If you read my last post, you read of my daughter’s life threatening accident. This past week has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, filled with ups, downs, and more emotional strain than I think I have ever experienced. But in these last few days, I’ve also learned many lessons that I believe will help me be a better Mom, Wife, friend, and person in general.
Firstly, the old cliché that “Life is short” became very real to me this week. I had flashes of losing my daughter more times than I can count, and moving forward I will truly do my best to embrace EACH DAY. I won’t nag my youngest about housework when she wants to put on a fashion show, or worry about whether or not I’ve perfectly folded the tee-shirts and socks. I will spend MORE time living, and less time worrying about meaningless crap.
Doesn’t my dog look thrilled? LOL
Secondly, I was reminded how very important being kind is this week. Be it a phone call, a text message, A fruit basket in the hospital, a card in the mail or flowers for my daughter ALL these acts of kindness helped ease my stress. And in receiving such amazing support, I’ve been given the gentle reminder that support goes both ways. I’ve often let a busy life be an excuse for not reaching out…well, no more.
This.
Thirdly, the saying “Laughter is the best medicine” really IS true. J needed help in bathing again today, and as I helped her get dressed she smiled. Just an hour prior she was irritable and grumpy (expected side effects of the injury and medications she is on), so her smile was welcomed. I offered her my gel deodorant to use, so she took it gently and applied it under her arms. “It feels funny,” she said, and then started laughing. It was a gentle, quiet laugh to which she said, “I don’t even know why I’m laughing.” I just smiled with tears in my eyes. What music to my ears it was to hear her laugh.
Found this on Pinterest
Lastly, do what you love, and love what you do. Having been in the hospital for half the week, and the other half just plain exhausted I haven’t cooked or been running. So tonight my hubby and I tag teamed dinner. He was on grill duty, and I made some yummy sweet potato and red pepper mash. I don’t have an exact recipe, but here goes:
Boil the potatoes in water until fork tender. Reserve about a cup of the water. While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the garlic, peppers and crushed red pepper flakes for 5-7 minutes until tender. (I sauté in extra virgin olive oil over medium to high heat-drain grease)
Combine everything to include the seasonings in to a food processor, and add the reserved water little by little to ensure the taters don’t get runny.
YUM!
Tomorrow I’ll hit the trails running with my dear friend for a nice 13 mile run. There will more than likely be tears, laughter, more tears, and much needed release of stress. But my miles will be dedicated to my daughter, as she is the toughest little fighter I’ve ever met, and I am so blessed to have her in my life.
Thanks everyone, for your continued love, prayers, and support. We are movin’ forward!!!
Gosh, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I wish I could say that life has just been busy and that my days have been filled with work, running and everything in between. But that would be a lie. I haven’t been running since last weekend. And I am in week 5 of marathon training! What? But just wait.
Monday morning I woke up like I do every Monday morning, and I went through my daily routine. Something felt off, but I shook it off and hit the road. My left contact was being snarky and I kept blinking and trying to get it to just chill out. Finally I just sighed, pulled over and took it out. It was blurred and irritating my eye and I wasn’t going to let it ruin my day. I drove on, listening to K-Love Christian music radio and found myself being compelled to pray for my family’s safety. I had no idea why, but when the pull comes from the big man upstairs, I follow His direction. Little did I know what would happen later that very same day…
The phone call came just 5 minutes after arriving home with S. We had our sandwich stuff spread out on the kitchen counter like a factory line knowing our time is short on Monday’s due to ballet practice being just an hour after we arrive home. My phone rang, and J’s name came across the screen. It was 5 minutes to 5 P.M. which is when she was due home. My heart jumped when a strangers voice came through the ear piece telling me that J was in an accident and that I needed to come quick. I grabbed S, and we flew out the door to the intersection where the accident took place.
