Mmmm... x-rays taste good

Oh man... I have a lot of catching up to do. I think I have about 20 days of thankfulness to add, and then a whole month's worth of happenings.

We had a wonderful time in Montana. Of course, our trips always fly by. It didn't help this time when I ended up in bed sick for a few days. I think Char was a little worn out by Jasper because all he's done is sleep since we got home Tuesday night. Well, except this evening. He decided to try to shred the x-rays our dentist sent with us from California. I think I caught him in time, but I can't tell whose they are, mine or M's.

Next time I go to the dentist I'm going to take the x-rays and claim them as mine. Hopefully, he/she can provide me with a little clarity. 

Jasper and Charlie playing in the snow

A lot of thankfulness to catch up on

Day 16 - My mom
I am so, so thankful for my mother. She is absolutely the best. It is so comforting to know that I can call her whenever I need, or even don't need, for anything or nothing at all. She's so giving and always does so much for everyone else. I'm so thankful that she has been so supportive of me throughout the years and that she's always been there for me. Love you mom!

Day 15 - My students
I have really fantastic students. It's a really tough time for them right now, and a few of them sleep through class. I don't take too much offense, though, because I know they're so completely exhausted from being bombarded with papers and exams in all their classes. I mean, it IS almost Thanksgiving AND the end of the semester. It's just crazy this time of year, and I think they're working hard to balance it all. For the most part, they're doing well, but there's a few that are sinking quick. I have had the pleasure of chatting with several of them. They're really fantastic people and students. I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to get to know them.

Day 14 - The weekend
There is something just so wonderful about the weekend. Although I thoroughly enjoy my job, it's nice to wake up on Saturday or Sunday mornings and know I don't have to get ready and head into work. I'm so thankful for a few days off to regroup and catch up on grading or lecture prep. I think the thing I love the most is the fact that I can wear my comfy clothes and throw my hair in a ponytail. Being a slug is right up my alley.

Day 13 - The squirrel is gone!
I think I mentioned previously that we had spent Saturday raking up the leaves in the backyard, which are already back again, and trying to close the hole in the house where the squirrels are entering. Yes, we have squirrels living between our two floors, and back in August or September, we found they were entering on the side of the house, where they had pushed up the roof. M decided to get all handy and close up the hole. So, he sawed, hammered, and drilled until he had that hole sealed up. He even painted it to match the rest of the trim. Well, come Sunday morning around 6 am, we were awaken by some weird noise. We kind of ignored it and went back to sleep. Around 7 am, we heard something again, and yep, you guess it, we had locked a damn squirrel in there. So, M went and borrowed the ladder again and tore down all his handiwork. He then proceeded to pull up a chair outside the hole. After about an hour, the squirrel finally left. Whew! M then closed the hole back up again, and hopefully, we won't have any more squirrel problems. I'm glad we were able to get the squirrel out of there because if he had died in there, it would have been STINKY. Also, when he (maybe it was a she) was trying to get out of there, he ate a hole the size of my fist through the piece of wood used to block the exit. (See the picture below.) It's a little scary to think what else may have been chewed on. Ugh... squirrels are bad news.

Days 10-11-12

Day 10 - Friends
Just as much as I am thankful for the new friends we've met since we've moved here, I am so thankful for all the other people we've met throughout our lives and that we can now call friends. I just wish that I could gather them all up and put them in one place. It's sometimes difficult that life has separated us by such distance, but I guess that's why I'm so thankful for them because no matter how long it's been since we've chatted or seen each other, we can pick up like it was just yesterday. I have some of the best friends in the world. Not only are they great friends, they are great people as well. My life is so enriched because they are a part of it.

Day 11 - Friday nights at home
After a long week, it's so nice to be able to come home and plop on the couch in some comfy clothes. I am so thankful that I am at a point in my life where I can do that. Although it's fun to go out with friends for dinner or drinks, I am so thankful for the nights where I come home to dinner and a glass of wine and the couch. Then, maybe after we turn on 20/20 or Dateline (which by the way was about my hometown tonight), I can fall asleep... and stay there until 3 am, if I so desire.

