Week 1

One glorious week....it feels like a month! 
I have eaten whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I have watched what I wanted on TV and left the volume on high on my laptop. I left the volume on my phone for playing games and left my shoes under the coffee table until there were so many pairs they were crawling out.

My clothes were piled on the floor until I did laundry today. I worked out, worked a ton in the backyard everyday and got up early today to run in a 5K benefit for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, where The Biologist was treated. It was a beautiful run through the Stanford Campus. While I was extremely proud of my finishing time, I was surprised to find I was 4/50 in my age group. There were some awfully fast women in the run.

This was the absolute coolest....there was a kiosk at the end...you typed in your bib number and your time came up! The best part of coming in faster than 10 minute miles is that there is no crowd at the finish....I got my time, walked through the water and food tables and then through the booths for all the freebies before it got crowded.

I have two more days of the house to myself. BIG Foot will be driving The Captain home and I will have to have the house picked up....or they will think I have lost my marbles :)

But the backyard will be unrecognizable and hopefully the inside of the house will not. I am sooooo enjoying summer!

*LIVESTRONG*LIVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY SUMMER* 

I HAVE NEVER NEEDED A SUMMER VACATION THIS MUCH.....

.....well, maybe when had 3 small children and I drove 25 to 30 minutes to work each day...with those little kids in tow....or when The Biologist was dx with cancer....but I really, really needed summer to get here this year.

I had never skipped a summer before. Last year, I got out of school on June 25. I had Thursday and Friday off work....and then on Monday I began my week of camp. I worked Monday, Tuesday and almost all of Wednesday at camp....then at 11:45 my cell phone rang...I was literally elbow deep in 3-5 year olds washing red finger paint from hands and arms....the call was from The Coach...he had found The Captain down in the driveway. Paramedics were there and they needed to talk to me.

...I had run to work and had no car...the Rec Dept was not answering my phone call and there was no one to take my class...FINALLY a parent showed, I asked her to dismiss the kids but she wasn't sure she knew the parents,- (Seriously in 3 days I didn't know the parents either as a mom or dad would drop off and a nanny, friend or another parent would pick up,) another mom came and I sprinted out of the room to The Coach who had come to pick me up.


I arrived at the emergency room to find it much worse than what I was told. The Captain was no longer conscious- he was writhing in pain, moaning and rolling side to side with his knees pulled up. The well seasoned ICU nurse looked at me and asked if I was the wife. "Yes. I want to see him but I don't want to get in your way."

She had me come to the side of the gurney where I kissed is forehead. He was not clammy, he was beyond that point- his forehead was cold. I told him I was there but he had no idea. A young nurse was putting sensors on his chest to monitor his heart and each time he moaned she meekly said, "sorry."

 An astute cardiac anesthesiologist came in and took one look at the ultrasound and said, "We need a CT Scan RIGHT NOW. Pericardial effussion."  

I sat down after handing my insurance card to the receptionist and no more than 2 minutes passed when the nurse returned and said to come upstairs...The Captain was going straight into surgery.

The anesthesiologist walked by just then. I asked if he had finished his Rock Star energy drink and he said "almost." "Good" I replied, "I want you awake in there.

Once upstairs I began making phone calls. The Biologist had planned to come over so I could take her to the airport the next day....she was on her way. The Botanist was more difficult. It was 8 a.m. in Auckland...I could not call her so I messaged on Words With Friends - "CALL ME" - Within minutes she called but she only had enough international minutes to hear, "Dad is in surgery," and the phone went dead. She was crying, running through Auckland trying to find a store to buy minutes for her phone. Big Foot was at work and I had just mailed him his new cell phone- I vaguely remembered the name of his work where I had mailed his phone...411 connected me. He would leave the next day. The Botanist called back. Her passport was with the government as she was applying for residency and she couldn't buy tickets without it....thankfully N Zed is a small, trusting country....her boyfriend was able to go downtown and pick up her passport- then she could arrange her flight. 

Two good friends showed up to wait with me. The nurse came by with updates- "Call your children home," the polite way of saying he was dying.

HOURS....

More phone calls. 

