Monthly Archives: December 2010

Hello! Can you believe that today is the last day of 2010?! This year went so fast! I felt 2010 was a wonderful year with many good things happening in my life.

For one starting this blog has been a great source of joy and creativity for me. It had also been a great way to document all the great adventures I’ve had. It has been fun to tell friends and family about the blog and see their reaction upon reading it. It has also been fun connecting with other bloggers across the country.

One of the most fun things to write about on my blog  was training for and completing my first  Olympic Distance Triathlon and the Maple Leaf Half Marathon. Even though I didn’t do a lot of races this year these two were huge accomplishments for me. I really enjoyed my training and also enjoyed writing about it on my blog.

I completed fifteen credits for my grad school course. I shared some of my experiences here. The Masters in Servant Leadership program has been such a blessing in my life. It has kept me focused on my work in ministry and renewed my spirit, encouraging me to keep fighting the good fight!

Brian and I had a few traveling adventures spending time in the Twin Cities in March and July with our friends the Gardner’s. The Gardner’s also came to visit us in August and November.  We spend time with our nieces and nephews traveling to Plymouth Wisconsin for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. We always have such a good time! We also made the long drive to Colorado to visit Brian’s good friend Trent and his family. We hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park and sample a fine array of beer at the Gnarly Barley Beer Fest. Finally we made our annual trip to Door County Wisconsin to celebrate our 4th anniversary and for one more weekend get away before my work schedule got busy and hunting season began.

Another very exciting event of 2010 was my younger brother getting engaged! We are looking forward to celebrating his wedding in 2011.

As and early Christmas present my mom and dad took me to Madison to see Wicked! We also got to dine at a very fun Irish restaurant Brocach!

In looking back through my blog there are so many wonderful events that happened. It was hard to chose which ones to high light. I discovered and tried several recipes from my favorite bloggers and dined out at many fun place (I hope to have a new page on my blog to highlight these) and so much more.

I have several goals for 2011 and will be writing about those later. For now I am enjoying these last few hours of 2010 and counting my blessings for all the wonderful things that have happened in the past year. Here’s to a great 2010 and all the new memories that will be made in 2011!

1. My nieces and nephews are here! Yesterday we celebrated my nephew Alex’s 7th birthday.

I’ve also gotten play with one my favorite childhood toys, Barbie! My nieces can have endless hours of fashion shows!

2. One week from today I’ll be flying to Florida for the Disney Half Marathon! It seems like it was so long ago that I signed up for this, it’s hard to believe it’s here. With all the CRAZY weather causing delays all over the country I have been obsessively checking the 10 day forecast. So far it looks like we’ll be okay. I’m still crossing my fingers! Today my body (back and leg) feel the best they have in a week. I spoke with a Pilate’s teacher at the Y this morning who is also a Physical Therapist. She does not think I have a disc issue (this is good news) and said I probably have two separate injuries. She suggested taking Pilates for my back issues, this might be a goal for the New Year. 

3. For a snack in between my two fitness classes I had a green smoothie and a molasses cookie. Those to balance each other out, right?

Looking forward to celebrating Christmas tonight with Brian’s family!

Hi there! Wow! How’s about a afternoon blogging break to shake things up? Still loving my new laptop!

Not much new to report here! After my bold proclamation that I am a runner I did 5 miles of speed work on the treadmill and it was HARD! My leg was still bothering me and it was hot a the Y. I wanted to quit at times but hung in there an finished strong!

I had a very interesting lunch today.

Yesterday I whipped up a batch of wheat berry salad, the same one I made for Thanksgiving. I am really loving wheat berries! Angela has a more savory wheat berry salad featured on her blog today. I will definitely have to try that one too. Served with a side of apples, sprinkled with cinnamon, and plain yogurt sweetened with honey, vanilla, and cinnamon.

This made an excellent dip for my apples!

Today is what we Wisconsinites would call, a beautiful winter day. It’s sunny out and the temperatures are suppose to get up to 30 degrees! Whoo! Hoo! Heat wave! But this lovely weather won’t last long. It’s suppose to rain later this week and then get really cold. Yuck! I had to snap a few shots of Izzy playing in our , snowy, back yard.

You think you’re going to take this from me?

Okay I’ll bring it back to you!

What are you taking my picture for? Aren’t you going to throw the toy?!

Izzy loves the snow and she loves play fetch. Now she is curled up in a ball sleeping next to me! What a funny dog!

Hope you are enjoying the last few days of 2010! Tonight Brian’s brother, sister-in-law, our two nieces, and his cousin arrive. Let the good times roll!

