check it out.
*the blog isn’t letting me add links, so I apologize for that!
Do your kids like to try new foods? Do your kids drive yet? What type of projects are you up to?
I hope you all have a Happy 4th of July, and a great week!!
I had a post drafted last night and ready for publishing today, but whenever I write a post I always set it aside and step away from it before clicking “Publish”. I’m glad I did that this time, because I really need to quit being so hard on myself when it comes to my military duty. I’ll explain more here in a few minutes…
Today is one of my favorite days of the year. July 3rd. Yup, you read it right, July 3rd, not 4th. Why? Because it’s my enlistment anniversary of joining the Air Force. Today would’ve been 25 years had I stayed in longer than the required 20 years needed to retire. But I retired after 20 years for several reasons. Some of which I still struggle with to this day, but most of which I have learned to let go.
Basic training!!!
Korean war memorial dedication, mid 90’s
Service member of the quarter, circa 1996?
Senior NCO induction ceremony 2007
Offical retirement photo
My family and friends at my retirement ceremony
My favorite retirement photo
First and foremost, I retired so I could be there for my kids. When I get upset over the fact I never deployed, or am reminded I would’ve never been able to make Chief, I look at my daughters and know I made the right decision. Having 2 parents in the military just isn’t the easiest thing to do so I decided stepping down was more important for the girls. Yes, I still have to work full time, but I am at least here for them while my husband deploys.
Last night my girls and I kicked off the weekend (even though I am working all weekend and the 4th, I am trying to have SOME fun, lol) by going to military appreciation night at our local Kane county Cougars baseball game. I submitted my hubby’s photo for the jersey, and they even asked for my photo too! I felt a little silly next to veterans of this caliber, but I submitted mine anyhow! I will be auctioning in hopes of winning one, too!!! Here are some pics from the game!
pano view of the field. Breathtaking.
All of the amazing veterans that will be on the jersey, honored to be among such heros
Freedom riders
The jersey! SOOOO cool!
POW/MIA ceremony
So while that first post really went in to all of my regrets I had about not being able to accomplish the goals I set out for myself while in the military, this post will share a few of my favorite pictures from my military days (see above). It IS my 25 year anniversary after all, and even though I had to work today I’ll still treat myself to a glass of wine or two tonight. 🙂
How are y’all celebrating the 4th? Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend!
I haven’t posted in over a week, and every time I sit down to share my thoughts my mind goes to the million other things I should be doing. And while I know this blog is a running/food blog, I feel a bit silly posting when I am not running, or cooking anything worth posting about.
But this blog is also about real life adventures, and man have the last 16 weeks been an adventure. So I thought I’d share a little about what we’ve been through these last 4 months while my husband has been deployed (or 16 weeks, as I’ve been counting down in weeks vs. days because the number of days in this deployment is just straight up daunting) in order to keep me writing, and keep this blog alive.
Breakdowns of epic proportion occurred early on in the deployment. Moms and teens don’t always see eye to eye and I felt my world literally crashing around me before my eyes. But with breakdowns, come build ups…and I can honestly say that although my daughter and I still butt heads, we’ve also never been closer.
Girls date night!
Inner strength has grown for me, and this is also an epic event. While I still have days (like today) where I just wanted to roll over and cry vs. getting out of bed for work, MOST days I feel like I’ve got it together. Ask me again after working this coming Saturday, Sunday, and the 4th of July (which is one of my favorite holidays) and I might feel differently…lol
But then there are days like Sunday when the TV breaks down, the toilet won’t stop running and the vacuum gets jammed when I wonder if I can really do this for another 8 months. My daughter and I tried replacing the lamp in our 9 year old Samsung and we were so proud of ourselves for doing it ourselves, until the TV continued to turn itself off… I was, however, able to sell our 5 year old riding lawn mower so maybe the two events can cancel one another out? LOL. Always something, right?
Moments of complete clarity have occurred when watching my teen grow in to a little woman. She is a miniature version of me, and while the better part of me wants to scream and cry “DON’T BE ME, PLEAAAAAAAASE,” knowing all the hurt and pain and suffering I endured for the better part of my early teen and adult life, the other part of me wants to bottle up the pride I have in her for overcoming the urge to hole herself up, because it took me 20 years to figure that out, and she’s doing it at the age of 16. She’s taken on projects around the house, and painted her sister’s room while she was away at camp-ALL her idea. Now if only I could get her to clean her room!!!. Hey, I’m picking my battles at this point.
I can only take credit for the decorating. My teen did all of this herself!!