Day 12 - Nice neighbors
Last night after I fell asleep on the couch (see Day 11 thankfulness), I was abruptly woken up by M who was grabbing the pepper spray and heading downstairs. He said my car alarm had gone off, and he was headed to check things out. When we got downstairs (maybe we should have not ventured down there in case there was someone lurking outside), the car was fine and there wasn't anyone around. This morning, I went outside, in the daylight, to make sure there wasn't anything the matter with my car. I realized that my neighbors' dog, Zoe, was chasing squirrels in our yard. I've never seen her loose, and so I went next door and knocked on the door, but I saw their back gate open. Long story short, I ended up catching Zoe and putting her back in the yard, but it is so refreshing to know that I live on a block where we all know each other and we keep an eye out for each other. I know if Charlie would have been out, any one of my neighbors would have done the same thing. For the first time in my life, aside from growing up, we've lived somewhere where we know our neighbors. I'm really thankful to have such wonderful neighbors.

A month of thankfulness

I've had one heck of a week and it's only Wednesday, midday. Ugh... For the first time this semester, I started to feel super stressed about everything on Sunday, and I'm not really certain why. It might be because it's really crunch time (we only have two full weeks of the semester left), my lab still isn't ready, or I agreed (like an insane person) to give a talk this Friday at another University in town. WTF was I thinking?

So, because I have a really bad attitude, I decided, although it is the 9th of November, to start a month of thankfulness. Everyday I will write about something new I'm thankful for.

I'll start from the beginning.

Day 1 - Southern Living
Ha! I think I'm really a southerner living in a northerner's body. Maybe I was really supposed to be born in the South and not in MT. I am IN LOVE with the magazine Southern Living. I am also IN LOVE with the fact that I have a little more time to spend doing some of the projects described in the magazine. So, here's to living in the south, Southern Living and free time!

Day 2 - coming soon
Day 3 -coming soon

Day 4 - New Friends 
Since we have moved here, we have met so many wonderful people. I'm not certain if there are more wonderful people here, or if I've just had a chance of coming in contact with more of them. Probably more likely the latter. I'm just so thankful to have met them and to be able to call them friends. Overall, it has made this transition so much easier. 

Day 5 - Sunshine
Even though it's November, it was beautiful last weekend. I was feeling a little bit crabby (said bad attitude that I described about started last weekend. boo!) and so I spent the morning sulking around the house, when it was absolutely beautiful outside. M and I had this crazy raised bed in our backyard that we had started removing a few weeks ago, and so we decided to tackle the rest of it. I put on a parka to head outside, and M laughed at me. When I got out there, I realized I didn't need my parka because it was a beautiful, sunny day. We were able to remove the rest of the cement planter (pics coming soon), and the backyard looks good. I love how a little bit of sunshine can make everything better.

Day 6 -  Colors
Today we met up with some new friends and went on a ride over in Arkansas. I know... you're probably thinking, Arkansas? But it's just across the river, and because it's more rural, we don't have to worry about being hit by a car. We only did about 20 miles, but it was so beautiful with all the fall colors. There's some really vibrant reds and some lovely yellows. For those of you that know me, you're probably thinking, red? She hates red, but these fall reds are so lovely, and they're simply my favorite. I'm so thankful things are gray and that everyday we have the opportunity to enjoy a little color.

Day 7 - coming soon
Day 8 - coming soon

Day 9 - Charlie
I'm so very thankful for my little Charlie. It's his birthday today, so I think it's appropriate he gets his own day and that it's today. I think tonight I'll stop on the way home and try to find him some version of a doggie cupcake. This morning when we told him it was his  birthday, his ears perked up, and he started bouncing around. Likely, he has no idea why the heck we're so excited, but it's fun to pretend to celebrate him today. On some days, when he puts his ball under the couch 3 or 4 times in a row for example, he can be a lot of work, but for the most part, he brings so much joy to our lives and he's such a good little buddy. He's always eager to please us or play ball, and he waits at the front door until I come home at night. I love me some Charlie.

Oh, they did study!

Last week was a crazy, hot mess. I allowed my students to take their exam on Thursday and have as much time as they wanted or they could take it on Friday and only have an hour. I had quite a few students come on Thursday and some of them stayed for two hours. I think overall they really appreciated having more time. When I started grading the exams on Friday morning, the scores were less than stellar. I was super disappointed.

