Sad day

I found out this morning that my great uncle who was a soldier in The Wizard of Oz, died late last night. This has really affected me but I met him numerous times and he looked and acted exactly like my grandpa who died a few months before my parents got married. I feel as though I lost my grandpa again. I feel blessed to have known him and in a way know my grandpa too, since they were so much alike. But it makes me feel better to know he is no longer suffering and in Heaven partying with my grandparents!!

My great uncle Clarence as a soldier in the Wizard of Oz

Uncle Clarence and Aunt Myrna

On a side note, it has been a stressful and draining week. The kids that I nanny are still sick from last week which means lots of crying and whining. Thankfully they are both starting to feel better, otherwise, I might have lost my mind. My sister told me her mother in law, who has pancreatic cancer is not doing good. I have been really watching what I eat and trying to exercise a little but more since bathing suit season is right around the corner. Yesterday morning I felt like a blob and was at my lowest weight and today I felt skinnier and was a pound more!!! What in the world is up with that?? Oh well, I know the weight doesn't matter, its how you feel and your clothes fit but still! Better luck next week!

MIA

Sorry if I have been MIA lately. Life has been busy but I guess that is nothing new. School is moving along. I cannot wait for it to be over!!! Only 8 weeks left! I have spring break March 9-13 and I cannot wait to have a break from doing school work, it would be nice to have an internship and work break too but that is not possible. I will take what I can get. Some daysI feel as though it should be later than February 24 and other times I feel its only early February. Thank goodness, February went fast and I am hoping March and April go by even faster. I do not remember feeling like this during my last semester at Oswego. Maybe because when I wasn't in class or at work, I was partying! I am taking a day at a time and keep telling myself that I will not feel this tired and stressed forever. ONLY 73 DAYS until GRADUATION (I'm not counting or anything)!!!!!

2:27:39

That is how long it took me to finish the Dasani Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach. I called it my own personal St. Valentines' Day Massacre! Overall, it was a great race. The weather was almost perfect. It was cloudy and about 48-50 degrees. I would have preferred it be about 10 degrees cooler but you have to take what you get. There was a 70% chance of rain but it held off until after I was finished...thank god! The course was completely flat and was a 13 mile loop around Myrtle Beach and part of it was by the beach. It was better than Kiawah because Kiawah was not a loop, it was running 6.5 miles and then turning around and going back, very boring.

Before the race was a different story. I had a mini meltdown at the start line about 5 minutes before the gun went off. I panicked because I had not trained as well as I should have and I was NOT prepared to run 13.1 miles. My sister gave me a big hug and gave some words of encouragement. She told me to take my time and to walk if I had to. She also told me that it took courage to get out there and run when I have not run more than 3-5 miles since Thanksgiving because of my injury. And she was right, I could do it and I did. I did not walk and honestly that was not an option for me once I started because physically I knew it would be a challenge and I knew I had to get there mentally and I did. The first mile I kept telling myself I could do this and it was confirmed at mile 3 when Step by Step by NKOTB came on my ipod! There were drink stations every 2 miles so I broke the race down into 2 mile increments. Before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line! By then, I was glad to be done. I felt great until mile 9 and the next mile seemed to last forever. My legs were starting to ache and I soaked in sweat. Miles 10 and 11 were a bit better, my legs and feet were numb at this point. I hit the last drink station at mile 12 and then it hit me I only had ONE mile to go. I started to pick up my pace because I knew I would get to the finish line quicker and I just wanted to be done.

I am very proud of this accomplishment. I know I wasn't as prepared as I was for Kiawah, but I only added 5 minutes to my time fro Kiawah which is awesome considering how hard I trained for Kiawah and injury prevented me from training as hard for Myrtle Beach. I think my sister and I are going to make this an annual race for us. I can't wait until next year because I am going to beat my best time of 2:22:23 and get under a 10 minute mile pace. Watch out Myrtle Beach, I am going to kick your ass next year!

