it's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you

Thursday, 01/24/19, 3:17pm

Hi.

Ummm, hey.

It's been a little while.

Well kinda a long while.

I think as time went longer since my last post, I found it harder and harder to come back.

Things are, well, going.

I'm actually doing pretty well right now. I finished that DBT course at the end of November, got excited about exercise again and have made it a priority each week since then, and I'm slowly learning how to incorporate some new skills in my life. It's certainly not perfect, and never will be, and to be totally fair, perfection is not possible for any of us. But it's... not too bad really. I've gotten my kiddos interested in "meditation". Probably a good couple times a week, when they're working on falling asleep, I'll talk them through an exercise. I talk them through some breathing, some imagery usually, and just some general good calming techniques. We've only done it at bedtime so far, but I really like that sometimes they request it. It's pretty cool to be honest.

For Christmas we drove to the Chicago area. Nasser and I are both from there. His immediate family is there, but I now only have extended family there. And of course, we both have quite a few friends there still. We were there for about a week, it was really nice and all, but a bit of a whirlwind, as it usually is. We did get to spend some really good quality time with Nasser's family, and some bits with some friends but definitely couldn't fit in everybody. The picture below was taken at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, by Nasser's mom, with a little enhancement I guess by Google. I totally love that the boys ended up in the background.

And just one more picture. Not perfect, and a bit blurry, but I caught some of the Chicago skyline outside the Shedd Aquarium. It makes me happy.

Somehow over the holidays I decided I would train for this half marathon. I've been registered for it for awhile. It all started with having registered for the Glacier National Park half marathon last June, which my three siblings and one brother-in-law ran. I didn't train, was in no shape to do it, was having foot problems, and so I didn't do it. I was able to transfer my registration to a different race, specifically the Zion National Park half marathon, which is one month from yesterday, Saturday February 23rd. I guess you could say I've been doing ok. I made out a little schedule for myself and did my longest run yet yesterday- 8.2 miles. I'm doing physical therapy every week to keep from getting injured, keeping up with some cross-training, and I'm trying not to get wrapped up into too high of expectations. I've been extremely surprised with how well it's all going.

Next week we have a contractor starting up with our bathroom remodel, finally. It's been a long and stressful process trying to find one we like, finalize our design, and get through choosing everything (which we have a lot of still). But it is happening and I really really can't wait to have it all finished.

This Sunday we are attending a Celebration of Life event. It's for the anesthesiologist/psychiatrist from the place I did ECT. The whole thing is really heartbreaking. He and the other psychiatrist started this practice, and this guy was diagnosed with cancer literally one month before dying. He was a really kind and calming person to be putting you to sleep prior to the seizure. You always knew you were in good hands. The event is expected to have a really large attendance.

And now I have no transition from that sad paragraph. But then, as usual, we are experiencing my jumping around train of though.

I've figured out something I really love about winter. RG and TK are now "grown up" enough that after school, when there's snow, I feel comfortable letting them outside for hours at a time while they sled, build sledding jumps, and make snowballs. Sometimes they're out there until it has gotten fully dark. They like going to the slope across the other side of the greenbelt lawn, but even when they're there I can make them out from the back window. Usually when it gets dark though, they hang out just to the side of our house (see pic below) where there is a very small slope. When they come home, their stuff is soaked, they stink, and often they have dragged into the garage some huge "snowballs" in the sleds that they want to save. In December there was even a time when they put snowballs into plastic bags and stored them in the freezer for a few weeks.

(You know what? I love having a post that's mostly good things.)

Oh and, going back to the exercise discussion, I am suddenly doing an "indoor triathlon" this Sunday. One of my sisters was signed up for it but has been having knee issues, so when she asked if anyone wanted her spot, for some reason I said yes. Hah. It should be ok though. It's all in a gym. And it's based on time. So they throw you in the pool for 10 minutes, give you a 10 minute transition, you go on a stationary bike for 30 minutes, 5 minute transition, then 20 minutes on a treadmill. And they just track your distance on each segment and you get points based on that. We'll see. I would be a bit happier with like 20 minutes in the pool and less of the others.

One more thing. I promise. I really will stop bragging/sharing/whatever this is. I am yet again trying to be in my choir. I'm really excited about it, again. And this time, I really hope it sticks. Our upcoming March concert is Mardi Gras music, aka New Orleans Jazz music. I think it's going to be amazingly awesome.

Well, perhaps when I next post I'll be able to update on my half marathon. Which hopefully happens. And I hopefully don't kill my body in trying to make it happen.