Another update. Things had settled down and were going more smoothly. Weeks later, reading the hospital report, The Captain became "combative" once in surgery. It is fighting for your life- happens often. Dr. Castro said The Captain had perhaps a minute of life left once in the operating room. Thankfully the doctors were at the hospital and not in surgery. Dr. Castro said if this happened at night The Captain would not have survived. Dr. Surh was on his way home when he was called back to the hospital. Dr. Harmon, who I did not like because on his way into surgery he said, "We know what it is- it's what John Ritter had- and he died."

A family friend who was a nurse at Sequoia and her husband came to sit with us. She asked who the surgeon was...when I told her Dr. Castro, she said "He's the best surgeon around."

Another hour...another visit from the nurse...still going okay in there, things have settled down....and now The Biologist and her boyfriend had arrived. 

FINALLY...I saw Dr. Castro coming towards the room...I jumped up and saw that he was smiling...he said The Captain was doing okay. He would be in ICU soon and I could see him...he would be heavily sedated. He gave me his hand to shake but I said that was not good enough and I gave him a big hug.

My friends left...I messaged The Botanist that Dad was okay...I called BIG Foot. It was a lot longer than I expected before The Captain was in ICU and they let The Biologist and I in. The nurse who led me in was a runner....she was short and stout. I told her she looked familiar and she said it must be all the runs I pass her in....not true but we had a little bonding moment- then she stopped a few feet from The Captain's room and said, "I need to warn you that he doesn't look good...there are a lot of tubes and a mask." I told her I had spent a lot of time in hospitals and I am sure I would be okay.

Aside from machines and tubes, The Captain looked so much better than when I saw him in ER. He had color, he was warm, and he was repaired. I kissed his head and he was not cold...he was very much alive.

I took The Biologist home, got something to eat and went back and sat with The Captain. His nurse asked me, "Does he have a nick-name?" 

"Russ, I guess,"

"Well I am calling him 'Lucky'"

Later I found out that an aortic dissection carries a 95% mortality rate in the U.S. Luck is the only reason he survived.

The first night was the only time The Captain was peaceful. The medications made him agitated. He pulled out any tube, drain, sensor, he could get a hold of. I was there every minute I was allowed to be in ICU and then some....I was often called back by the nurses as he calmer if I was around. 

13 days later he was out of ICU and into the cardiac wing of the hospital. He was disoriented, thought we were on vacation and wondered how I had found this "hell hole!" He "hoped I was getting my money back!" His memory was poor and after a scan we found he had suffered a stroke which effected his vision. He was even harder to keep in his room now that he was mobile. I had very little sleep and was constantly answering questions and repeating myself. His heart was in A-Fib since surgery and nothing was helping it. The Dr's all agreed that he needed his heart "zapped" with paddles but they had been reluctant as it could cause another stroke. They inserted a camera to see if there were any clots in his heart....when they saw there were none, they hit him with the paddles. On the first try his heart was back to normal beating. I was exhausted from sleeping at the hospital and being woken up all night- and the stress of the procedure which I had given my consent for....that was potentially deadly. After the "zap" The Captain was recharged....he was giving me a hard time for being tired. I had "hit the wall."

Rehab- 5 days of hell...a story for another post.

As the end of summer neared I did not know if I was going to be able to leave him at home while I went to work. The Botanist went back to New Zealand as a resident. BIG Foot returned for his last semester in college, The Biologist came when she could but she was starting a new job at a new school...we did go to her room and help set up...it was one of our first outings.

A lot has passed in past 350 days...The Captain is much better. His vision has not improved so he is not driving yet. His long term memory is back...his short term is pretty good, but misc info is forgotten quickly and he is distracted and then forgets what he was going to do. He walks everywhere and gets rides to cardio workout from the PJCC- Peninsula Jewish Community Center....they are a godsend!  He is more relaxed and more back to the man I married....(except for the memory stuff.)

So for DAY #3 of my summer vacation....it couldn't come soon enough....I am going to enjoy every minute of every day! I have worked in the backyard, worked out, cleaned, watched some HGTV, and run errands and painted a shelf. I have a book to start reading- last summer was the first summer that I can remember that I didn't read a ton of books. 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY SUMMER*

More Rugged Maniac,,,,

The cool thing about the Rugged Maniac is that the photos are included in your registration price. I never purchase photos as they are usually like $25 for a 5"x7" and that is way too much for every event I do.

