Cranky, tired and sore...

I'm cranky, tired and sore. Yep, that has been going through my head all day. I even got out of my car at a patient's house today and made my way up the stairs 'granny' style with full sound. I felt like I was 90 years old. The soreness was from a ridiculous amount of lunges at bootcamp on Monday night. The crazy part was that when it came time to get ready for tonight's bootcamp, I was dressed and in the car without even thinking about it. That was the second time this week that I realized that I've made a major life change. I mean, before I wouldn't have gone to bootcamp to begin with, but to go when there was some tenderness and soreness? I knew that it would be fine once I got moving. The other instance was yesterday when I left work early to get a three mile run in before going to dinner with friends (it was such a great dinner! The National had a Hanukkah feast!). It feels good to have made a change and to be sticking with it.

Another aspect where I can see a huge change is my eating habits. Almost everything in our fridge is organic, we rarely eat meat or fish and dairy products are scarce. I've been getting some flack from some folks i.e. "you eat too healthy!" and well, I take that as a compliment. I think that we need to think about the things that we put into our bodies.

I've been thinking a lot lately about "why the change?" and "why now?" and two answers came to me. The first was the dreaded day when I went to put on my favorite pants and the button wouldn't do up and I told myself "ah...it's just my child bearing hips". Seriously, that's what I told myself. The second was realizing that we are not invincible. The biggest blow to me was when my dad was diagnosed with cancer for the first time. It hit me that even the strongest man that I know was powerless to it. I knew then that I needed to make healthier choices for myself. A man that rarely drinks and has never smoked is diagnosed with cancer and it just doesn't make sense. Not that it is supposed to make sense, but when it happens to the ones you love, you want to make sense of it. You want to know why they have to suffer and if there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that I cannot run from cancer or any other disease for that matter, but I can do my best to give my body the tools it needs to have a chance.

I haven't spoken a lot about what's going on in my life lately, because...well...it's painful and I'm not a person to seek sympathy from others. My family is strong and believe in looking at the positives. I'm glad that my dad is here and can tell me how proud of me he is and how great the changes that I've made are. Every time that I have run a longer distance, he is the first person I call to tell. He is my inspiration, each and every day. I love you, Dad; this one is for you.

My Joely!

Today is the hub's birthday. 35 years old. Yikes! When did this happen? Just kidding. He is currently at the UGA v. GA Tech game with his friend Bradley. I have had a busy morning and a lazy afternoon. This morning I ran 5k and then went to bikram yoga with my fabulous neighbor, Mel. I've been lounging on the couch watching Mad Men while the hubs is away and debating if I put conditioner in my hair when I showered. Let's hope so! I wanted to take this time to write a blog about my husband and well, how fabulous he is. We have been married for two years and three months now and the time has flown by. We are constantly laughing and just enjoy each others company. I think one of the most fabulous things about our marriage is that we allow each other to be their own person and to follow our dreams; whether they are together or separately. I never imagined having a partner that is so supportive of my endeavors. When I started bootcamp it was a family decision. One because it is pricey and two it means that I get home even later on week nights. Joel has stepped up and has done the majority of the cooking so that I can do something that I love. He is actually becoming quite the little chef and I would even dare to say that he has become the Tofu King! It's crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Every time I have a crazy idea to try something new in life he is right there beside me or is willing me on. When I told him that I wanted to train for a half marathon he said "awesome!" and on Thanksgiving when I was not feeling like doing a long run he said "I'll get on my bike and ride beside you while you run for the 5 miles". Is that love or what? The man puts up with my mishigas on a daily basis and keeps coming back for more. I can be a handful (ask my family) and he knows how to calm me down when I get worked up and he knows what I need before I even know I need it. He is the man that I had been waiting for. I am so lucky to have him in my life. Let's raise a glass to my man on his 35th. L'chayim!

Day of Thanks...