We arrived at the scene just 5 minutes later, and as I sprinted hand in hand with S, I saw my baby laid out on a stretcher with a neck brace and I fell to my knees. The police men steadied me as I knelt next to her, trying my hardest to be calm yet finding myself shaking uncontrollably. She would be transported to the local hospital and as I started to run to my Jeep, Sgt. G. stopped me. “Ma’am, you are in no condition to drive. Let me take you and your youngest to the hospital.” I smiled through my tears, and thanked him profusely. This man was the first of many Angels I’d meet in the next couple of days.
As we flew down Randall Road, with the ambulance in sight just behind us I wrapped my arms around my youngest and prayed. “Please God, keep J safe, let her be ok, heal her please,” among many other rambled prayers kept repeating in my head. Please…I…I can’t lose this child who taught me to love life again. I can’t be without my first born…I can’t. As much as I complain about the struggles of being a Mom to a 15 year old girl, I would take it all back just for her to be OK. Please. PLEASE?!?
We arrived at the ER shortly, and as the officer handed me her back pack that had been cut off her so they could triage her I found myself without words. He went to shake my hand and wish me well, but I hugged him instead thanking him for all that he did for us. He seemed almost surprised, but promised me everything would be ok.
We had two more Angels greet us at the hospital. Nurse Melissa, and Nurse Leah. They tended to J’s every need, going out of their way to make sure she was comfortable for her entire stay, and during her CAT scan. And when the news was delivered to us that she had skull fractures and bleeding in her brain and that we’d need to be transferred to a higher level trauma center, they made sure that I was ok. I told my husband to take our youngest home to stay with friends, and he would meet us later at the new hospital. And these two Angels helped hold me up when I just wanted to curl up and cry. I will be forever grateful.
The next 48 hours were a bit of a blur. We got checked in to the new ER, had more CAT scans which showed no improvement so we were moved to the Pediatric ICU. We were met by more amazing nurses and medical staff that treated us as of we were the only patients in the hospital. I can’t say enough about the wonderful care we received. Tuesday we had a repeat scan that showed the swelling had gone down and the bleeding had stopped. We would continue to monitor for the morning, and were eventually moved to a regular room. In comes my next Angel.
It had been 2 days since I’d showered, slept, or felt even half human. I couldn’t cry anymore, and although my J was improving the fear that the tables could turn at any moment was (is) very real. My sister texted me several times asking what she could do, or if I needed anything. Then at around 10:30 she said forget it, she was on her way and not to argue. She walked in the door, hugged us all and sat with us for a couple hours. Seeing how tired I was she offered to drive me home so I could grab a quick nap and shower. Mind you, she drove an hour FURTHER away from her house to get me home, well, because she’s just that awesome. ❤
Tuesday night one of my co-workers came to visit for a bit, and it just reminded me of the amazing people I have in my life. Countless texts, prayers, phone calls and reminders that J was being lifted up by EVERYONE were pouring in faster than I could keep up with. She just HAD to be ok. The doctors and nurses came in several times to check on her, and by Wednesday morning it appeared our prayers had been answered. They hoped she would be ready to go home that afternoon. She just needed to be able to eat, walk around a bit, and use the restroom. And that she did…she even got a little snarky which was a GREAT sign!!
So here we are, home from one of the toughest few weeks of my life, and I am humbled and grateful. I haven’t gone more than a couple hours without crying both in tears of fear, and tears of gratitude for God’s graces. I’ve counted, and recounted my blessings, and I have thanked everyone involved this week as many times as possible.
Looking back at the start of my week, I am moved by the fact that my vision was physically blurred and that I felt compelled to pray. And as I helped my 15 year old bathe tonight (for the first time in MANY years) I was moved to tears as she said quietly, “Thank you, Mommy,” after I helped her dress. “Will you brush and dry my hair,” she asked? I asked if drying her hair would bother her to which she said she’d let me know. And it didn’t thankfully…So I gently brushed her hair, dried it on the lowest setting, and ran my fingers through her hair. I turned the dryer off while her hair was still damp to which she said, “A little longer, please?” I smiled through my tears, thanked God yet again for his healing and protection to my amazing little girl, for my amazing family and friends, and for the Angels that abounded through this tragic event.
