I'm such a loser

• I have, like, one friend. 
• My husband doesn't want to do anything with me on New Year's Eve (except sit at home and watch football, which we already do all the time). 
• I haven't blogged in about two months.  
• I weighed in today at 113.5 in my bathroom, buck naked, pre-shower, which makes me a LOSER. in a good way.

Seriously, though, I have soooo much blogging to catch up on, for all the many people who don't read my blog. So, I will try to give everyone a really quick review of the last two months and then add in a couple of pics.

When I came back from NYC, I had to focus on school, school, school, and school. That would be Western Kentucky University, the school where I was a student, Perry Central Preschool, the school where I am the full-time teacher, Brescia University, the school where I was an adjunct professor one evening a week, and Tell City Jr.-Sr. High School, the school where I was completing 120 hours of Practicum experience. Sound exhausting? IT WAS! So that is why I haven't been all blog-happy in the last few months. At least not writing. I was still blog-stalking my favorites, like www.skinnyrunner.com.

I finished a 10K race on October 23; official time 1:14:37, last place in my age group. For me, as I have said before about 100 times, the victory is in getting out there. So last place is fine. really. I mean it. Some of you uber-competitive peeps out there cannot fathom being last, much in the same way that I cannot fathom other things, which for the sake of political correctness, I will refrain from sharing.

I will shout it from the mountaintops if I have to: all you runners out there who are not first, or even close to first, you should each be proud of yourself for being out there, off the couch, not eating a whole carton of ice cream. If I felt like re-naming my blog, it would be called "Slow is the new FAST" but that would take more effort than I can muster right now.

More catching up: On October 27 I came down with a sinus infection which lasted until after Thanksgiving. That is not my usual sarcastic exaggeration, either. That is for real. I went through two rounds of antibiotics, two steroid shots, one antibiotic shot, one trip to the emergency room, and an eventual mental meltdown in the doctor's office on the third trip. However, I am back using the Neti Pot twice a day, so I think I am infection-free, at least for a little while.

I finished requirements for my degree on December 10, 2010. Now I officially have a Master of Science in Library Media Education to add to my Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction. Whether or not I will ever actually become a school library media specialist remains to be seen, but I have done my part, knocked it out of the park (3.81 GPA), and will prayerfully put my future in the Lord's hands. Words cannot express how thankful I am to be done with school right now.

Today is my 13 year anniversary to my hubster.  Wow. Hanging in there through thick and thin.

I have realized that even though I am below my goal weight of 115 lbs., I don't like my body shape. I don't know what to do about it want to do what needs to be done to change it, which is hard cardio, push-ups, sit-ups, and weights. Guess I am going to have to work on getting motivated to do those fun things, too.

This semester I am going to concentrate on my preschooler's, who are so flipping adorable. Although the Christmas parties about wore me out, we survived, had fun, and are going to re-group before next week/month/year.

Tonight my youngest child is having his bff spend the night so he will be kindly asked to take some pics of our fam for our New Year's Cards (aka slacker Christmas cards). He will do great, despite being 10 years old. It should be fun and natural and hopefully will work. I have picked out a template from tinyprints.com, so the hard part is over. Given the year we have had, we think it fitting to look forward to the next year and let 2010 be history, forever.

Oh, and one more thing: I registered for the lottery to get into the NYC Marathon next November. The thing is, I also joined the NYRRC (New York Road Runners Club - or something like that) and if you are a member on January 1, 2011, then you are guaranteed to run in the 2012 ING Marathon. So whether a few months before or a few months after my 10th birthday, when I turn 40, I will become a MARATHONER.  I will just say it - I only plan to do it once. Only for NYC would I run 26.2. But I will! So stay tuned......

High Heel-a-thon Part I :-)

Okay, so the NYC trip is probably going to take more than one post. I'll try to start from the beginning, and spare everyone the boring parts.