Hello there! How was the Monday after a big holiday weekend? I know a lot of people have this whole week off so maybe you were still out having fun. I could take this whole week off but since I’ll be going to Florida I figured I’d go in Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare some stuff for when I’m gone. I don’t usually work at the office on Monday so I stayed home today finishing up the laundry and doing my weekly cleaning. I also went for a loooooong (45 laps) swim, and played with my new PS3. I am so excited to use the Netflix feature on it!

So, as I’m sure you can tell from my posts this last 3 months of training for the Disney Half marathon have been less than perfect. I have suffered from two reoccurring injuries that have been quite troublesome to me. In looking through old posts I see my back injury first flared up while training for my Olympic Distance Triathlon. But I didn’t have any pain in my leg until this past fall. Coincidently my leg pained happened after another  back flare up and really hasn’t been the same since.

My boss at the Y knew about my recent injuries and thought there might be a correlation between the too and not a good one. She said that some times when back pain is followed by leg pain, especially behind the knee (not behind the knee cap actually on the back side of my leg) that can indicate a disc problem. If a disc is bulging it will initially cause back pain but later cause leg pain because it presses on a nerve. She said doctors usually treat it with physical therapy which encourages stretching and core work but if it gets really bad it can lead to surgery. She recommended cutting back on my running mileage because the constant pounding only pushed on the disc more, hence more leg pain. Needless to say this kind of scared me. She recommended seeing a doctor. But I haven’t…yet.

I did cut back on my running and definitely haven’t trained like I did for the Maple Leaf Half Marathon. Interestingly I did not suffer from any injuries while training for the Maple Leaf Half. But I also wasn’t teaching as many fitness classes. Honestly, I have sunk a lot of money into the Disney Half Marathon and I am pretty sure when I go to the doctor they will tell me to stop running, at least for awhile. My leg pain is pretty bearable and like I’ve said before, I’m not doing the Disney Half to win any medals I’m just doing it for fun and for the experience. If I have to walk it I will.

I plan on going to the doctor after our trip and if need be I’ll will stop running at least until I heal from what ever ailment I am suffering from. I’ve been thinking a lot about what the outcome might be when I go to the doctor. What if they told me I could never run again? (I don’t really think this would happen). I feel very fortunate that I started my journey of fitness training for triathlons. Because of this I love doing a variety of activities especially swimming. I also love different types of fitness classes like Zumba and Group Strength. So, if someone told me I could never run again there are lots of things that I love to do that could keep me healthy and happy. But training for the Maple Leaf and Disney Half Marathons have made me realized something… I LOVE running and I am a true runner! I use to identify myself as a triathlete but now I can confidently say, I am a runner! I’ve come to enjoy the challenge of speed work and hill runs. And I’ve really begun to enjoy my longer runs as a time to push my body and to see what amazing things it could do. Even though I don’t LOVE running in this Wisconsin winter weather I actually find it fun and invigorating, something I had never done before but now that I’ve done it can see myself doing it even if I wasn’t training for something. During the last six months I could honestly see myself doing a full marathon some day.

But first I will see what is really wrong and do what I can to fix it. Who knows it might not be a disc problem at all. And even if it is I don’t think I will NEVER be able to run again. During my last long run I listened to a very inspirational podcast from Marathon Training Academy about Angela Coulombe who suffers from Lyme’s Disease. At one point in her life she could barely get out of bed, let alone run but last fall she completed the New York City Marathon. I’m sure that what ever my issue is I will be able to work through it and continue my running.

So, these are just some thoughts I’ve had about running, my injuries and more.  Thanks for listening and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my injuries and how I’m feeling.

Tomorrow Brian’s family starts arriving to celebrate Christmas the holiday will continue!

Hello blog world! I hope you holiday was wonderful. Mine was just delightful. I don’t know about you but I feel like the day after Christmas is a day to play with all your new “toys” I’ve only played with a few of mine today!

Brian and I headed over to my parent’s house around lunch time hoping to score some leftover lasagna from the night before. When we got there we took their dog Mosey for a walk. My parents live out in the country and everything was so beautiful with the light dusting of snow from the night before.

I also got some pictures of their beautiful tree.

For most of the afternoon we just hung out, watching a movie on my dad’s 3D TV and helping my mom get ready for the Christmas dinner. When my brother and his fiancé arrived it was time to open presents.

I love the look of surprise and delight on Raina’s face when opening a camera lens from my parents.

We got my brother an extension for a game he likes to play. He looks happy to me! All us “kids” got together and got my dad an indoor turkey fryer but the picture I took turned out blurry. He was really surprise and said he had just seen an infomercial about it and was thinking of getting one. Do we know my dad or what?!