My youngest daughter went away to camp for the first time, ever! It was a Christian based youth camp, and she had a blast. While it was so hard to let her go, I know it helped her spirits tremendously as she’s struggled with finding her happy lately. She was all smiles when I picked her up, and even broke down crying when she saw me because “she missed me SOOOO much.” #allthetears
During deployments, or hard times in general-you really see who you real friends are, and I couldn’t feel more blessed. Sometimes it’s hard to reach out when you feel like you are drowning, so I am truly thankful for those that can “hear” when I need them and have reached out to me. I’m not always the easiest person to love, I get that…I go to a dark place sometimes having had struggled with depression for so long, but thankfully I have learned to not stay in that place for too long. Those that love us in the dark times truly deserve a pat on the back, so here’s a shout out to my family and friends who’ve been there. I couldn’t get through this without you!!!!
Last weekend while at work, I noticed the same group of guys I always see sitting in the cafeteria. One of the gentleman looks like my Dad, and all of them have that “Veteran” look about them. I always text my Dad when I see them, telling him that his twin is in the cafeteria. See, my Dad is a war Veteran and a true hero. My Dad prompted me to go say hello to the guys, and I of course got nervous. I’ve seen these guys for over two years now, always when I have weekend duty. We smile, exchange pleasantries, but I’ve never actually talked to them. I decided to take my Dad’s advice, and I walked up to their table. I smiled, and greeted them first talking to the man who looks like my Dad. I showed him a picture and said he reminded me of my Dad and he giggled saying, “Your Dad must be a handsome guy!!!” I said, “He sure is!!!” and everyone laughed. I then asked them if they were Veterans, and their eyes lit up. My Dad’s twin is retired Air Force, and there were a couple other guys that beamed with pride as they told me their branch of service. I shook all their hands, and told them I was retired Air Force and thanked each of them for their service. You could almost feel the pride in the air, and suddenly weekend duty didn’t suck so bad. I hope they are around this coming weekend, for I know I’ll need a pick-me-up!
I am a firm believer in signs from a higher power, but I don’t always understand them. It’s no secret that I am in a career that albeit is a great one, it is a job that was chosen for me by the Air Force 25 years ago. While I’ve done decently in my career, I’ve become stagnant as a “supervisor” for many years. I’m at a point in my life where I either need to step UP in my career, or step down and let my husband continue to thrive in his career. I pray, every single day about where I am in life, and where I meant to be because I truly feel there is more out there for me and my life. Sometimes I pray quietly, sometimes I cry out to God for help. Well, a few weeks ago after said crying out, I received a call from a head hunter the very next day in regards to a management position. I was not seeking a new job, because if I am going to be stagnant in my career, there’s no place I’d rather be than where I am now with people I truly hold dear to my heart. But I thought, hey…I DID pray about it, so I better see what this position is all about. Needless to say, it wasn’t the type of environment I was or am looking for, so I am sticking around here for a while longer. I can’t help but to wonder why this opportunity was presented to me, and after such a powerful prayer was sent up only to have it be a dead end? I was mad for a bit, feeling like I had some sort of sick joke played on me, but in the end I am just trying to count my blessings and be thankful that a head hunter reached out to me. Maybe this means more future opportunities will present themselves.
I sleep walk when I am stressed out. I think sometimes I am so tired that once I finally do sleep, I am just all over the place. I did it A LOT after my daughter’s accident, and it was so bad I’d wake up and be sleeping in her bed. My daughter texted me at work today, “Mom, are you ok? I only ask because you only do this when you are stressed out, and last night you walked in to my room, shuffled around, and then walked back out.” Immediately tears came to my eyes, 1. Because she texted to check on me, and 2. Because I wish I could control the sleep walking.
No one said these deployments are easy, that’s for sure!!!!
As far as fitness goes, I am still planking every day, and I make time at least a couple times each week to do my boot camp video. Other than that, walking the dog and trying to keep up with housework are the extent of my workouts.
Hope y’all are doing amazing, and as always, thanks for following along. I hope you enjoyed my adventures over these last few months. What adventures have you experienced lately?
Hey y’all. I’m still alive, I promise. But with a teenager with an active social life yet no license quite yet, and trying to juggle work, housework, and keeping my youngest daughter happy I’ve had little time to write. But I wanted to pop in and say hi, and say that I hope everyone is doing well. My running is pretty much nill but I’ve been daily planking and strength training a few times each week.
My biggest milestone this week, was that I let my oldest take the train to the city today with her group of friends for an afternoon at the beach. Those that know me well, know I’m a spaz when it comes to my kids. So this first step of letting my junior find her way in life was huge for me.
Other than that were plugging along. Each day is one day closer to my hubby returning home. Today was beautiful weather so I sidelined the housework for a couple hours on my deck. I also cooked an amazing pork loin for dinner.
I can admit while I’m not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow, I can say it’s one day closer.
Movin' it with Michelle 