I applied for the LIVE! with Regis and Kelly High Heel a thon back in July, when I was home with Whitaker, and I was just perusing the website and watching the video fashion blog like I do from time to time. Or every day. Whichever you prefer. And I had to write in 200 words or less why I wanted to run the High-Heel-a-thon, and I wrote something about how my son had just had brain surgery and it would be a great pick-me-up. I also added that I have been a huge (obsessive, borderline stalker) fan of Kelly for 20 years. Seriously. I didn't intentionally play the brain surgery card, but apparently, it worked, because a couple of days before school started in August, they called me. I mean, a girl named Courtney who is an intern for Regis and Kelly called me. She said they were interested in my story and I needed to send them a video that could be only two minutes. Wow! I was so pumped.

Problem: I don't know how to make a video! I spent about three nights pouring over the computer, trying to put together a slide show with voice-overs and music and all kinds of fancy stuff that I can not do. Finally, I decided to use my webcam and record myself talking into the computer. BORING. I also sent them a slide show with music that was two minutes long, which had pictures of the boys, the dog, our family, and Whitaker in the hospital, and his head afterwards.

During the first week of school I get a participation packet via email that said I had been accepted to run in the race. I was sooooo excited! I ran all around school, searching for someone that likes me to share the news with. Found a couple of people, who, despite liking me, still looked at me weird for being so excited to be getting to run in high heels. Still, I talked my friend Missy into going with me, invited my sister down from Vermont, and began obsessing over plane reservations and hotels near the race route in Central Park.

I searched for and found a pair of shoes that were awesome. Then I got them home and measured them and learned that they were too wide at the heel. Maximum 3 inch circumference and they were about 3 and 1/8 inches. Searched for and found another pair that were four inches tall - pretty spikey at the heel.

I began practicing. This is the part where it gets humorous. I would only practice in the middle of the night - like after 11 pm - and only on our road which is dark and country. How it makes sense that I was going to go on national television and run in high heels, yet I would only practice in the pitch black, I have no idea. Anyway, the practicing was tough! I could barely run 150 yards at a speed as fast as I could. I almost threw up after everytime. Not falling and not breaking an ankle was my ultimate goal......I knew I was never a fast enough runner to win, but I didn't want to end up bloody and scraped or an embarrassing last place. Plus, it was all about just getting to see Kelly Ripa in real life. and going to New York City. and seeing Kelly Ripa.

long time, no blog

I know, I know. Please don't be mad. both of you, who read this blog. I have been a little (or a lot) busy. Here are some of the reasons I haven't blogged in a while (since August 21):

• school started and holy crap, they suck the energy out of me!
• grad school started and I have been putting in mucho hours in the TCJSHS library (Tell City Junior-Senior High School)
• teaching my undergrad class started and I feel like I should be preparing/grading/studying for lectures
• mowing business is still in full swing, despite the recent drought, and I had to take care of all the bookkeeping
• the boys started playing all of their fall sports, for which there are practices, games, pictures, snacks, etc., etc.
• all of this adds up to one whopping pile of laundry, which I am very, very unmotivated to do

So, after this excuse-filled absence, I have now decided to chuck all my responsibilities and catch everyone up on everything in detail that I have been doing. Well, some detail.

Things that make you go Hmmmmm....

Remember Arsenio Hall? What ever happened to him? Well, when I was in high school, we would all stay up until 11:00 so we could watch the funny stuff he used to say in his monologue. Now here is my little version of things that make you go hmmmm, or more like, things about me that are just plain weird.