But, my gift to my mom was a real winner, it made her cry! My cousin and I hatched a plan to take our moms (my mom’s sister) to a dinner theater. We had done this in the past with my grandma (their mom) before she pasted away 7 years ago. I wonder if my aunt cried too!

Then it was time for dinner. Brian’s mom and dad joined us. My mom set the table using her fancy china.

We had a giant honey ham for our main course.

It was so nice to have everyone gathered round the table (except my dad, I think he was taking a picture too).

Lots of delicious food. Ham, green bean casserole, cheesy potatoes, and fruit salad.

We also had some delicious baklava for dessert but I somehow forgot to snap a picture! We also played a really fun game that my brother got from Raina’s parents as a gift. It was a very nice time spent with family.

Today had been pretty low-key. I’ve gotten to “play” with some of my presents. My back has been feeling ok, but now the pain in leg has returned. Is there a connection between my back pain and my leg pain? I think so. But more on that tomorrow. I really wanted to go for a run. It was sunny and not too cold. I also wanted to try out my new hydration belt.   I still was hesitant because when I was at church my back still felt a little achy. I picked a route where I could easily turn around at 2 miles, 3 miles, 4miles or more if I wasn’t feeling good. I ended up running 8 and felt pretty good while running. Now my leg hurts but not my back. My biggest fear was having that debilitating back pain return but it didn’t. I did get a little cold but it wasn’t too bad. Nothing a soak in a nice hot tub and a cup of tea couldn’t fix when I got home.

I also played with this present from my dad.

Can us guess what it is? It’s called a “Whip It” and it makes sparkling water!

I had a little lemon spritzer this afternoon! Super fun! Another really AWESOME gift we got was a PS3! We don’t really play video games but it is also a Blue Ray disc player plus so much more! Once I get it hooked up I’ll let you know how I like it!

Well, that’s about all from me. Brian and I were invited over to his cousin’s house for dinner. Not sure if I’ll bring the camera or not. It should be a nice time.

Hope your holiday was filled with fun and family and if you have to go back to “the real world” tomorrow it’s not too bad. Brian’s sister and brother and their families are coming on Wednesday so for us the celebration has just begun!

Good morning! Merry Christmas! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday! Brian and I have spent a relaxing morning sleeping in, eating French toast (a grilled banana sandwich for me), watching TV, and hanging out with the doggie. We even got to talk to my sister-in-law and nephew via Skype. I think Brian is really enjoying the holiday.

We started out Christmas Eve by heading to church with Brian’s parents. Then we headed over to my parent’s house for Christmas Eve dinner. Brian played bar tender!

I drank wine!

My mom served up an Italian style meal with minestrone soup, lasagna, and bread. It was very good! I love Italian food!

My mom’s house had such pretty decorations. I should have taken more pictures. I really love her Christmas village.

I definitely need to take more pictures today. The Christmas tree turned out really nice. My dad did a god job decorating it!

After dinner we headed to Mass at my parent’s church. It was a nice service. They have a lovely crèche.

Well, I better clean up the kitchen and take the doggie for a walk. Later we are headed over to my parent’s house to watch movies, open presents, and have dinner again!

Hope you are having a happy holiday!

Hello! And Merry Christmas Eve to you! I hope that where ever you, what ever your traditions that you are able to enjoy time with the people that mean the most to you!

Last night my friend Marianne and her husband came over for dinner. I fully intended on taking lots of photos but once they got here and the wine and conversation got flowing I totally forgot. Brian did get a shot of me as I was preparing dinner in my “Drinks well with others” apron.

We had a lovely dinner talking about plans for Christmas and our upcoming trip to Florida. And look what they brought me as a gift!

A hydration belt! And it was filled with GU!

I was very surprised! I totally wasn’t anticipating a gift and such a nice one too! Now I just have to get my back healed so I can run (more on that later) and try it out.

This morning I had something new for breakfast!

These are the makings of a grilled banana sandwich ala Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point. I’ve seen these on her blog for awhile now but we usually don’t have bread in our house to make French toast.  We had the perfect kind left over from our dinner last night. Specifically I made an Autumn Grilled Banana Sandwich. The only changes I made were that I used one egg and one egg white and I didn’t had chia seeds since I was out. It turned out beautifully!

I wasn’t sure if this would keep me satisfied because I didn’t use whole wheat bread but I didn’t get hungry until almost noon. I will definitely be making this again, probably tomorrow!