Our road isn’t cleared yet, as we have follow up with Neurology, Ophthalmology, and Pediatrics to make sure she’s healing and progressing. But at this moment, my vision has never been more clear. My baby is going to be OK. God truly does work miracles!!!!
Overall week 4 of training went off without a hitch. Despite little sleep, I managed to get in my weekday runs, strength training, and even a shake out walk today. I also finished my week off with a couple hours of yard work, which included glimpses of spring!
Green little sproutlings made me SOOOO excited today!
But back it up a little…sorry, I am getting ahead of myself-LOL! Yesterday was my scheduled long run, and I had 11 miles on deck. I hadn’t run long outside since November, and my nerves were pretty high. My friend D offered to meet up with me at 8 a.m. as she was starting at 7 a.m. and I could sleep in a little while she started out since she needed 18 miles.
Despite saying we would both wear our FVM jackets, the rest of the outfit was NOT planned, LOL!!
It worked out PERFECTLY. The sun was out, the temps were nearly perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better morning. Despite being much faster than I am, D offered to slow it down so we could just run, chat, and leave it all on the trails for a couple hours. And that’s exactly what we did…we kept it a 10mm pace, which is my ‘sweet spot’ to run in where I am pushing myself yet can still glide along easily while holding a conversation.
My ITB is starting to feel the miles, so I did have to stop at stretch it out several times. A quick stretch though, was what seemed to do the trick and I tried to ensure we weren’t stopped for more than a minute each time. The run was amazing, but I am guessing this is greatly due to the company I was in. ❤
Since the hubby is working all weekend, I decided to take the girls to see the new Cinderella movie. I LOVED it. They did, too! I highly recommend seeing this film.
Always time for silliness!
Today was a busy day of Fox Valley Marathon planning and my fellow Co-Directors of Volunteers and I met up with the Race Directors for a an overview of the new online tools we will be using. Can’t wait!
I finished the day, as said previously, by working on my yard, raking, walking, pulling up dead stuff and yes…scooping a winter’s worth of dog poo. Gross is all I can say.
Tonight’s Sunday Supper was Red snapper that I pan fried, served with a broccoli slaw with pancetta along with a cauliflower and leek mash. Delish indeed!!!
Love our Sunday Suppers!
I’ve posted how I prepare Cauliflower mash previously here and just added a chopped leek to the mix. YUM!
Broccoli Slaw
One bag of pre-chopped broccoli slaw
2 teaspoons of Mayo with olive oil
A splash or two of rice wine vinegar
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of pancetta that has been browned with garlic and chopped mushrooms (drain on a paper towel)
Mix well and let chill for an hour before serving
Red Snapper
Dry your fillets with a paper towel and season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a non stick pan with cooking spray and just a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to medium/high heat. Cook skin side down first, add a pat of unsalted butter and flip about 4-5 minutes and brown the other side for just a minute or two until the fish is completely cooked. Finish with a light sprinkle of kosher salt.
As the weekend draws to a close, I am counting my blessings. I truly couldn’t and SHOULDN’T ever ask or want for more in my life, than what I have today.
Did you all get your long runs in? Were you able to get outside this weekend? What’s your favorite healthy meal?
Today I am linking up with Mar,Cynthia, and Courtney for my first Friday five link up! Please head over and check out their blogs!
I’m super excited!!!
Today’s topic is a day in the life…my life is pretty routine, so please bear with my monotony. The key to the excitement is that any deviation from my routine truly throws me off…ack! LOL
My alarm goes off promptly at 6:03 a.m. every week day for work. If my husband is in town, I allow myself 2 snoozes because I am only in charge of getting myself ready, and taking my oldest to school. After the second snooze, I roll out of bed and stumble to the bathroom. I put in my moisture eye drops (I have terribly dry eyes), turn on my curling iron and hot water (it takes several minutes to heat up) and then use the restroom. After which I get dressed quickly (my clothes are set out the night before-always), put on deodorant, brush my teeth and wash my face. I shower at night…Then it’s quick make up, throw my hair up and I’m ready to go. All in exactly 15 minutes flat.
