kick back and relax

Go ahead. Put your feet up. Grab a drink. Relax. All will be quiet here this weekend as I drag my tired self out of town for a fun-filled family weekend that will include a water park and amusement park. For 2 days. If I don't post by Tuesday, send out the troops. I may need to be carried away to a kid-free, husband-free zone for an undetermined amount of time.

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

day book journal - august 7th

I love the idea of posting a weekly Day Book Journal entry (first seen at The Daily Mel). The idea is to post an entry each week giving your readers a brief peek into the blogger's life. I don't know if I'll do it weekly or just this once but it seemed like a fun idea.

Outside my window... it's dark and I hear the crickets singing their good night songs.

I am thinking... that I am really looking forward to getting away for a long weekend with my husband at the end of next week.

I am thankful for... healthy, happy children.

Around the house... I need to hit room # 2 (my son's bedroom) in the grand painting and making the new home ours plan.

I am wearing... a t-shirt, jean shorts and flip-flops.

I am loving... restarting the C25K this week.

I am hoping... that the kids sleep well tonight, and I get to sleep in a little tomorrow.

I am stitching... Are you kidding? This chick doesn't stitch. I can't imagine the damage I'd do if I tried.

I am drooling over... a new laptop bag. I can see it in my mind but I haven't found exactly what I want yet. I love the cute, custom made ones but it's hard to find them to fit my 17" laptop AND have room for my files, too.

I am sorely tempted by... Etsy. I cannot look because then I want to buy. Every. Time.

I am reading... The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

On my iPod... all running music. My current fave is Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas. Yeah it's so last year but I so still love it.

On my mind... school starting in a few weeks.

On my To Do List... making a final decision regarding the Disney 1/2 Marathon in January.

From my picture journal... my daughter right before heading out to the water park last week. Gah, her cuteness is sometimes too much for me.

the whole story

Around early May I went out to do my 7 mile walk/run for Team in Training. I only made it a few miles and had to stop because of extreme pain in my hip. From that point forward every time I tried to exercise I couldn't. The pain was unbelievable.

I finally went to my doctor who diagnosed me with sacroiliac strain and/or SI joint sprain with a secondary diagnosis of sciatica. He ordered x-rays and sent me to physical therapy. I followed-up with him yesterday. My x-rays are good (great news) and the physical therapy hasn't helped my pain (not-so-great news). I am scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday evening. Depending on the results of that I will either be referred out to a specialist for for further treatment (cortisone injections or back surgery because he's guessing it's a bulging or herniated disc in my low back) or we start over.

I met my fundraising goal for the 1/2 marathon but I can't physically participate in it (it's this Sunday). My entire team is already in San Diego enjoying the beautiful weather and each other's company and I sit at home in Pennsylvania. The doctor and physical therapist both believed that travel would set back my recovery and I would be miserable trying to travel. I know they are right (because I am in pain 99.9% of the time) but my heart is there this weekend. I worked so hard on the training and the fundraising to not be able to be there at all and that's hugely disappointing to me.

The funds I raised are currently sitting in limbo right now. I have 6 months to recommit to a new event with Team in Training. Regardless of whether or not I participate in another event LLS WILL get the money - no worries there. The thing is I WANT to. I know so many people in my life don't get it. But this is what I was working for and I still want to do it. Depending on the severity of my back problems, I am looking at the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in October with Kirsten and her hubby OR the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in January 2011 with a few ladies from Shrinking Jeans. (I would be doing the 1/2 there as well - not the full marathon.)

Once I get my MRI and we are able to figure out what's wrong and what treatment course to take I will then be able to decide which event would work out best in terms of being able to get back on track with a training schedule.

Thank you to everyone that supported my journey for Team in Training and LLS. I am still accepting donations on behalf of LLS because unless I am physically not able to do it, I am going to recommit to another event with Team in Training in the near future.

quiet

Sometimes all I need is quiet. I don't get to experience that at home. Given the events of the last few weeks, compounded by some other things that I'm not wishing to detail publicly, I NEEDED quiet. So what did I do with my quiet time? I slept (a lot), read, watched a few movies and shopped. I didn't think about my problems. I made it a point to completely shut everything else (90% of the time) and it was fabulous.

What did I learn during my "quiet time"? (That kinda sounds like I gave myself a time out. Ha!)

• No matter how crazy I feel at home, I miss my kids when they're not with me.
• I have an amazing husband. From Thursday evening (when I left) to Sunday evening (when I got home) he played Mr. Mom and took a vacation day Friday for me.
• I love New York City. It is AMAZING. Prior to the weekend my favorite city was Denver. Yeah, I'm leaning more towards NYC now (no offense to my Colorado-lovin' friends cause Denver ROCKS!).
• Sleep is NOT over-rated.
• My children truly are my world.
• And finally, I love my job. It's the hardest job in the world to parent but truly the most rewarding. Money doesn't compare to the dinosaur hugs (as my son calls them) and kisses galore from children that adore you.