Of food, family and friends

What do you do when your weekend plans go awry? You roll with it, make the best of it, and end up having a great time!

I had all-day Saturday plans, but when they went belly-up, I opted to drive to Wisconsin to surprise Kevin and Kelly, who were visiting from out of town. I had previously told Kel that it wasn't in the cards (see previous statement that I had plans), so it was so much fun to surprise her and just show up.

Laughter. Food. Repeat.

There's something about old friends (I've known Kelly for almost 30 years) that can help you make more sense to yourself. It was awesome.

I was able to visit with them guilt-free because on Friday night, I participated in the Augie's Quest fundraiser at the gym, doing a three-hour workout (two of which were cardio) ... so I started off the weekend with a calorie deficit, thereby earning my burger and strawberry shortcake. Sadly, that was my only workout of the weekend; so much going on!

Saturday night found me back home, snuggled in my little apartment and catching up on a few chores. Sunday was scheduled pretty full, so I made it an early night. The alarm went off in the morning and I was off and running (taking time to style my stunning hair, however, which has been lightened and highlighted and I freaking LOVE IT!) I drove to Aurora for my Godson Ross' Sunday School program, which also featured his brother Jack and sister Ro. Can I just say adorable? I love those kids. (Their parents aren't bad, either, and their Mammy? She's the bizzomb.) We had a leisurely lunch afterward, but I think the kids' favorite part of the day was riding around in Aunt Maggie's car with the top down.

Yeah. I'm the cool aunt.

After that it was over to my dad's to help my nephew with a school project and have dinner. I absolutely love spending time with my father. He is wise and funny, and I hope with all my heart to someday be as amazing as he is. I love spending time with my brother, my twin, whose sweetness knows no bounds. Those are the best parts of any visit home.

Weekend Wuv

Oh, shut up. I thought it was cute!

Welcome back to the "real world". Here we, staring down the barrel of another Monday. But at least we had the weekend to totally take a break from the 9 to 5 insanity! And what a weekend it was.

Started off active, which is a great way to kick Weekend Mode into high gear. Friday night was my friend Rebekah's birthday party, and because she's completely bananas, she arranged for a private Zumba lesson for all her friends at the Vernon Hills branch of my gym. (It should be noted that the Vernon club is much more posh than mine; it's a few levels up on the membership scale. They scoff when people from Schaumburg show up, but we were on the guest list, so they let us in, anyway.)

We danced. We tried to have fun. But I was simply reminded of why I absolutely hate Zumba. But that's another story for another time.

It was great to see Rebekah, and I would do it again if that's what she wanted for her celebration. Workout friend Linda and I got to catch up a little bit with workout friend Lisa, and we were also treated to amazing food from this place. Oh holy crap; it was worth it to Zumba, just to get to this food!

All too soon, Linda and I had to go. Saturday morning would bring an early alarm, because we had to Run Wild!

Here's our group - my sister Jenn, my sister Pat, me, my friend Pam and my friend Linda. We're ready to run! (Photo by a stray fellow runner.)
It was a little chilly, in my opinion, but we had a great time. I simply love these women. I am truly touched when my family and friends meet and the combination works out well. There was a lot of love! Should you have the burning desire to read my full race report, I'll have to refer you to my health and wellness blog, found here. I'm sure you'll be riveted.

So anyhoo, it was cold but fun. I wish it had been warmer, because we could have stayed the whole day in the zoo, but with the wind and our sweat, that just wasn't gonna be wise. Time to go home.

"Home" for me was Dad's house, where I mooched food, helped Alex with homework and took a bath. Dad has a great tub. Then it was off to church; Alex was playing drums in the band, and he's wanted me to come hear him, so this seemed to be a good way to work it in. He did very well, in spite of the fact that I wasn't terribly wild about the songs. Sister Pat made up for that by bringing me a frappuchino.