• born on the 29th of February - only have a birthday every four years
• had my boys one year and four days apart, and a total abdominal hysterectomy 14 months after.
• grew up in five different states.....went to 8 schools by the 9th grade.
• am a middle child, although my mother says I am not the middle child, but the oldest daughter (I am the second of three children)
• have never lived in any one house longer than 5 years
• love to eat but hate to cook
• will drink reheated coffee up to a week old as long as it has no mold
• have been told that I dance like Elaine from Seinfeld
• have an abnormally low temperature, so even when I have a fever, my temperature registers as normal
• had rhinoplasty at age 14, as a result of getting kicked in the face while spotting a girl doing a back handspring
• think the only things I do really well are play with preschoolers, get graduate degrees, and eat Blizzards
• have over 400 friends on facebook, yet I feel lonely most of the time
• love sports of all sorts - and I have about 15 favorite teams
• have high arches, TMJ, and scoliosis
• had Osgood-Schlatter's as a teen
• I love inside dogs, but do not like outside dogs at all
• think school uniforms should be mandatory for all schools 
• am allergic to ragweed, all other weeds, trees, grasses, cockroaches, dust mites, and mold, among other things
• believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason, and that God is in charge.

questions? just ask and I will answer.

We did it!

Finished the Schweizer Fest 2-mile race this morning! My time was just over 24 minutes, which is faster than how I have been averaging according to Nike+ by about a minute per mile. My goals for the race were to finish with a time between 25 and 30 minutes, and to keep running the whole time and not ever walk. I didn't stop at all and walk, although I did get slower a little for awhile. But I never walked. Both goals met. :-)

Taking Beth Moore's advice, I "planned my victory" by meeting my running buddy, Emily, at her house and riding with her. That way, I couldn't chicken out if I had trouble finding a parking spot like I did last month for a zumba class. (Still haven't tried zumba, but my BFF, Missy who is a personal trainer, has it, so we are going to do it sometime in my living room and let the kids play upstairs.)

When we first got there, I felt kind of insecure, but then I got over it as I saw more and more friends, and we got excited about the start. There were lots, I mean LOTS of people there. Even though there were two distances, I didn't feel inferior to those doing the longer distance like I always used to in my 20's. This time I was just proud of myself for getting prepared and getting out there. Except for a 2-mile race in Gainesville right before the Homecoming parade, all the other races I have done were 5K's, but they were in Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Atlanta. I never knew more than one or two people at any of those races, and usually those were the people with whom I had ridden. I liked this sooooo much better, because I felt at home with all the people from school (at least 10 of my co-workers ran) a ton of my former students, the cross-country teams from several schools both nearby and farther away, running and non-running friends, and just a bunch of people I know because our town is so small. We parked in our church parking lot, right where I am used to parking. The girls who took my registration were my sons' teachers. The people giving out water are one of my friends' parents. This familiarity was both completely different and completely wonderful for me, and I am so glad I chose this as the first race of my second generation of running.  I would not have (obviously, as evidenced from last year's efforts) the courage, motivation, gumption, self-confidence - whatever you want to call it - to do it in a strange place.

I loved having people that I know on the sidelines cheering us on! I usually run in the dark or in my basement because I don't want people to see me. Today was a huge risk because I was going to be hanging out there for all to see. I don't think I felt uncomfortable one time about people watching me. I can't remember even thinking about it. That is shocking to me. (I don't have a therapist, but if I did, I am sure s/he would say that is progress.)

I think it is important on this journey to learn what works for each individual. Every runner has different needs, different strengths. I have learned that I run better and farther with a friend. This week I had to run alone a lot and I was lonely and bored. I know it is an individual sport, but I enjoy the companionship of others - and I need it to keep progressing.

People who inspire me: two moms that live in our community who both suffer from MS. I read once about Kristin Armstrong, Lance Armstrong's ex-wife, who is a distance runner, and how she says to herself, "I GET to run today." Instead of plodding along and thinking, "I HAVE to run today," she celebrates her health and wellness and the physical ability to run. I know these two moms would love to run - even if it were just up the stairs to get their children, and into the house with the groceries, or outside to the mailbox. They can't, or at least they can't very easily. I take so many things for granted and I have wasted too much time and energy hating my body instead of celebrating the physical wellness and functionality with which God has blessed me. I think of both of these girls on EVERY run and I carry them in my heart as I (relatively) easily put one foot in front of the other. They inspire me to push my body to be stronger, faster, healthier. They are the biggest inspiration I have. I told one of them that today after the race. I had never told anyone that before today - I guess I just kept it as my own little secret until now. I'll keep them in my heart on every future run, too.