Today I am very sore. My legs were sore yesterday but I did stretch and get into the hot tub yesterday afternoon. My feet started to swell last night so I elevated them and they were better this morning. I could barely touch my toes this morning and after being in the car for 3 hours, I could barely get out. I worked out so I could loosen my muscles and stretch them out but my muscles are still very tight and sore. I am getting ready to take a cold water bath (helps with swelling and lactic acid buildup) and some Motrin and crawl into bed. Hopefully, I will be able to move better tomorrow:)

Wiped Out

It has been a long week and sadly, all my weeks are like this at least until May. It will get worse before it gets better. Between work, my internship and taking 2 classes, I barely have time for much else. I try and work out at least 4-5 times a week mainly to give me energy to get through my long days but also to keep my stress levels in check. On top of everything, I still need to sleep, eat, keep the household running, spend time with friends and family, study for my Comprehensive and Certified Health Education Specialist exams and find a job...WHEW, I get tired just thinking about it! BUT GRADUATION is only 13 weeks away!!!! That is not very long and the time will fly by (hopefully). April is going to be a crazy month and I will be MIA for the entire month trying to finish up everything and get ready to go back to work in the 'real' world.
I know this will all be worth it in the end (at least that is what I keep telling myself)!

As for this week, it is almost over and I cannot wait to go home and lounge on the couch:)

One Hug

This has been a rough week. This was my first full week of work and my internship on top of everything else. The kids I nanny for have been sick and cranky and fighting with each other non stop. I have been swamped with schoolwork and just plain busy. Tonight I went over to get my W2 and I saw Ry. I have not seen him in about 6 weeks but as soon as I walked in, he ran right into my arms and gave me a HUGE hug. That hug put the biggest smile on my face and made my whole week! He is growing up into such a big boy. He is 100% potty trained, has a big boy bed now and talking like crazy! He did not want me to leave when it was time for me to leave but I promised him I would see him very soon! I still miss him but he is thriving in school and this was the best thing for him. I was blessed to find them and very blessed to have had the opportunity to be with him through all his firsts. I will always treasure the time we spent together and he will always have a very special place in my heart:)

Rest in Peace

Even though I never met Kay Yow, she touched my life. She was a fighter and did not let breast cancer control her life. She was an inspiration to many, especially to the lives she has touched. Rest in Peace, you'll be missed but never forgotten.

30 Random Things about me

I am going to copy my roommate and good friend, Jill on this blog. She blogged about 30 random facts about herself and I thought what a great idea. Now let's see if I can come up with 30!!

1. I have 2 middle names, Jean Louise. Jean was my grandma's first name and Louise was a family name going back 4 generations. My mom and grandma were really close so she gave me both names. I used to hate it but as I have gotten older, I have come to cherish it.
2. I am a bit OCD but only about certain things.
3. My sister and I resemble each other but we are only half sisters. We share the same dad, and yet people think I look just like my mom.
4. I have to eat something sweet EVERYDAY.
5. I drink 10 glasses of water everyday.
6. I love milk.
7. I once got tomato soup all over the back of my white shirt and none on the front.
8. My first love is still a very important part of my life, he's my best friend. How lucky am I?
9. I am a klutz but have never broken any bones.
10. When I am nervous, I bite my lip.
11. White roses are my favorite.
12. I dvr reruns of Beverly Hills, 90210.
13. My favorite vegetable are Brussel sprouts.
14. I am addicted to real life crime stories.
15. I am super organized.
16. I can remember dates of something that happened 20 years ago.
17. I never forget anyones' birthday.
18. I am not a morning or a night person. I prefer afternoons, early afternoons.
19. I only like coffee if it doesn't taste like coffee.
20. I don't like chicken, weird I know but it grosses me out.
21. My favorite color is red. It signifies confidence to me.
22. I look horrible in yellow, it makes me look sickly.
23. I am an overachiever. I am always striving to be better and sometimes even perfection isn't good enough for me.
24. When I get overly embarrassed, I cry.
25. I feel guilty when something goes wrong even if its not my fault.
26. I am shy when I am in an uncomfortable or new situation.
27. I get along with both of my parents.
28. I have a tattoo on my left hip.
29. I got my belly button pierced during my last semester in college.
30. I wear a size 6 shoe in women's and in some cases, I can still wear a size 4 in kids.

That was much easier than I thought. I only struggled with the last 2! Thanks, Jill for the great idea:)