Just can’t delete my MC audition alarm, lol
Next I grab my Starbucks refresher which has been my BFF since my insomnia resurfaced. I gave up most caffeine quite a while ago, but this has become a necessity to function. I like it because it’s cheaper than going to Starbucks, and has WAY less sugar/crap in it I’ve found. Here’s my favorite flavor!
Yes please and thanks!
My day then becomes rather boring. Monday through Friday, and every 5th weekend I am working. My job is foreign to most, but I supervise an Anatomic Pathology laboratory and although it’s not my life passion I have really grown to love the people and place I work.
My workouts depend on the day/my schedule. Normally Monday is rest/light weights, Tuesday/Thursday running, Friday light weights, and Saturday or Sunday are my long run days with the other day used for walking/rest. My youngest accompanied me on my 4 miler yesterday. It was sheer bliss seeing her smile from ear to ear and giggle for 1.2 miles.
Can someone BE any cuter? Talking about my youngest of course…lol
My evenings are normally filled with kids homework, chores, cooking, etc until about 8 p.m. where I shut down and allow myself time to blog, fb, do SOMETHING I enjoy. We deserve a little down time, right?!
LOL
So that’s my Friday fives!!! So excited to link up this week, and hope you enjoyed!!
What does your daily routine look like? Are you a planner? What do you do for enjoyment?
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know of my love hate relationship with the Treadmill. While yes, I am truly thankful I’ve had it for yet another winter in Chiberia, 99.9% of my runs on the ‘mill have been downright painful. But I won’t keep playing that broken record, because in all honesty I am tired of that tune as well.
Sorry y’all…lol
So tonight, as I walked out of work I had a well devised plan to pick up my youngest from after school care, my oldest from Badminton practice, and get home to change clothes QUICK and run outside. The temps were darn near perfect with the sun peaking through the fog and temps at a balmy 52 degrees. SCORE. And even though my hour commute home between the drive home from work and kid taxi’ing had a temperature drop – I was RUNNING OUTSIDE darn it.
A little sun would have made these conditions PERFECT!!!!
And so I did…I laced up my shoes, stepped out of the front door, and abruptly stopped. I hadn’t run OUTSIDE in nearly 4 months. Would I remember how to do this? I wasn’t sure…
The first mile was tough. My ankles hurt, my heels felt weird, darn it was my right shin acting up? I had to smack myself to shut up and I made my way around my neighborhood loop I have mapped out. The first mile was clocked in at a 9:06 mm. I stopped briefly to check my phone as I thought I heard it beep and wanted to make sure the kiddos were ok. As I turned I saw my hubby driving past me on his way home and he cheered me on. It was just what I needed!! The second and third mile were nearly effortless and I felt my legs get an extra spring in their step as I took off…It was just me, my music, my hood, and my miles…and suddenly I was reminded why I do this. Why I take so much time out of my life to train…because I LOVE the feeling you get when you are no longer running, and you begin to fly. My splits were 9:06, 9:11, 8:50 and 8:38 for the last tic. I feel like a new woman, honestly.
Sheer…bliss!
Today at work everyone kept asking me why I was smiling even more than I usually do…and I just smiled some more.
“I am running outside, tonight,” I said.
But I didn’t really run…I flew. And my soul is truly in a better place.
My take away is that although yes, my treadmill runs were tough this winter I truly believe they made me a stronger runner mentally. While I’ve always taken pride in my mental strength when it comes to distance running, that strength was tested over the last several months.
And I am happy to report…I passed!
How did you deal with less than optimal conditions when it comes to running? What is your favorite temperature to run in?
Here’s to week 4 of marathon training!!! Today is my rest day, but I walked a couple miles at work today. Our hallways our vast, and give plenty of room for some good leg stretching during breaks/while running errands. It all counts, right?