After that, my sentiments go south fast. Vanity kicks in and I tell myself, "I just want to be skinny, I don't care how fast I go, or how far, as long as I lose 20 pounds." So far, I have only lost 4 pounds, apparently all from my left boob. Seriously.....

The girl who won the two-mile race ran it twice as fast as I did. For real. 12 minutes? Are you flipping kidding me? Here's the kicker: she is just as sweet and pretty as she is fast (darn it!) and she ran in Gator NikeTempos just like mine. Her body is nothing short of KILLER. She is right up there with Kelly Ripa, and she's my new hero.

Two of my youngest son's classmates and friends ran the two-mile in 13 and 14 minutes. Is that normal for 9- and 10-year-olds? I'm thinking someone needs to send that into Sports Illustrated.

Where do we go from here? Emily and I are going to take on a 5K next month - can't remember where she said.....I don't care as long as it is a little cooler than today.

I have to give a big shout-out to our uber-encourager, Joyce, who sets an example for all of us with her kindness as much as with her fitness. Thanks, Joyce, from all of us newbies! It was hot and fun, and we did it. and I am soooo proud of us!

Dear Kate:

Kate Spade, that is. I have a request. Please hurry and make a really cute cover for my iPhone 4 with pink and green and polka dots or stripes. I love the ones for 3GS, but all they have for the new ones are black and I don't want to look like a manly-man.

Chipper, I can't believe you hurt yourself. I am so glad we went to see you a couple of weeks ago. Will you come back? I say right now it is 50/50. I can see two scenarios. One, he is tired, loaded and doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. He can get his knee fixed and do whatever he wants the rest of his life, in or out of baseball. The other, he wants to go out in style. He wants to be announced loud and clear one last time at every ballpark in the Majors. He always enjoyed the attention, and I think he thinks he deserves it. However, if the recovery and rehab are really painful and hard, and he tries to come back but sucks really bad, he would be embarrassed and want to quit during his farewell tour. Trust me, people, I know these things. What do you think?

Running: I have been running A LOT lately. Like, oh, I don't know, 15-20 miles per week. I know, it is a lot for me, but not for some people. Yesterday I got a new pair of kicks - tried on Mizuno Wave something, a butt ugly pair of Nikes with memory foam in the insole, another pair of Nikes and a pair of asics that were comfy, but decided on the asics Gel Platinum 3. They feel awesome. First race in about 15 years is this Saturday.

It's only a 2-mile but there is a 6-mile distance as well. It is at 8:00 am which is stupid because it is so stinking hot right now. Humans are not supposed to live in this, much less run in it. I also think it is weird that we have 2-mile and 6-mile instead of 5K and 10K like the rest of the world. I think it makes our town seem podunk. Oh, wait, we are a little podunk.

Thankfully, due to a lot of help and encouragement and consistent training, I feel prepared. One of my running buddies wants me to run a half with her. The other one says, "I am not runnin' no half marathon, I just want to be skinny!" Who do I listen to? Well, how about myself?

The boys had back-to-school night. Thrilled with their teachers. W was a little bummed about some of his BFF's not being in his class, but he was excited about some of the kids that are in there. I am always encouraging them to make new friends, and after everything we have been through this summer, we are hoping that everything will go smoothly this year. Oh, who am I kidding? I was mad because the doors were locked when we got there and we had to walk around outside and it was HOT, the tables in the fifth grade classroom are TOO SMALL, the newly-adopted math textbook is NOT challenging enough, and T's high ability class is not cluster-grouped very well. at all. by academic ability or behavior. Come. on. There are some uber-bright kiddos in that class and they need to be encouraged and pushed, not distracted and punished (by special area teachers who out of necessity often evaluate the entire class as a whole). T had five migraines this summer as a result of getting yelled at in baseball by the toughest coach ever: dad.  So now back to that other comment, it's not brain surgery; it's just elementary school. Let's not freak out.