Update on my back. Today it feels MUCH better! It’s now just a dull ache no more painful spasms. I was suppose to run three miles today but knew that my back still wasn’t 100% healed so I headed to the Y to swim some laps. In the past swimming had always helped my back pain. I think it has something to do with how your back is naturally held in alignment when you swim plus there is no impact. I LOVE to swim but with half marathon training and teaching I usually don’t have time. I couldn’t even tell you the last time I went swimming. It amazes me that after not swimming for so long I can easily jump into the pool and swim 40 laps without a problem. There would be no way you could do that with running! I was glad I got to the Y early and had the pick of lanes because when I left it was surprisingly packed and even a few people were waiting for a lane. Before showering I soaked in the hot tub for awhile. That really made my back feel better. I actually felt really good when I got out of the hot tub like nothing was wrong. I won’t do any exercise tomorrow and I’m not sure about Sunday when I was suppose to do a long run. I’ll just wait and see how my back it doing.

For now I’m relaxing on the couch drinking some peppermint tea and watching Christmas With the Kranks. Tonight we are going to church with Brian’s parents, then over to my parent’s house for dinner with them and my brother’s future in-laws then to church with my parents. Tomorrow we’ll officially celebrate Christmas with my family.

Hope you are having the best of holidays!

Hello! Happy eve before Christmas eve. Have you gotten everything ready for Christmas?? I’m feeling pretty ready and enjoying some down time.

I know that a few days ago I said I really wasn’t a baker but something got into me last night and I had the urge to bake. I have been craving molasses cookies for awhile and found a pretty simple recipe a long time ago on allrecipes.com. After dinner and a quick run to the grocery store I mixed up the dough for the molasses cookies. The dough had to chill for an hour so while that was chilling I make funfetti cookies. We have a ton of funfetti cake mix that my friend Marianne’s mom gave us because she knows it’s Brian’s favorite. I knew you could make cookies out of it so I thought I’d give it a try. It was SUPER easy! Just add oil and two eggs to the cake mix. Brian frosted them and added the sprinkles.

I didn’t try any but Brian said they were good and even took a bunch to work for his friends. The dough for the molasses cookies still need more time to chill so in the mean time I cut Brian’s hair.

I thought the molasses recipe was also very easy. I used this recipe.

I did sample one of these They were just what I was craving, soft on the inside with a little crisp on the outside! I may have also sprinkled one on my pumpkin oats this morning

Enjoyed along with some tea in a Christmas mug with an interesting message.

As far as my back goes things are not good. I knew I was in trouble when I had a hard time getting out of bed this morning. I am in a lot of pain. Nothing really seems to help. It’s not constant pain but it comes and goes in spasms. I’ve tried to stay on my feet to see if that helps but bending a certain way really seems to aggravate it. The worst is when I got from sitting to standing and try to straighten my back. To be honest I’m a little worried, this is worse pain I’ve been in in regards to my back. I guess the good news is I have six days where I don’t have to teach any classes so I can avoid any unnecessary activity. I am so thankful for the instructors who were able to take my classes today. There is no way I could have taught them. Did I have plans for some nice long runs over this long weekend? You bet I did. I’m a little disappointed but I know I have to listen to my body, it’s obviously telling my to slow down. It is frustrating though. I mean I had a great 10 mile run on Saturday and good run on Monday but now I can barely walk. I’m sure it will affect my training for the half marathon but I’m not going to let that get me down. I’ll walk the whole thing if I have to.

For now I’m relaxing and watching Miracle on 34th street. Marianne and John are coming over for dinner tonight and I know that will take my mind off my back. A glass or two of wine won’t hurt either!

Have a great day!

Hey there! Good evening to you! Christmas is almost here! Santa (The UPS man) brought my present early!

My very own laptop!!! I have been saving any extra cash I earned doing odd jobs and I asked everyone to give me money for Christmas to off set the cost. I asked my brother’s fiancé who use to work for The Geek Squad about brands of laptops to look into. My dad, a technology expert, did some investigating and suggested three options. I was totally going to buy a different Toshiba because it cost a little less but then this beauty went on sale on Newegg for the same price so I snatched it up!  I haven’t had much time to play with it but  so far I like it! It’s a little smaller and lighter than my work laptop which is nice. It’s also newer and faster. I am so excited! I’ve wanted a laptop for awhile now. My work one was fine but I didn’t really feel comfortable taking it away from work and using it for my own personal use.

In other news I’ll have plenty of time to play with my new toy tomorrow as I had to get subs for my two fitness classes. My back is REALLY acting up again. It is so painful to even stand up after sitting awhile. This is not good. I was glad I was able to find subs I know I just need to rest my back. This is not good for my running! After the half marathon I might have to get my back looked at, this just isn’t good! The only time I felt good today was when I did yoga. I find it is best to not sit or stand too long.

We have lots of things planned for this evening. We need to head to the store to buy a few items for this weekend, I plan on baking some cookies of my own, and I need to cut Brian’s hair.

Hope Santa is as good to you as he was to me!