RaNdOmNeSs

Ten Random Things About My Life Right Now:

1. I am sick of the yucky weather and the rain. What happened to the sunshine?
2. Today, a child told me the library was dumb. Did I care? Not really....if you feel that way, don't come back! 
3. Only two....count them...1....2....more days until Spring Break! For my non-educator readers (if there are any)...don't roll your eyes and say we get enough time off....you, too, could have gone to teacher school!
4. The guy in front of me at the store today had a case of beer and a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I was almost tempted to follow him home.
5. I was reminded recently that things really do work out like they are supposed to. So glad the big guy upstairs has it all figured out.
6. I have completed 56 of the 100 miles I set out to walk/run during Lent. Taking a few days off to give my hip some time to feel better.
7. I have started throwing little bouts of running into my walks...I would love to be able to go out and just run 5 miles. I am hoping there is a runner hidden somewhere inside me.
8. I am very excited about going to the Braves' opening game at Turner Field next Friday!
9. Tomorrow is the last morning of the before school tutoring program. No more 6:30 am mornings at school...ever....I am officially passing the torch off and letting someone else experience the joy of being the director of the program. 
10. It has been 5 weeks since I had surgery on my wrist. It has actually felt really good lately. Not so much today though. And I don't think it looks great...still have a huge knot I am trying to make go away. 

That's all...just some random thoughts about my life right now.

Did I mention that Spring Break is just 2 days away????

a-f-t-e-r

After watching some videos on You Tube showing people the day after a marathon, 
I was pretty much prepared for the worst. I know I didn't walk or run a marathon,
 but I'm not in the best shape and I didn't train very seriously for the half,
 so I figured if people in those videos were in pain, then I was in b-i-g trouble. 
(Yes I know that is probably a run-on sentence, but I'm okay with it...you don't have
to follow all the grammar rules on blogs anyways, do you?)

After the half...Sunday:
pain...it hurt to move...which led to funny walking

The next day...Monday:
sore...but in a good way
stiff back
took George on a slow and relaxed 1 mile walk

Yesterday...Tuesday:
felt great!
not really sore
took George on a 2 mile walk with some small bouts of jogging thrown in

Today...Wednesday:
flat out pooped
only walking I did was from the car straight to my bed for a nap!

Tomorrow...Thursday:
hoping to hit the park for 5 miles!

~half.marathon~

I finished! I survived! I conquered!

And the best news....I can still walk and move!

Call me crazy...but I am ready to sign-up for my next half!

Showing off the medal with a smile!

Yesterday we had to go to the Georgia Marathon Expo at the Dome to pick up our race packets/bags that had our t-shirt and bib in them. They also had a lot of vendors set up. They were selling all kinds of "running" stuff...shoes, socks, shirts, shorts, and so on. The best vendor was a place called One More Mile Running. They had the funniest sayings on t-shirts, stickers, magnets, and even undies! Here are some of my favorites:

 So I may not have run the 13.1 miles....but I did it...and that is what counts!

And my new favorite quote:
The miracle isn't that I finished.
The miracle is that I had the courage to start!

I have to give a huge thank you to my dear friend Jen who walked the entire 
13.1 miles with me and supported and encouraged me to "just keep walking"!
 I couldn't/wouldn't have done it without her!

Lent or Lint?

Short sweet post tonight.....

For those of you living under a rock, today is Ash Wednesday....the start of the Lenten season. Most people associate this time of year with the act giving something important up. For the next 40 days (Sundays don't officially count) until Easter Sunday, people all over the world will be denying themselves things they love....some of the favorites include chocolate, coffee, coke/diet coke, TV...and in the age of social media, I know a few people who are (or have in the past) giving up Facebook and Twitter for the next 40 days. 