 These boxes floated on water.....you had to balance yourself or you fell in....I learned on teh first box that you had to just take one  step right in the center and leap to the next....

This is just after snagging my hair on the barbed wire above.... 

....and the slide to the finish!!


....and the Botanist follows....

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*SLIDE TO THE FINISH LINE*

RUGGED MANIAC Year II

What's more fun than finishing the RUGGED MANIAC?

....kicking their @$$es!

Ya, that's right....seriously, I came in just about 5 seconds before that kid on the right....and about a minute before the Biologist....and I have no idea how long before The Nuclear Physicist because I went to the car to get out of my super wet, muddy shoes.

I sucked in the run...I spent part of April on crutches and coddling my knee from an injury falling on a wet floor at work. I did not run the entire month and then just began running again mid May. BUT....in all strength areas I rocked! Last year I pathetically fell from second ring and into the muddy water pit. The past year I have spent practicing on the monkey bars at school and swinging from the pull up bars at the club. I went over the wooden walls by pulling myself over without help! The last challenge was going up the warp wall, up a cargo net and then DOWN the water slide to the finish line!!

This was taken pre-race....the wall becomes muddy and wet from all the people going up it. I watched a video last night of people attempting to go up the wall. The Captain suggested that I don't take a huge run to go up, but rather take 5 or so large steps and continue going up to grab a hold of the top. I was successful on the first attempt...I had to tell the men on top to let go of my wrists as they were pulling me up and I needed to get my forearms on the wall to get a foothold and pull myself over. The man said, "Good job!" And I said, "Yes...I am 56!" And he answered with, "GO GIRL....so much better than sitting on the couch like my mom!"

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN A 5K WITH 26 OBSTACLES*

Ride Your Bike to Work Day 2015

I think it is year 14 or 15 or something like that...it was before I was blogging so I do not have a time frame....before I had a cell phone to snap my picture at the Entergizer Station.

This Thursday I neglected to get my bike in the photo. I had to ride to the Belmont Train Station to check in and get my bike bag and breakfast...which is the total opposite direction of my school. Then I had to backtrack and head up HILL all the way to work. I last rode my bike to a reading workshop for a week back in August...and I haven't ridden since. My legs were screaming when I got to work. But it was worth it. I always feel more enthusiastic when I ride to work.

This week at work was a drag...I was sick with a head cold gifted to me by a student who cannot cover his mouth- even when coughing on my arm-ghak! We had Muffins with Mom on Wednesday where the Moms come to sit with their child and the dads serve. We made special projects for the moms and played the harmonic bells for the them. It was truly wonderful...but the downside was the kids were all sugared up and little %@#$'s the rest of the day.

Friday was our 2nd grade grand finale for the music program. Repeat of Wednesday. I was never so happy to see Friday afternoon come. Next week brings our International luncheon where students bring a meal from their culture and we sample foods from all 75 students...and THEN OPEN HOUSE!! on Wednesday. Seriously I am so ready....
                                                BUT
there's more. Our chick eggs will begin hatching this week.... if they are viable- I forgot to reconnect the turner last weekend.....so we will see how hardy these 3 eggs are.

Then the following week our 4 duck eggs should hatch.
Excitement all around!

Monday I have a sub as The Biologist's fiancee is receiving his Phd at Berkeley!! A Monday graduation? Yes...how odd! But it should make for a nice day.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RIDE YOUR BIKE TO WORK*

Poke My Birthday....Happy Birthday to Me!

9.April.1959

On your Way to Your Birthday on 29.April.1959:

You were born on Wednesday on 29.April.1959 and you think this is your oldest day of your life history but you are sadly wrong. Let's surprise you:

23.June.1958, Monday, (Your birthday -310 days):

On 23.June.1958, Monday, your father has produced the semen that will be half of you soon.

He produced 1000 sperms every second of his life and you will be be lucky one out of 500 million sperm he sent on their way in the conceivement. You may find interesting to know that if he had drunk (or not drunk) coffee on this Monday morning, you might born completely as someone else (for instance in the opposite sex) as kafein changes the speed of male sperms.

8.July.1958, Tuesday (Your birthday -295 days):

Today your mother ad her last menstrual cycle and started building up the egg, that will be the other half of you.