Today is American Thanksgiving. It's slightly humorous that a Canadian and a Brit are holding a lil family dinner, but we just can't help but get in the spirit of it all. We hardly eat meat, but Joel had to have a turkey. So, we made the traditional feast. A big ol' turkey, two kinds of dressing (I've officially been in the South too long), roasted potatoes, cranberry sauce and my Grandmother's apple cake. It was lovely. We really have a lot of things to be thankful for. We both have amazing family, friends and each other. I've been thinking a lot about my family today. My dad is going through chemo again and I'm thankful that he is. I'm thankful because it means that he has another shot. It's not a pretty road to recovery in any means, but it's another chance. I wish I could see him and give him a huge hug. I miss him. I'm thankful for facetime and that I was able to see my family back home today. They are the air I breathe. I just wanted to write a little post on this day of thanks. Thanks for reading.

Crazy bizarro day...

Today was a crazy, bizarro day. Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like everyone around you is crazy? Well, that was my entire day. Needless to say that I'm in bed early (typing this on my iPhone!), so I can attempt to get a good nights sleep. If I could sum it up...I guess it would be nice if everyone would say what they mean and mean what they say. That's my new motto. Night folks ;)

Busy, busy...

Hodwy, howdy! I hope that everyone is well. I've been busy, busy and finally have some free time so I thought I would take some time to write a blog. Joel and I are still living in Athens, GA and we love it here. It's just such a laid back place. I finally feel like we can call ourselves 'Athenians'. I've been reflecting on our time so far here and it just seems like we have been here forever. We definitely have a great life, but as per usual...I miss my family and friends back home. As I get older it feels like I have different types of friends. I miss my girls back home. I feel like we have known each other for a lifetime and we can just laugh for hours on end about nothing. One of my girls surprised me not so long ago with a trip to GA and it was so nice to have her here; even if it was just for a few days. Work has been busy and stressful at times. Which makes me get my butt moving at bootcamp and bikram to release some of the stress. Bikram yoga is new to my activity list and I'm loving it. Well, my face isn't loving it, but I guess that comes with the territory. The room is 105 degrees which makes ya sweat just a wee bit. I've also decided to start training for a 15k and depending on how that goes, I may run a half marathon. The hubs is in DC right now and it's nice to have some alone time. With such a busy schedule it is hard to find down time. Today seemed so leisurely. I ran five miles with my awesome wow crew, then it was off to the Athens Farmer's Market with my lovely neighbor Jessica, some notes from home to finish up the work week and lots of grocery shopping. Speaking of the grocery shopping, I have managed to cut our grocery bill by $200 a month. We have also started the 'envelope system'. I put our weekly grocery allowance in an envelope and then keep track of how much we are spending and where. It definitely helps keep track of things. Well, I am on a mission to keep the tv off and I think I shall go find a new book to read. i will let y'all know what it is! Have a great night!

Howdy y'all!

Howdy y'all! It's definitely been awhile! Over the past couple years of blogging, I have periods where I am seriously anti-blogging. I am a pretty private person and at times I think that to write about my life happenings in such an open forum makes me incredibly antsy. I guess my thought is that for people to know about my life I feel that they should talk to me to find out, but I also like writing it out. I recently read a lot of my old posts and it made me want to write some more. Maybe I should just keep a journal. :) Anywho! Life has been crazy. Joel and I are literally slapping each other five in-between our jaunts across the globe. I just got back from Canada and the next day he left for Vegas. We have a brief interlude and then I'm off to Israel for the month of July. In one of my past blogs I wrote about how I wanted to 'find something' i.e. a hobby. Well, I feel like I have succeeded! I am serious now about working on my fitness. I've started running, boot camp, biking, water aerobics and I've also stuck with an oldie but a goodie for me, yoga. I feel like I am finally getting into my groove and I like it. Also, aside from the physical activities, I've started gardening and I'm pushing myself to read in the evening time. I feel a lot more content. It is the most satisfying thing to set goals and to see them actually happening. I'm happy that I am able to push myself and that I can follow through when I set my mind to something. I didn't think it was possible, but blog writing has actually done the trick...it's made me sleepy. Well, I'm off to bed. Night y'all!