I decided that I would put them away and finish grading later (like today). Yesterday, I went to campus for our open house. I gave a short presentation and tried to sell all the prospective students on why this is the best college for them. I really think it's a great place, so by no means was I lying or fibbing. Afterward, I grabbed a coffee and while I was waiting for my latte to be made, I looked over and on the white board were some of my practice problems. I walked over to check it out, and I realized it was completely correct. I was so proud of them, and it was at that point that I realized that it's just really hard material that was on the exam, and maybe I wrote a really hard exam. Okay, not maybe, I did.

Today when I finished the grading, there were some good scores and some bad scores. I know several of them will be disappointed, but there are some that should be really proud of themselves. I'm sure they won't see it now, but it's good for them. I know I was always annoyed when people would say that to me, but sadly, it's true.

And when everything is said and done, it's just one score. I think more than anything, I'm here to teach them a little about life. And unfortunately, life doesn't always give you As.

Facelift

Last weekend, our dislike of the security door on our house finally got the better of us. We have been toying with getting a new door since we moved in. There were a few things on our list of immediate improvements, and the door was one of them. The first thing on our list was the damn lava rock in the front yard. We're not quite certain who thought it was a good idea to use lava rock when landscaping, but we made sure to take care of that as soon as possible.

Here's the before picture. Please note the ugly lava rock and the security door that your eye is immediately drawn to because of its color.

As I mentioned in previous posts, we were so fortunate to have all our family come visit once we got moved in. So not lucky for them, we put them all to work. When my mom and my sister were here, we shoveled up the lava rock in the front yard. Then, when M's dad came, they laid the sod in the front yard and put in the flag stones to get to the side entrance of the house. We not only sodded where the lava rock was, we put it about halfway to the road. It ended up looking SO MUCH better. However, now that fall is here, I think we're going to have to sod the rest of the yard. You can really tell where we sodded and where the original weeds lawn is at.

It's a little far away, but doesn't it look good?

 When we were working in the front yard, we found out that our huge tree (seen in the first picture too the left, an oak tree) needed to be trimmed. There were some of the branches that were hitting the shingles, and if that goes on too long, it shortens the life of the roof. So we had some people come in and trim the tree in the front yard and grind down the stumps in the back yard. I can't believe how much of a difference it makes. Probably we'll have to be much better about watering next year, but it should allow in more light and hopefully, the grass will grow better.

The last thing on our list was that damn door. At least it's functional; it's certainly not pretty. Unfortunately, our door is a little bit wider than most doors, so we can't just get a standard security door and install it. We had gone back and forth about getting a custom door made, but they're about $400-500, which isn't too bad, but it doesn't make a lot of sense when there's plenty of other things we'd like to do and the door still serves it's purpose. So we decided to go ahead, and just paint it. If it turned out awful, well, we weren't any worse off, and if not, then we saved some money and had a better looking house.

Before

We went ahead and just primed the door and then used the brown acrylic latex from the house (we found it in the basement) on the door. We had to do two coats and then touch up in a few places. Here's the finished product.

After

It looks so good, huh? I should mention that when we put the glass back in there, you could see the white border on two sides only. Instead of painting the border on the glass and risk painting the glass, we put white electrical tape on it. Never would have guessed? I think it's perfect too; it gives it a little bit of dimension against the dark door.

Up next, the inside door...

Fall Break

Fall is here. Last weekend was beautiful. I spent Sunday afternoon walking along the river. It was lovely, even a little warm. However, yesterday, the rain blew in, and it's been cold. We turned the heat on last night for the first time, and this morning when I was walking Charlie, I was rushing, not only because I needed to get to work, but because I was FREEZING. I've tried a few pumpkin spice lattes, but I just haven't been in love. There's something so charming about them this time of year.

We had Fall Break on Monday and Tuesday, which as a student I absolutely loved, but as a professor, I'm wondering if there's any benefit to it. I'm sure the students love having a long weekend to go home, but they COMPLETELY check out, which doesn't benefit anyone in the long run. They get hammered the week before with midterms and then get hammered this week in classes that were sparing them last week from midterms. All the while, they haven't done any work during the past four days. I should say that of course there are a few exceptions, but the majority of my students are just not doing their homework.