This year, I am giving something (or rather, somethings) up as well as taking something on and setting a goal for myself. Let me start by saying that I really should give up Diet Coke. But, who are we kidding....if I want to keep my friends, family, and sanity...I need to keep my Diet Coke. That's another battle for another year! Since Diet Coke is out of the question (I still have 3 1/2 more weeks of being at school by 6:30 am), I am giving up chocolate and grabbing fast food for the next 40 days. I don't eat a ton of chocolate...I don't buy it because then I would devour it...but I do eat it, mindlessly usually, when it is around. There is always a bowl of M & M's (and sometimes two) in the media center workroom and it is very easy to grab a handful or to snack on them while talking with people. I am hoping this just makes me more aware of the mindless snacking. As far as the fast food goes, when I'm lazy and don't plan anything for dinner, I'll grab something from Chick-fil-A or Zaxby's. In order to avoid eating cereal or crackers and peanut butter for dinner, I'm going to have to plan...no more running out to grab dinner for me!

Besides giving some things up, I am also taking something on and setting a goal for myself. My goal is to walk 100 miles by Easter Sunday. It is definitely doable....but it will require me to make sure I get out and walk every day or every other day and log some nice long walks!

So there it is blog-world...hold me accountable!

Seconds

Somehow the word "second" has developed a negative connotation. 

Second place isn't good enough...you could have gotten first.

Second helpings of mom's mashed potatoes and Granny's pecan pie 

at Thanksgiving aren't healthy.

Seconds, as in 60 of them in a minute, can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency.

But there are times in life, when second can be good...even great.

Second chances? 

We've all been given them by someone and we've all given them to someone. 

Think about how different your life would be without second chances.

What about those seconds that count?

You missed being in an accident by a few seconds because you actually stopped at the yellow light....or you were at the right place at the right time by just a few seconds.

Second place can even be a great thing. 

What if you come in 2nd out of a field of 100 people?

That's not too shabby my friends. 

Second interviews?

You made it through round 1 and they obviously saw something in you they liked.

So here is to second chances, second place, and second interviews....

may second be not as bad as we make it sound!

*For those of who in cyber-world who really know why I am writing this post, I expect you all to be thinking and praying for me tomorrow at 1. Somehow seconds seem a little more scary than firsts!

Nerves



Pretty, huh?

I had my first post-op appointment yesterday with Dr. A. The tech took the splint off  (yay!!) and then Dr. A came in. I was a little anxious about having the stitches taken out because I passed out this summer after I had the stitches taken out. The incision had a steri-strips over it and Dr. A took that off. 

Yet another scar....

I was waiting for him to remove the stitches, but then he told me that because I had had such a bad reaction to a stitch this summer (which was the reason for this surgery) that he only used a few internal stitches and didn't use any stitches that had to be removed. He used one of the incisions from surgery last summer...it's just bigger. It has bruised a little, but it's really not too bad. 

The big old bump is where
the incision is.

I, unfortunately, have lost all or some of the feeling where the scar is, on part of the top of my hand, and up the side of my little finger. The scar is pretty swollen and it is really hard. Dr. A told me to start rubbing it to hopefully wake the nerves up. He then wrote a script for more hand therapy for the next 4-6 weeks and said he wanted to see me again in 4 weeks. After I made my next appt, I went down to the therapy clinic. Since I didn't have an appt, I had to wait until one of the OTs had a few minutes to see me. I was called back and talked with the OT for a few minutes about what had happened and why I had to have surgery again. My OT from before came over to see me and look at my wrist. She had a patient (or 2 or 3) at the time so she couldn't talk for too long. The OT I was seeing decided to just wrap my wrist up, told me to start doing the exercises from before to start getting the movement back, and told me to make an appt for next week with the other OT. I really thought he would do more, but that was it, and he sent me on my way. My wrist feels pretty good. It is a little stiff but I am trying to get it moving again. The sensation (or lack there of) of not having feeling in part of my hand or feeling like it has lidocaine in it is very different. There is a small spot that almost hurts when you touch it and if I move my pinky in a certain way, I can feel the nerves almost being jostled around, if that makes sense. I am very glad this surgery (and the terrible few days after surgery) are over....really, really, really hoping that this is the last one!