After today, she will not have this cycle again for a very long time (thanks to you!). She spent Tuesday as moody, anxious, short-tempered and you should be glad, you were not around her that day!

23.July.1958, Wednesday (Your birthday -280 days):

Your mother's egg is ready to build the other half of you and your father and your mother got together to make you.

But there is still no "you" around so don't get excited much. It can take several hours for your father's sperm to reach your mother's egg and now it is just on its way out.

24.July.1958, Thursday (Your birthday -279 days):

Out of 500 million sperm on their way to your mother's egg, the sperm which built you has won the race by coming first and the sperm and the egg is became one to make your very first cell. Do you see how lucky your half (the sperm) be by winning coming up first among 500 million other rivals? Never tell you are not lucky anymore!

We can call Thursday, 24.July.1958 as your "first day alive" because this is when you are a living entity, an embryo, congratulations! Although you are just a 1 cell creature today your unique DNA is also formed so your future destiny like your sex, height, physical apperance, intelligence, characteristic and vulnability to certain dissesases is already been determined.

7.August.1958, Thursday (Your birthday -265 days):

If your mother is an intelligent women, she would have suspected that she is pregnant at 7.August.1958, Thursday. She is not very sure yet but she is suspicious. We hope she was excited and joyed, not worried.

14.August.1958, Thursday (Your birthday -258 days):

Today your mother is telling your father about her pregrancy and he is celebrating to be a daddy!

Day 14.August.1958, Thursday is also important in that, your heart has pumped for the first time today. We don't know if it is a coincedence that your father learned about you in the very day, your heart first pumped!

29.October.1958, Wednesday (Your birthday -182 days):

Your parents could have lawfully got an abortion until 29.October.1958, Wednesday so this is also an important day of your life. Today they decided you should live!

We are glad they didn't otherwise, we'd lose one site visitor in pokemybirthday.com.

29.April.1959, Wednesday(Your birthday):

You are born to a cruel world. Happy birthday little buddy! We hope you remember to enjoy your life which was a big journey from day minus 310 to today.

SWIM ACROSS AMERICA- YEAR 3- LUCKY ME!

It was a beautiful, sunny day after a windy, cold day yesterday. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical yesterday, thinking weather was going to be ugly for this morning. But the sun was out and the wind was gone when I headed to the pool at 7:45.

MY KIDS MADE THESE :)

I checked in, got tattooed and went outside to ring my cow bell for the first swimmers. There were 3 heats for adults. The fast, the semi fast and the slow pokes. I have never been much of a swimmer, but last year I swam my fastest, most respectable mile in Swim Across America. I was fast enough to hang out in the middle of the pool with the fast finishers, while the slow pokes still swam their circles around the buoys. I have only swam 3x since July, after The Captain almost died, so I decided to swim in the slow poke heat....because this year wasn't about personal records, it was about KICKING cancer's ASS!

THE TATTOO ON MY FOREARM SAYS, "GIVE ME A HIGH 5!"

I threw a party at school a few weeks ago on a Friday night. Any second grader could attend from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for an evening of *F*U*N*, food, P.E. and a movie. All the parents had to do was make a donation to my fundraising site. It cost me about $50 in food and crafts. A sweet friend who teaches adaptive P.E. came and took 25 kids for P.E. fun while the other 25 stayed with me for crafts, board games and fingernail polishing. Then they switched. Parents were very generous....and in the end I had $1,890 in my online account! Sure beat begging my friends to donate and embroidering dishtowels as a gift for donating.

Back to today, BECAUSE that's not all! There was a raffle...and first I won a fleece vest and a baseball cap for The Captain....and THEN, I won the next two items! Certificates for dues! I had 2 gift bags, each with a little box, tied with a sweet little ribbon. I was so jazzed to have 2 months dues!! Then after I got home and did a bunch of chores, I opened the boxes AND the certificates were for THREE months individual dues! So I have 6 months of dues for the club!!
I am lucky at raffles!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*SWIM ACROSS AMERICA*

Wedding Bells....NEXT SUMMER.....

Let the insanity BEGIN!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*MARRY OFF YOUR FIRST BORN*

Cactus Garden and Lots of Misc...