But I’ll admit. The first three weeks of marathon training I truly struggled to find my happy place ‘pace’ so to speak. Being forced to stay indoors has sucked the passion I have out of my feet and heart, and 95% of my runs have been forced because they were on my schedule. Other than my 10 miler with Janel, and a couple I better run or I’m going to pull my hair out because my teenage daughter is going to sass her way out the door runs, they’ve all pretty much sucked. I may or may not be going crazy…
pretty much…lol
Yet as I walked out of work this afternoon to the sun shining, the birds singing, the snow melting AND the temps at 52 degrees I swear I felt a tear well up in my eye. Although I couldn’t run today due to my youngest daughter having ballet, I knew tomorrow’s miles would be logged…wait for it…OUTSIDE. WINNING! Can you feel the giddiness (is that a word? well it is now!) in my voice? It’s been nearly 4 months since I’ve ran outside and I’m ready.I’m ready to get back on the streets of my hood, and the trails I love so much. I’m ready to run, and be able to run off a bad day or a fight, I’m ready to run towards greater goals and finish lines. I’m ready to run and have an outlet to let go of all the stuffs. Cuz Lord knows I have a lot of stuff. Running truly is my happy place besides the kitchen. It’s a place that no one can take away, control, or tarnish.
No matter how I look, I’m sure going to feel like THIS! Pic: veganstrong@blogspot.com
It’s mine…and I can’t wait to get back at it…It’s time. Running makes me a better me…
What is your greatest motivator when it comes to running/fitness? How are the temps where you live?
As most of you know, my mantra is ‘keep movin’ forward.’ I may not always succeed in this mantra, but I start each day anew with the same goal. To live each day to the fullest, and to live each day with positive energy.
But daylight savings time truly kicks my butt. There. I said it. I honestly can’t lose ANY MORE SLEEP. So this is a weekend I dread. Profusely. Profoundly. And all the other Pro words that I am probably misusing missing.
So what do you do when you dread something? You distract yourself, of course. I spent the weekend shopping, eating, spending time with my daughters, and today I got my hair done!!! WOOP WOOP! I also scored some new shoes for work, as well as a few shirts to welcome spring.
Where else can you get two awesome pairs of shoes for less than 50 bucks! Thanks, TJ Maxx!
My 8 year old got her ears pierced Friday….and is still smiling. I swear my face hurts from smiling because SHE is smiling so much. Yeah, life is good.
She’s still smiling. LOL
Other than a gazillion pushups and hours of shopping, I didn’t work out Saturday…but that’s ok, I can’t feel my arms. I made the mistake of posting this to my fb fan page. LOL!!!
My updated hair do! Feelin’ like a million bucks I must admit!!
Today was my sucktastic long run on the Dreadmill. I woke up late due to daylight savings (no surprise there), and all of the groups I knew that were running were probably sipping coffee as I poured myself out of bed at 8:30 am.
So this is all I had. And it was painful, let me tell you.
Miles are miles!
Last week I had 2 strength work outs, and 4 runs totaling 14 miles which ended the week 3 of marathon training strong.
I finished up the day with our traditional Sunday Supper. The hubby returned home tonight, tired, coming down with a cold and plain worn out. I hoped this would help recharge his batteries.
Baked Cod, twice baked spaghetti squash and Brussels sprouts with bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese. YUM!! I’ll post the recipe soon!
Bacon makes everything better!!!Sunday Supper!
How was your weekend? Did you get any miles logged? What’s your favorite “re-charge” food?
Here are some things/stuffs I am loving/living this week.
1. First, and foremost. My Brooks Launch 2’s. I love them. They are like clouds on my feet and I wish I could sleep in them…ok….maybe a bit much but still.
Brooks Launch 2’s
2. I chew gum when I run. Some question folks who can talk and chew gum at the same time. I MUST run and chew gum at the same time or my cadence is completely OFF. Brand? Extra, of course. Orange or Watermelon are my go-to flavors.