After church we had burgers at Dad's, which was perfect because I've been craving burgers on the grill. Seeing as I don't have a grill, I'm pretty much beholden to others to fulfill my cravings. It was delicious! I headed home at around 6:30, and had a few hours to do laundry and relax before going to bed.

Sunday started with coffee in bed and "The West Wing" on dvd; super relaxing compared to the previous morning! By 11:30, though, I was on my way to Elkhorn, WI to see my friends Jeremiah, Tim and Aimee in "Anything Goes". The beautiful Amber and I both thought it was a thoroughly enjoyable production! I really like the show, and Tim did an amazing Job. Jeremiah is just adorable, and Aimee made a great addition to the chorus. All in all, a perfect way to spend a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

After the show, Jeremiah, Amber and I went to Moy's for Chinese food. It's amazing to me to see Jeremiah navigate the world. If you read this post, you'll recall that Jeremiah is blind. And yet he's the first one to cross the street, because he can tell by the sounds of traffic if it's safe. See? Fascinating. Anyway, we had a delightful dinner, even though Amber forgot to offer Jeremiah any rice.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. I was busy, but I had some time to relax. I spent time with some of my favorite people, and it helped Monday morning seem a lot less daunting. Sometimes, you just need to be reminded that work isn't the only thing you do.

Simple Truths

Here, for your considerations ... some stuff I know for sure is true.

• Sometimes, having a DQ Blizzard for lunch is the wisest choice you can make.


• I have many, many facets, and when one of them doesn't shine, I'm still a gem.


• Never try to retrieve your keys from hot lava, because once they're gone, they're gone.


• A good workout comes in many forms, and you should try all of them.


• After a good workout, going down a twisty water slide is the ultimate reward.


• It's not about the run, or the time. It's about finishing, vertical, and having fun along the way.


• Conversely, if it's not your day and you can't finish, it's about being wise enough to call and end to it and go to the nearest St. Arbucks.


• There are relatives, and there is family. Some of them intertwine, but you don't have to be related to be family.


• I sleep much better when it's cool outside.


• Birthday parties are wasted on children. As we age, every year is a gift. I'm totally playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey this year.


• The new album from Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers, Unida Cantina, is freaky awesome. It reminds me a lot of the old Refreshments stuff ... yummy.


• If you can't decide what to drink, you should probably just have water.


• The most delicious food is best melted, like chocolate and cheese. Oh, fondue ... I love you.


• Stretch. You'll never regret it.


• And you really do need to wear sunscreen.

Planning, fear, and rushing headlong into the unknown

I have big dreams. If you have big dreams, you have to have big plans so you can have a big reality. Otherwise, your big dreams are just ... dreams.

So I have these big dreams - athletic pursuits, financial stability, good health. And I am working my plans. And sometimes the unthinkable happens and you realize that, no matter how solid your plan, you could be injured, have a financial emergency, or come face to face with a chocolate doughnut to which you cannot say "no".

This is the unknown territory. This is where things get a little scary. And this is where I am right now.

The Achilles has improved a great deal. Last week the doctor cleared me to run a little. As he put it, "Ease slowly back into your running routine." Okay. I can do that.

I took my first tentative steps on Saturday, wimpy intervals on the treadmill. I opted for treadmill because I figured if it hurt, at least I wouldn't be on a trail and have to limp back to the car. I kicked it up to a killer 1 percent incline (I know, I'm so daring!) and off I went - four minutes walking, one minute running. And it felt pretty good. But it also kinda hurt. I got through my half-hour workout (actually it was 34 minutes because I did a four-minute cooldown at the end) and I wasn't in pain.

But I wasn't 100 percent pain-free, either. This, my friends, is the unknown.

I don't know what's going to happen from here. I do know that I have races scheduled and I am determined to participate in them, even if I have to walk. Am I scared? Um, yeah. I want to be this athletic version of myself, and I don't know if I can do that if the injury doesn't heal 100 percent. But at this point, all I can do is dive in, do what I can and see what happens.