I learned that some cacti grow really fast...how fast? So prickly fast that I had to take a shovel to the BIG ones and send the out to compost before they took over my garden...now I have this....

My biggest cactus that is chopped off in the back fell over during a big wind...I hope it survives. I have some succulents that I replanted there from the front yard because the raccoon and skunk won't leave them alone....along with grass that they are ripping up for grubs. Between those critters and the deer, my front yard doesn't stand a chance.

BUT...I did get a Scarecrow sprinkler to fend off my tomato plants and sunflowers in the backyard.....I cannot use it in the front yard BECAUSE some idiot has stolen the last 2.....the second one The Captain had run a cable around and locked it with a padlock...but apparently whomever is stealing them also owns bolt cutters.

Last spring I painted some pickets to build this little fence to hide the ugly house foundation....BUT with the way summer went, the little pickets sat painted and waiting in the corner of the bedroom. In September I took The Captain on one of his first trips out of the house to Home Depot to buy the long boards to put the pickets on.....one side got painted in October and the flip-side in February. Then last weekend The Captain got out the compressor and nail gun for the first time since before his near death adventures.....

It went well....the picket fence looks so cute....and the little old birdhouse I painted to match our house looks cute too.....and with a little luck, the sunflowers will grow tall enough to show through our bedroom window above.

Misc.....next weekend, April 27, for my birthday weekend, I will be participating in SWIM ACROSS AMERICA for my 3rd time....I have swam 3x since July...I may just SINK ACROSS AMERICA....I will be sure to update.

BEST OF ALL.....next week is finally my spring BREAK! Nothing like dragging it out until it is closer to summer than spring!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*SPRING BRREEEAAK!*

SHAMROCK 5K......

Let's just say we all got smoked by a 72 year old man....but in our defense, he ran 8:05 minute miles...which I haven't done since pre-children.
BUT I didn't do too badly in my age group....13/123. I ran 9:01 minute miles....damn that crowded start! They did a great job of not letting children start with the top runners....but they needed to also say, NO WALKERS at the front. It sucks trying to run around road boulders! I ran on the cobblestone median for a while just to get around those 4 abreast walkers. So I could have run under 9 per mile if I hadn't dodged all those road boulders and if I hadn't high fived people cheering on the runners, or if I didn't congratulate all the little runners....who were pretty amazing! I still managed to beat the Biologist, but the Nuclear Physicist beat me by 29 seconds...next run....next one I will do better :)

Getting ready to whack off my hair....

Here we are at the finish, wanting a pic of us...but my sunglasses arm that's being held together with a paperclip got caught in my hair....and it was crazy trying to get it undone. I think I am going short again....that will make swimming easier....(but I doubt faster :)

It's Parent/Teacher Conference time again...I have been spending most extra moments typing up report cards and waking up on weekend mornings thinking that I have to get to work for conferences....thankfully they are almost over.

I cannot believe it is almost St. Patrick's Day! Time for Green Eggs and Spam. I absolutely LOVE St Patrick's Day....and I am a wee bit Irish so that gives me permission to go all leprechaun crazy at school.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*WEAR GREEN AND WATCH OUT 

FOR 72 YEAR OLD STUDS*

February Anyone?

It came and went and I didn't blog...my laptop died and I took my Christmas money and bought a new one....touch screen and all....and why buy the very expensive insurance because, after all....I bought it with my last one and never used it. THEN....when the Captain was installing all the good stuff, he got the cord tangled...and my new laptop fell perfectly on the corner...AND @*!CRACK~!!*....no more touch screen...

So I haven't been reading blogs or updating. Or really facebooking or checking my email a ton....or playing Spider Solitaire....

But February was pretty cool. The Biologist and I did an indoor Tri. I had a sore throat but still it was fun. The 10 minute swim didn't go well for me...the Biologist did a lap further...we were sharing a lane and my throat felt like it was sticking together inside...but I did okay enough.

Then we had 5 minutes to change and get to our bikes....we rode for 30 minutes. It was hot inside and I had the Captain fan me with a piece of cardboard someone else was using on their husband the wave prior. The Biologist and I tied on mileage.