3. As I near my 1 year anniversary at work, I find myself almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am so in love with my job (minus weekends, holidays, and the occasional snarky person) that I keep shaking my head. Every day is better. Every day I feel like I am making a difference with the best crew I’ve ever supervised. Someone. Pinch. ME. now.
4. Single parenting is tough. We’ve discussed this before. But sometimes we surprise ourselves and realize we CAN do it alone. Going on the better part of the month, alone and – WINNING.
I may have served 20 years, but I still have years to serve as a spouse.
5. Dreadmill runs are extremely difficult for me. But as I ran tonight my virtual RBFF texted me continually telling me I COULD do this. Thanks, Maria.
pretty much…
So at the end of the day, I am living, running, moving, and loving EVERY single step of my life.
We’re in week 3 of marathon training, and so far, so good…I’ve been using a modified version of Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 training plan and am admittedly happy that this weekend is a cut back week for my long run. His plans have a progression of miles for 2 weeks, and then a slight cut back on the 3rd week. This gives my weary legs time to rest which is exactly what this middle aged runner needs. My knees have been a bit achy this week, and I’ve yet to determine if it’s the weather, or just the increasing mileage. Regardless, I am thankful my long run is only 6 miles this weekend. I haven’t decided if I’ll go back to the track, or try and knock it out on my treadmill. We shall see!!!
Hal Higdon
Time:
I often hear people tell me that they don’t have time for this or that…”I don’t have time to run like you,” is probably the best one I’ve heard. We all have busy lives between work, family, maintaining a home etc. But it’s a choice we EACH make to MAKE time, or make excuses. I choose to make time for things that are important to ME. Running happens to be one of those things. I have no need for snarky comments on how I make the time, either. Thank you very much. 🙂
Trust:
This one is near and dear to me, as I don’t trust very many people with my heart. Be it friends, family or coworkers, the people I chose to spend my time with are held very dear to my heart. But sadly sometimes that trust is broken. And it hurts. The snarky comments from people when you’ve repeatedly given of yourself, well, hurts. I suppose no matter how hard you try, it never is enough for some. So be it, right? It’s all about movin’ forward. THAT is something I’ve got no TIME for. Ha!
Questions! Do you use a training plan? Do you hear snarky comments about how you make time for things, and if so how do you deal with them? What are you thoughts on trust, and forgiving past hurts repeatedly?
So after finishing my temper tantrum from the weekend, I decided this morning to pick myself up and start over today. Despite struggles, single parenting, and normal teenage drama I needed a clean slate. So here….we….go….
truth.
This morning I woke up on time, and allowed myself an extra snooze. I smiled as I cuddled my dog, and I took my time getting ready since I only had ONE child to tend to this morning. And it felt great. This is a new day.
Work was great, and I had time to organize and file a lot of paperwork that had been collecting dust on my desk. YAY to organizing, right?!
My hubby offered to take our youngest to ballet even though it’s something I normally do, stating, “You need a break.” He’s right… I do.
Can I get an Amen? Pic: veryfunnypics.eu
So I cooked the family dinner after work, and jumped at the chance to run. My legs are still very tight from Saturday, so it felt GREAT to stretch ’em out on the ‘mill. WAIT…did I say that out loud? A dready run that wasn’t so dreadful. Winning.
quick dready run that wasn’t so dready…
After my run, I ate dinner, showered, and have been sitting quietly at my computer working on the recipe section of my blog for about an hour and a half. Have you checked it out yet? It’s just a start, but I’d love for you to try some of my favorite recipes! You can check it out here! Feedback, comments, and ideas are always welcomed!
It felt great despite laundry duty to give myself a couple hours to do something JUST for me. Running. Writing. And cataloging recipes. Does it get better than that?
How do you spend your down time? Do you allow yourself time to just do YOUR thing at least once a week? If not, I highly recommend it. I tell ya what…my uninterrupted shower tonight was off. the. chain. LOL
Thanks, y’all! I look forward to hearing from you!
Movin' it with Michelle 