Except that I have in the last week gotten a huge, exciting reason to freak out. But you have to wait to the next post to find out what it is!

Oh, and one more thing. Dear Tiger: Karma's a bitch. You need to hang out with Tim Tebow, but not at his barber's.

Head's up! Whitaker is back in the goalie box!

I need to update on Whitaker. Last Tuesday we met with Dr. Charles Stevenson, the wonderful pediatric neurosurgeon that operated on Whitaker in June. He evaluated Whitaker's balance, strength, vision, coordination, and all the other neuro-functions that could be affected by the Chiari repair surgery. Dr. Stevenson said that despite the large size of the craniectomy that he executed on Whitaker, he thought W looked GREAT and he cleared him for normal activities after just six weeks of recovery. He cautioned against no trampolines or anything else that could cause him to get jolted in the neck/head area, but said that he could play soccer this year and he could even head the soccer ball. I'm not crazy about that, but hey, I'll take good news in any way, shape or form.

Last week both boys played soccer in a four-day mini-camp. Whitaker did awesome, had no headaches, and has increased stamina beyond what he had before the surgery. We are so amazed, thankful, and excited that he is doing so well. It is remarkable, if not miraculous, that Whitaker has recovered so fully, so quickly. I know that everyone's prayers and concern contributed greatly to his successful surgery and recovery, and John and I will never be able to express how much the support from friends and family means to us.

I have to give a big shout out to the Perry County Youth Soccer League for allowing us to register Whitaker for soccer way past the deadline for the fall season. Since we had been told he could not do organized sports for three months, we did not fill out the forms and pay the registration fee. However, we got the good report from the neurosurgeon just before the teams were rostered, and they were nice enough to let him get on a team. That means the world to him since he didn't think he was going to get to do any sports until basketball.

Things Whitaker can't do ever:
Lacrosse/field hockey
football :-(
wrestling
some gymnastics moves (head-stands, hanging upside down)
combative martial arts (non-contact martial arts are okay)
boxing
rugby

Things Whitaker shouldn't do ever:
trampoline
skateboarding
motorcyclying
rough roller-coasters
bungee-jumping
sky-diving
cliff-diving
race-car driving
pillow fighting
tubing on the river (because of risk of head injury when falling off)
intense weight-lifting (due to risk of CSF leak when straining)
space travel

Things Whitaker can do (carefully, of course):
baseball/softball
tennis
raquetball
basketball
soccer
golf
running
swimming (pool and river)
diving
kickball
fishing
hunting
dodgeball (only if balls make contact from waist-down)
volleyball
bicycling (not stunt-bikes, just distance riding)
camping
hiking
bowling
billiards
corn-hole
ping pong
zip-lining
mountain-climbing (with protective head gear and safety ropes)
snorkeling
surfing

As you can see, there are PLENTY of activities to keep us all busy that are completely safe and fun, and will promote wellness and fitness.  We choose to concentrate on all the things he CAN do, rather than those he can't or shouldn't. Most of the things that he shouldn't do are either not likely (space travel, race-car driving), or not recommended for healthy people (cliff-diving, bungee-jumping). However, since Whitaker was a wrestler, a football player, and a motorocycle-rider, there are some things on the list that will constitute some life-style changes. The more common activities such as trampoline, pillow fighting, and tubing will be more of a daily challenge for him, and therefore us. Thankfully - God made Whitaker a little afraid of heights and crazy roller-coasters, so unlike his brother, Whitaker will be completely content to keep his feet firmly on the soccer field, or the basketball court.