Then we got on our running shoes and headed across the street where we ran circles..well, sort of ovals around cones at the 50 yard mark and we just circled, (or ovaled,) for 15 minutes. I passed the Biologist on a curve and was slightly ahead at the end. The Captain rang the cowbell for us each time we came around.


...I did get 2nd place out of the 7 people in my age group though :)

Today was a beautiful, sunny day...I ran my weekend run, went to the local Farmer's market and then got gas....and we drove around the local port and then headed over to the Facebook Campus because I wanted this:

and this:

 

and this:

and this:

And then a van full of tourists showed up and we left.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*THUMBS UP*

IN WITH THE NEW.....

....has worked well for 2015....

TREASURE ISLAND - OFF THE OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE. JAN. 24 AT THE FLEA MARKET :)

No visits to E.R....the okay to lift heavy objects and swim again were reinstated...although he has yet to swim, I have 2x. After 7 months of not swimming, I can say that I still suck at swimming :)

On the 15th, The Biologist and I are doing and indoor tri! The unique thing about it is that everyone finishes at the same time! It is all about distance. First, we swim for 10 minutes....and it is how far you go! Then everyone gets a 5 minute transition to their bike, which is mounted on a trainer with an odometer attached....and then everyone bikes for 30 minutes. Another 5 minute transition and everyone runs a course for 15 minutes. The only drawback is that it is in The City....but thankfully I emailed the coordinator and The Biologist and I will be in the same wave....the last wave at 11:00.

Lots to blog about...little time.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*LIVE LIKE EVERYONE'S LOOKING*

Out With the Old...

In With the New....

PLEASE!

Although I have so much to be thankful for, seriously, there will be no tears to shed by having 2014 behind me.

January- I placed 3rd in my division in the New Year's Day Run. I was on my way to a great running year.

February- 28:05 New 5K time

March- 29 minute mile swim!

April- Swim Across America!
          27:08 5K

May-  26:50 5K
          RUGGED MANIAC-The most fantastic obstacle course ever!! With The     Biologist and her friends. I can't wait to do another!!!

June- 2 Stadium Runs- The NEW Levi Stadium  5K and AT&T 10K.
         School ended June 25- I started a week of Camp June 30
         My summer vacation July 26 and 27.
July- July 2. All I know is that everything that could go right, when something goes wrong, went right. I spent every waking hour in ICU from July 2 until July 15. I wiped him down with a wash cloth when the heat rash on his back was most likely irritating him...because he couldn't talk to tell us what hurt. I had to guess. I kept him from pulling out the many tubes- 3 drains, one intubating, oxygen on the nose, one catheter and a wires for a heart monitor. If I stayed at his bedside he did not have his hands and legs tied down. He hallucinated and fought us. And as quickly as he came to, he went back to being Frankenstein. When he returned to us, he made stuff up and the doctors believed it...his wit and humor returned before his sense of reality. Then moved to the Cardiac Surveillance Unit for 5 days...and then to the world's worst rehab center....I still should have listened to my instincts and brought him home from the hospital and skipped rehab. There they held heart medication and sent him into A Fib again. We left rehab via ambulance and returned to good old Sequoia Hospital, to the doctors we trusted. They ran some tests and sent us home.

August- I wasn't sure whether or not I would return to work, or who would stay with The Captain while I went to work. But we all survived. I returned to work having a total of 2 days of summer vacation.

September- Burning the candle at both ends. Teaching, shopping, yard work, bill paying, laundry, lifting- oh....and what I seemed to forget until 10:30 every Thursday night....putting out the trash bin, recycle bin and compost bins for pick up Friday mornings.

October- Will this get better?
              Ran 2 Half marathons 2 weeks apart with The Biologist.

November- Social Security Disability denied.

December- There is light at the end of the tunnel...I see a NEW YEAR coming! I have filed an appeal, burned the hospital paperwork and bill notices...(paid of course,) and 2 of my kids were here for Christmas. The Botanist is now a resident of New Zealand!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR my friends....Wishing you HEALTH & HAPPINESS in 2015!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN BABY RUN*

303 BABY!

I ran over 50 miles last month...exactly a mile and some change over...last year I did that at the end of December....just a bit ahead even though I didn't run for 2 months this summer.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

Seriously, Enough Already....