I've tried to get in the Fall spirit. I've made a few trips to Michael's (fun!) and bought some fall garland. I've decided I'll wait until after the holidays and stockpile the decorations. However, I've found some fun projects I can do in the meantime. We also visited the pumpkin patch, although it was in a parking lot, but still fun. I think we're planning on carving the pumpkins soon.

Charlie loved the little pumpkin. He was so frustrated he couldn't keep it as his own (to chew on, of course.) I chased him around the house and had to put him in the bathtub to get the pumpkin back.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we got to finally spend an evening out on the patio using the fire pit. It was so romantical. I hope there's a few more weekends this fall that we can enjoy the backyard. Unfortunately, our friends fondly refer to it as "chiggertown" because of the lovely bugs that call it home. We've sprayed a few times now, and I hope they're gone, but I'm not certain. I think we might also have some poison ivy or poison oak on our hands. ugh...

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, Halloween, a few football games and maybe a 5K or two. Oh and of course, Thanksgiving!!! I'm going to try to find some great gluten-free recipes, so I don't have to miss out. 

Bummer is an understatement

A few months back I wrote about how I was feeling yucky, not sleeping, feeling bloated, etc., and I mentioned trying to cut lactose out of my diet, which by the way, didn't help much. So instead of feeling like crap all the time I went in search of answers, and eventually found some. I've not discussed what I actually found out was the issue and what I'm doing about it. So, here goes...

After a physician suggested that I try cutting out lactose and take some pills/OTC medicine to feel better, I started doing some research online. I know, I know. For all you MD's out there, this is your worst nightmare, but I felt so frustrated. When I complained to M about feeling yucky, he told me I was just getting old and that if I did plank for just half an hour a day, I'd get rid of the belly I had. So, as you can imagine, I needed some sort of affirmation that I what I was feeling was not just a result of not doing enough plank.  So once online I ran across a couple of different things that led me to figuring out what was the matter. First, a friend on Facebook posted something about how she had given up coffee because some test had told her that she had an allergy to it. Second, I found a group of people (a MD, some chiropractors, some nutritionists) with a practice that were looking at the cause of peoples' problems instead of just saying take some pills and you'll feel better. So I headed to this practice to see if I could get one of those tests.

Of course, it's never that simple. That would be too easy. I went to this practice that was not covered by my insurance. During the consultation they said they thought they could help me, so I felt encouraged. By that time, I had done some more research and thought maybe I had a parasite. I had been training in some gross lake/pond thing in the East Bay, and it seemed to make sense. Upon leaving my first appointment, I was put on a special diet (basically everything that could cause a problem was cut out including alcohol, sugar, dairy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, meat) and was given a cortisol test to send in. I also had an appointment to come back for a parasite test and a blood test to check for gluten-intolerance.

Over the next four weeks, I did my best to follow the diet (although I should point out my best wasn't very good because I went to Vegas, a bachelorette party/shower, and MT), and aside from being frustrated by my lack of options, I did feel better. I was sleeping better. For the first time in as long as I can remember, M said my skin was soft. Now the question was why. When the results came back from the blood test and saliva test (I didn't do the parasite test because it was EXPENSIVE. I figured if the other tests didn't give me any answers then I would consider doing that one.), I found out my system was completely stressed out and wasn't able to handle small stresses in my life (the cortisol was out of whack) and I have the antibodies to wheat. Awesome. Seriously awesome.

To make a long story short, I've now cut all wheat/gluten/whatever it is out of my diet, and I feel almost back to the way I felt before I noticed this was a problem. I say that because I'm not certain when it became a problem. When I think back at all the races we've done and the carbo loading I did beforehand, I feel awful for the way I treated my body. No wonder I didn't sleep before the races and I was always so bloated and feeling like crap on race day. I know for sure I felt yucky before Vineman in 2010, so maybe it started around that time. But I also know how much stress job-hunting caused me last Fall, so maybe that was it. Then, I was so sick in February... who knows? I am still a little in denial about the whole thing, but I do know I can never have gluten again, as it could lead to other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, arthritis, and fibromyalgia; all things I don't want to deal with.