Just returned from the hospital....The Nuclear Physicist, The Biologist's boyfriend was there all day and had emergency surgery to blast a huge kidney stone that was lodged...somewhere up there.

Tuesday I was in Walgreen's picking up plastic spiders for a Halloween art project when my cell rang...it was BIG Foot...in a lot of pain...I told him to have his roommate drive him to ER....seemed he had the same symptoms that The Nuclear Physicist had...(a mom can dx from 1,000 miles away you know...) So it turned out he did...and they gave him painkillers and told him to drink lots of water....but what does mom know, BECAUSE he drove himself to ER and now had to have his roommate pick him up because he was given pain killers and they would not let him drive home.

Two months back, The Captain had gall stones and we were in ER. Still dealing with his health issues from July's aortic dissection and stroke....and jumping through the hoops to get social security disability....and doing all the work at home, the yard and my job...it's tough.

THEN just to top it off, my district has not negotiated fairly with us- no contract for going on 3 years- and we may be headed for a strike. We are working to contract and it is very hard for me since I usually get to work at 6:30 a.m. Walking in at 8:10 just doesn't work.

I read on someone's Facebook page that, "God only gives you what you can handle".... in this case, God must think I am one bad ass!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*STICKS AND STONES

ARE NOT FOR ORGANS*

SLAM Dunk!

THE END                           13.1 MILES 

S.F WOmen's Nike Half Marathon....last Sunday...that's me in the air...and my The Biologist in the middle...(I have no idea who is stopping their Garmin on the left.) 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER* JUMP HIGHER THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT YOU COULD*

Nike

I wasn't going to run the S. F. Women's Nike this year BECAUSE I didn't get in the lottery. It is the only expensive run I do because it benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...but I didn't get in. THEN, I was at the shoe store Adventure Run last month and they had entrees to give away....I just had to log on and pay the fee!

SOOOOOO, I quickly text my friend in New Jersey and told her I was in! She is a legacy runner and always gets in. But she hadn't been training because she wasn't planning on coming out...since I didn't get in.

Sooooo, Ali took her place...and I promised I would run slow for Ali. I did hold to my promise except I did run up the BIG MOTHER RUNNER hill at mile 9.5 because baby steps were killing me! I did wait at the top...and then I slowly ran the finish and we got our photo holding our hands above our head as we crossed the finish....and then I jumped and danced and hopefully got some silly photos at the end.

Here we are at the end with our Tiffany necklaces....there were no firemen giving out the necklaces this year...just a few that you could take a photo with...I think they were all fighting the big fires in California right now.....so we loaded up our swag bags and headed for home.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH

 HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

It is never very smart....

to run a half marathon without proper training....and although it sounded good last spring when I registered, and what I had been training so very hard for.....but it all fell to pieces July 2nd.

But when you pay to run, and you planned this with your daughter, her boyfriend and another good friend, what else is there to do but run anyway, right?

I was in coral 7, The Botanist and Nuclear Physicist in coral 8, and The Bio-Engineer in 9. I took off knowing full well those kids would pass me. I just wanted to run half of the run, a 10K, in less than an hour. 

At the 5K mark I was at 26 minutes...at the 10K I was at 56 minutes...I was so pleased that I dogged it for the next 3 miles...then I looked at my watch and got mad at myself for going slow...I wasn't tired...my mind just set on doing well for half the run. 

I still hadn't seen my kids pass me yet so I picked up the pace.

And I came in a whole 5 minutes before the kids!
It was very hot by the end of the run...here I am sporting a wet towel they passed out to use with our medals.

I hope to be able to run more so I can get back in the shape I was in prior to July 2nd.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN THE ROCK AND ROLL*

Ragnar Vans- Ragnar Part 2

S.F. to Napa Wine Country Part 2:

So part of the fun of Ragnar is the themed teams and their vans. Some funny names are:

Kiss My Asphalt
Ran It Through The Grapevine
Van Haulin'
Worst Wine Tour Ever
I Thought They Said Rum
This Isn't a 5K?
Will Run for Wine
Bad Ass Mother Runners
Squeeze Me, Stomp Me, Make Me Wine
Half Corked
My Third Leg is Bigger Than Yours
Wanna Take a Napa
Tater Trots
Sole Sisters
Saving the World One Glass at a Time
VAN-ity Fair
Blue Van Group
and my friends team....
"If I Have to Pull This Van Over, Someone's Getting Spanked!