A couple of times I've thought about cheating. Okay, I did cheat. I had a salad once with tuna on it. I woke up in the middle of the night, bloated, with the worst pain in my stomach. Culprit: soy sauce in the salad. Last weekend, I realized white vinegar is bad news. This means no pickles, capers, ketchup, or other yummy things and is likely why I looked 3 months pregnant after eating a burger (with lettuce instead of a bun, of course) and fries a few weekends ago.

I think my little sister (though she's not so little anymore) has it too. Saying that it's a bummer is certainly an understatement. However, I do feel like I deserve it. For the most part, I feel I lead a very fortunate and blessed life, and while I am grateful, I know there's times that I have pushed my body and demanded from it much more than it can give. I'm pretty sure this is my body's way of telling me to slow down. Hopefully, I'll take the hint.

The Worst Part About My Real Job

I realize I have yet to update you on M's big 3-0, but I decided that since this was fresh on my mind, I needed to share it.

This weekend marks the month anniversary of being at my "first real job." I say that because pretty much all my positions before have been school, and while I had responsibilities, I feel even as though I have even more responsibility now; in fact, 60 students worth. For the most part, I am thoroughly enjoying this new chapter in my life. I've been able to have dinner with M, take Charlie on walks, and if I could get my butt in gear, go on evening runs. However, I have to say that there are certain drawbacks that come with the territory. My second least favorite part is that I now have to get up early. I'm such a night person that the 7 am wake up time has taken some getting used to. It's certainly still a work in progress. But, I should also say that it is somewhat nice to get up and still be able to enjoy the morning. I think it's been a little bit easier now that my sleeping patterns have changed for the better since I have stopped eating gluten, but that's a completely different topic that I'll save for another post. But getting up early... it's just not my thing.

I think the worst part of this "real job" is having to dress nice. I used to think oh, it would be so fun to wear power suits and skirts to work and feel all fancy. I think I've had a rude awakening. This morning when I was getting ready, I had to choose my clothes based on the shoes I was going to wear. And it's not because I have this great new pair of shoes I wanted to wear. It was because my feet are so beat up - I think I have 4 blisters - that I can't handle wearing nice flats or  heels today. I don't have tennis shoes on, but it's about as close to that as you can get. Pathetic. So, even though I would have killed to wear cute, non-closed toe shoes to work a few months ago, I'm wishing/dreaming for the comfort of those shoes today.

I think it's one of those chicken and egg situations. What came first, my jeans, t-shirt, and tennis shoes kind of style or the fact that my previous positions required more of a relaxed attitude when it comes to clothes? I don't know if I'll ever know, but I'm pretty sure it's going to take a few more months for my poor feet to get used to being smashed into cute shoes everyday.

Last of the house pictures

I think it's about time I put up the last of the house pictures, so here they are. Enjoy!

Bathroom at the top of the stairs. This picture was taken when we visited. We haven't done anything with this room.

Our room - isn't the headboard awesome? My mother-in-law and her sister found it in a garbage pile. A little paint and the old fence is now a headboard.

"Hallway" - The view from our bedroom looking toward the TV room. This picture was also taken on our visit, and they were using the room as a bedroom. (Notice the red curtains. I'm glad they took those with them.)

The bonus room upstairs - the wet bar is to the right

M's "man cave"

He thinks we need a bigger TV... ugh

Backyard - patios that Dad and M built

I still need to take a picture of the new sod in the front of the house, but I think I'll wait until after we mow it for the first time.

It's been such a good first house. At first, it was overwhelmingly HUGE, but I think we're all starting to feel comfortable and at home. 

Horses, dogs and school, oh my!

Well, school has officially begun, and I'd like to think I'm settling in to the swing of things. My students are awesome, and I really enjoying teaching my classes. I'm working on MO theory right now, and sometimes I wonder if they leave more confused than when they first came to class. They're patient with me, which I'm so appreciative of. I just hope they're learning something along the way.

My colt, still nameless, but I'm thinking Bakhan, is doing wonderfully. When I went home to MT at the end of July, we decided to proceed with the surgery. Overall, the procedure went well. He had one shattered bone and two additional bones that were fractured. He was in his first cast for two weeks and then was put into a new cast for two more weeks. He is now out of his cast and is baring weight on his leg and bending his knee. Yay! It's remarkable how animals deal with pain. I was a little worried when I first went to visit him before the surgery. He would spook for no reason. After the surgery, he was like a different horse. He loves to be rubbed on his neck and on his rump. He's a little sweetheart. It's sad to think he was in so much pain, but I'm sooo happy he's doing so much better now. Of course we won't know for sure until he's older, but the vet said he's "cautiously optimistic!!!" that he'll be good for light riding when he gets older. I'm just glad he's not in so much pain.

Charlie is settling into the new house well, except last week we had a major problem with the stairs. It was my first day of school. I had my books at home, upstairs, to get ready for my first lecture. After I had finished getting ready and was ready to leave, I gathered up my books and headed toward to the stairs. Of course, my hands were full, and so I couldn't pick Charlie up. He panicked, I was going to leave him!!!!!, and he started to head down the stairs with way too much momentum. Two stairs later he was rolling/bouncing down the stairs. He landed on the grate at the bottom, hit the wall, and then was piled up whimpering. All the while I watched from the top. :( Sad. When I got to him, he was still concerned about me leaving him, and so he was up, bouncing around like he was saying, I'm okay mom. I'm still ready to go. Blood was coming from somewhere, and I couldn't tell if it was from the back of his head or his ear or.... I also couldn't tell if there was anything broken, and I didn't want to leave him alone. After my neighbor didn't answer her phone, I frantically called my supervisor and asked for a vet recommendation. So off to the vet we went, a new vet, about 20 minutes from the house and an hour before class. I made it back to campus about 10 minutes before class, and most importantly Charlie was okay. The blood was from his ear and nothing was broken. Sooo thankful. Clearly, there are several important lessons here. First, we should have decided on a vet when we first got into town, so that in an emergency, we wouldn't have to scramble. Secondly, we really need to work on this co-dependence/separation anxiety. It's not okay, but I'm not certain how to deal with it. Nonetheless, it needs to happen.

The dreaded stairs :(

The fair starts this weekend. Guess who's going? Oh yes, M and I, whether he likes it or not. And his birthday is coming up soon.... his 30th. That means it's gotta be BIG!

Rest of the house

I have been meaning to put up more pictures of the rest of the house. So here they are. Enjoy!

Dining Room - Almost there

We finally get to display the china we received for our wedding. China cabinet $150

Finished!

Kitchen

Guest (back) bedroom

Downstairs bathroom

Office/TV room

Now what?

Well, we're moved into our house, back from our vacation to Montana and all our company is gone... so now what? Do I need to start working again? Probably. I felt a little guilty the whole time I was in Montana, even though I wasn't officially employed and the trip was a complete whirlwind. However, now that the dust has settled a little and maybe we'll be able to return to somewhat of a routine, deep down there's still a little something that feels unsettled.

Anyhow, here's a few pics of what we've done so far with the house. I'll start with the formal living room.  Let's revisit what it looked like before (when we came in February to go house hunting).

I really think it was such a shame to hide the beautiful built-ins with the TV. Here's what we did first. Originally, I had wanted to paint the room, but I quickly changed my mind after seeing close-up how ornate the crown molding and trim are and how much of it there is. We found the couch at an antique/consignment shop. It had been recently re-upholstered and then hadn't matched the decor. I think it was a steal. The trunk has our tri gear in it, but it works great as a coffee table.

  After a few more trips to stores and a flea market, here's what it currently looks like.

Can you pick out the small difference between the two pictures?

Isn't it incredible what the frame does to that picture? M's aunt found it for $10 at an antique store! Here's the view in the other direction, to your right as you walk in the front door. 

Before

After

The white coat hangers you can see in the before picture have been taken down (by me with some of the paint too), and we're working on making a new one out of old door knobs. We found the orange chair and the dry sink at the flea market for $30 each!

We're pretty much done with this room aside from making the new coat hangers and painting the walls where I pulled the old coat hangers down (oops!). 

We feel so blessed that we've been able to have all our family come visit and help us move in. We certainly couldn't have done it without them! 