At stops, teams "tag" other teams...with magnets, like this...

and window paint, and "LIVEWRONG" bracelets and Peeps on antennas....(those melted...Ghak!)

It is like one big rolling party....without the alcohol of course. But who needs alcohol when sleep deprivation and running through the night keep you pretty much toasted.

It was fun...and I returned so well rested that my whole week at school was pleasant and I was back to my old happy, worry-free self.....until this weekend...full of lawn mowing, yard work, dog washing, vacuum repair, vacuuming until the beater bar broke, grading math tests, grading spelling tests, grocery shopping, cooking, washing dishes, getting gas at Costco, doing laundry and all the other things I have to do.

I think a Ragnar in So Cal with my kids is sounding pretty good...April...Huntington Beach to San Diego.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN A RELAY* 

RAG NAR! Wine-o-poly was our team name....

12 LADIES- (All of whom could have been my children...youngest 31.)
2 VANS
205 MILES
Golden Gate Park, S.F. to NAPA
                     RAGNAR RELAY
Go ahead....Run like a girl!

I needed a break...I was due for one....and a team needed a runner....so they text me and asked me if I would like to run....the answer to, "Do you know how old I am," didn't seem to scare them off. So I made some sub plans for Friday, left Thursday night with a pillow, a Snugee, two sets of running clothes, running shoes and some socks....oh, and my toothbrush and some Rockstars.

We got to the motel, unpacked and met everyone for dinner at 5 Guys. We were back at the motel and in bed by 11. Our alarms went off at 4:30 and we were packed and in the van on the way to Golden Gate Park by 5. We ran through the safety check, got our safety flags (for crossing the street to help our runner,) got our numbers and sent runner #1 off!!

We dropped off runner #2 at the exchange and then headed across the Golden Gate Bridge...next exchange in Saucalito and then it was my turn to run...

I was pumped and it didn't seem hard as the map had it set as....I don't even remember the hill...the sun was not out but there was 94% humidity. I was pleased with my run...

as shown with the 2 thumbs up in the photo.

Each of our 6 runners in the van ran their leg and then we met up with our other van...they got to sleep in and they met us around lunchtime...we passed off the slap bracelet baton and went to lunch

and then for a nap while the other van ran legs 7-12.

We slept for about 2 hours...light sleep because it is like trying to sleep in an airplane...and then we started over again for legs 13-24.

I was leg 18....it said "Very Hard" but the other said Hard and I owned that leg! I got the bracelet, made the first turn and started up hill.....and thought, the night air feels so good....I can keep this pace up! I was doing 8:50 minute miles...and the hill began...and kept going...and going.....there is no way this chart is correct. I ran uppppp and uppp for 6.2 miles according to my Garmin....there it leveled off some....and then as I rounded a curve it began to go uppppp some more. My time slowed greatly but I made my 8.3 mile leg and just wanted to lay down. Our next two runners had long runs also and by the time we passed off the baton and got to the morning exchange it was 1:30 a.m. We dozed in the huge parking lot at the Fair Grounds in Sonoma...but with other vans coming and going as their teams finished and started again it was very busy....and the lights came on at 4 a.m.!

Our first runner was off at 6:40, so she didn't have to wear a safety vest and lights. My knees hurt from the sloping road the night before. We passed a little deli that had opened and the girls wanted coffee...I got a bagel with cream cheese and a fat slice of tomato on top....I ate half of it and felt so much better. I began to want to do my final leg....I wanted to start right now!

By the time my leg came I was in the chute like a racehorse! I took off and ran up that first bit of hill...my right knee hurt from the slope of the road the night before...but soon the signs had us run on the same side of the street as traffic and now the slope was on the opposite side and my knee was now feeling pretty darn good! I made 7 kills....(which are how many people you pass,) but I still got passed by people.

After our van had finished we headed to the end of the Ragnar Festivities...we got our free pizza but not our free beer....we sat on a blanket at the fair grounds and rested....we had our costumes ready for when our final runner came in....

...then we all crossed the finish line together and took our team photo:

Tomorrow I will post some awesome photos of vans from Ragnar!!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN A RELAY*