Devastation

I just found out today that my six week old colt has a fractured knee, and it's bad. I can't believe it. I have no words. Of course, it wouldn't make it any better if there was someone or something to blame, but it might be easier. Unfortunately, it was a freak accident. My mom and sister came down to Memphis for a visit. Before they left, they took him and Moon down to the neighbors, so she could keep an eye on them. On Monday, we got a call that he was limping. An x-ray today showed a completely shattered knee. The vet said she thinks another mare or foal kicked him. Unbelievable. We worked so hard for this little guy and now.....

He doesn't even have a name yet.

Where to begin?

What happens when you are so far behind and have so much to say that you don't know where to begin?

Here's a summary:

Vegas, bachelorette party, bridal shower, beach house, camping, Montana, NDH's graduation, baby boy born (horse), baby girl born (little cousin), Jax's baptism, Iowa, packing, MEMPHIS!

More to come, but here is a preview.

 

I heart Saturday!

Last weekend we took Charlie to Stanford to let him run around. He loves it so much. He'll lay there and eat the grass. Then, every once in a while he'll run a give either me or Mr. P a kiss. I think it's his way of saying thanks. 

 

We are so lucky and blessed to have such a sweet little dog. He's the best. 

Grizzly Peak Century - 1 Me - 0

We made it!!!!
 
Mr. P did so wonderful and rode all 109 miles along with our friend G. On the other hand, my lame ass did only did the 118 km route or 73 miles.

I felt pretty good through the first two rest stops, but immediately after the second rest stop was this wicked climb, McEwen. I think this was the beginning of the end. I had to stop 5 times up this mountain. However, the other riders were so kind and were offering me encouragement along the way. Then, we had to tackle the Three Bears, not as steep as McEwen, but definitely a climb. By the time I reached the third rest stop (61 miles), I had lost most of my steam. I strongly considered taking the metric route, but after I overheard some really legit looking cyclists saying they were going to do the shorter route, it was a done deal for me. Ha!

Of course, taking the shorter route didn't mean taking the easy way out. There was a huge climb right before we finished, which I had to walk up because there was just nothing left. The food at the finish was wonderful and it was a beautiful day. Mr. P and G showed up a few hours after me. They looked great and totally killed it. Not only did they finish a 109 miles, but they climbed over 8500 ft! So proud of them!!!

So when everything is said and done, the next time I attempt a century, I think it will have a little less climbing.

Hats off to you, GPC; you're one hilly bitch.

Lactose

It's everywhere!!!

I went to the doctor yesterday. I decided after I was super sick in February and had to get an IV that I needed to start taking better care of myself. So I went in for a physical. I think it was my first ever. Although a little bit of me was hoping that the doctor would find something the matter (so I couldn't do the ride Sunday), I got a clean bill of health. However, I mentioned that sometimes I feel a little yucky and bloated, and she said maybe I am lactose intolerant and suggested that I try to give up dairy for a week to see how I feel.

At first, I thought maybe I have finally figured it out, and so I bought a soy latte yesterday. I've always been a bit suspicious of my lattes, but I've always thought it was the coffee. I thought I can do this. But today I picked the M&Ms out of my trail mix (and THREW THEM AWAY) because they have lactose in them. Sad day :( Now I don't know if I'm ready to give up grilled cheeses, lasagna, pizza, ice cream, milk chocolate, etc. Either way this next week will be tough!!!

Why do I do this to myself?

A few months ago I signed up to do a century, a 100 mile bike ride. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. I hadn't been on my bike for a few months, so I thought it would be a good way to get back in the saddle. However, it's been a rainy spring, and though my intentions were good, I haven't really done much training (or quite frankly, any)... until yesterday. Somehow, my friend and my husband talked me into a 60 miler, a very hilly 60 miler. Though the scenery was absolutely beautiful and you couldn't ask for better weather, the ride was a little less lovely. First of all, we had to get up at 6:45 am to get on the road. I love, love, love to sleep, so waking up before 8 or 9 am is not my strong suit. We ran out of water after about 20 miles, my neck hurt so bad, and when I was about 3/4 the way up the last climb, I crashed. Par for the course. So although I made it, I'm left wondering why do I do this to myself?

The century is in two weeks. Is whatever possessed me to ride yesterday also going to motivate me to head out on the 113 miles then?