It's Finally Here!!!

That's right folks. We are just about 17 hours from the start of my very first half-marathon!! I can't believe it! So I went to the Packet Pick up and Expo yesterday and I was in heaven!! It was like a candy store but with all kinds of running stuff!! Oh and today Pops and I went to the VA spa to see peeps from the not so distant past and this is post is being brought to you on my BRAND NEW iPad! WOOT WOOT WOOT!! So we are off to the Expo. Yep. Taking Pops and Bill so they can buy me Christmas presents. See y'all on the flip side of my half marathon!

Thanksgiving Joy

Happy Belated Thanksgiving dear reader(s)! I hope it was a fantastic holiday spent with family and/or friends and, of course, lots and lots and lots of food!! I had a great time in Chicago with my brother (as always!) When don't we have a great time together? In fact, we did our first 5K together. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr! It was a balmy 25 degrees that morning!

The race was actually on Saturday instead of Thanksgiving. And unfortunately, I had to walk the whole race due to my braniac self moves earlier in the week. My bootcamp workout for Wednesday included dead lifts, which I actually enjoy. However, I apparently decided I could and should do a heavy weight even though it's been months since I've done dead lifts. So needless to say, my hamstrings were a bit tight/sore on Thursday. But that didn't stop me from running Thursday. Now mind you, I had started my run with the intention of only running 4 miles. You know what they say about the best laid plans or good intentions or something along those lines. Anyhoo, I got to two miles (which was where I was going to turn around and run back) and I decided I was feeling good so I should run a few more miles. Well, by the time I got to mile 4, I thought "why not run another mile" and then, of course came "well I've already run 5, what's one more mile?" So I got to 6.1 (almost to downtown Chicago) and decided I should turn around and run back. By that point my hamstrings WERE NOT happy with me! Wonder why??? Long story short...I ran 12 miles but my hamstrings have not stopped hurting (and it's Sunday night). Back to the Turkey Trot, though. I walked the whole course but I walked a great pace. 14:08 min/miles. I was actually passing folks who were running. I guess running helps you walk faster too!

So this week (one week before my big race), I will NOT be doing any lower body exercises and will only be doing short runs, if any. I am not taking any chances. I want to have fresh legs ready to kick some half-marathon butt!!! Thanksgiving was spent with my brother's friend Juliette and her family. It was such a great time! Her daughter Teegan, just turned one and is so cute! She was definitely the entertainment for the night. Well, her and the Chubby Bunny contests. Yes, that is multiple Chubby Bunny contests. It's amazing what happens when you combine grown adults, a wee bit of alcohol and large marshmallows! Somehow, though, we weren't as successful as we were when we were young. I think the most this time was only 5 or 6 as opposed to double digit marshmallows back in the day. Oh well. It was quite enjoyable. What am I thankful for this year? Many of the same things I am always thankful for. My family, my friends, my health. Also this year, I am thankful to live so close to my brother. It has been great to see him so often. I am also thankful for the opportunities I have had to travel the world. I've been very fortunate in recent years. I am also thankful for modern medicine. Without it, I probably wouldn't be running my first half-marathon this weekend. And I am thankful for difficult situations. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today. So, this week, I'm off to Memphis. YAAAAY!!! I can't believe my first half-marathon is almost here!!! Such a long time coming. And I get to see my wonderful friends there! YAY YAY YAY! I'll leave you all, tonight, with a recommendation. If you have not downloaded, purchased, borrowed or stolen (just kidding. Don't steal. It's wrong) the new Pink album...GO OUT NOW AND GET IT!!! You won't regret it.

Time Flies

Wow. I guess it didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted anything. I know you all have missed me terribly and are waiting with baited breath to hear what's been going on. So sit right down, get comfy, grab a beverage and let's dish... My most exciting news of the past few weeks was the 10-K race I did last weekend. It wasn't just a normal 10-K, though. I had to get up at 5am to drive 3 hours into Wisconsin (in the rain) and then ran the entire race (again in the pouring rain and a wee bit of a chill) in 1:05:38. Now the most exciting part of that time is that I shaved 4 minutes and 30 seconds of my previous time from the Komen race in Chicago. I was so ecstatic! And I ran the whole thing! No walking at all. It was a bit tough toward the end but I was successful and that's the most important thing. The St. Jude half is in two weeks so I'm glad I got a good race under my belt. So here's the before pic...

And here's the after...

Can you tell it was a wee bit wet??? But it was great fun! And we got tiaras (it was a ladies only run)!! Speaking of tiaras...I got mine (for the Princess Half) in time for the 10-K so I could practice running with it. Surprisingly, it didn't move much and I really didn't even notice it was there. So that's a good sign. For those of you who I haven't told, Jess, Julia and I are all dressing as our favorite Disney Princess for the race. Originally, I was going to be Ariel (Little Mermaid is still one of my fave Disney flicks) and then I watched Brave and decided that Princess Merida (pronounced mare-eh-duh)was more me than Ariel. So here is a picture of her...

And here's me...

It's not an exact resemblance but you get the idea. And the best part is that I found her bow and arrow set that I can order and then figure out a way to strap it to me during the run! It should be great fun! Oh...and Jess is going as Belle and Julia as Tyanna (from The Princess and the Frog). We are currently working on our costumes and I will post pictures when I have them. In other exciting news...my boys are 8-1! They currently have the best record in the NBA. Yep, that's right. My Grizz are on top! And one of those wins I actually got to see in person! What a hoot that was! I'm pretty sure the Milwaukee Bucks fans will never forget the red-headed, obnoxious Grizz fan! Now mind you...there were like 3 other Grizz fans there but none of them represented like I did!

And when I go to Memphis in a week and a half (WOOT WOOT), I get to see them at home! I just am so proud of them. They are proving all of the critics wrong. And they are finally getting the recognition and respect they deserve. It's bittersweet for me. I am so glad they are doing well. I just wish I could be at more games. Anyhoo... I am growing up a bit more. I got an actual bed for my guest room, thanks to Mom. She says it is my birthday present for next year but I think the real reason is because she was tired of sleeping on a futon whenever she came to visit. Regardless, I love it (though I slept in it one night and it's not near as comfy as my bed). But it's still comfortable. Especially compared to the futon. So those of you who live far away, feel free to come visit anytime and enjoy the comfort of a real bed!

Now...I realize that there is irony in me saying I'm growing up in getting guest room furniture and there are teddy bears on the bed. I didn't say I am completely grown up! There is still a little kid inside me :) And the linens...well...they are left overs from previuos beds but I am working on getting linens. I haven't been on the road much lately (thank heaven) but in my travels of recent, I did find opportunity to discover more about this area. For example, just south of Iron Mountain near Pembine, Wisconsin is this geographical marker.

I will say, though, I am a bit surprised that it is mid-November and we haven't had any measurable snow. We got a dusting of it last week but it lasted about a minute. It has been chilly though. The high the other day, while I was driving, was a balmy 24 degrees.

I don't mind the cold but I sure would like snow to go with it. Everyone here thinks I'm crazy because I want snow but what can I say? I love snow! This week is Thanksgiving. I'm excited to go to Chicago and hang out with my bro. It really is one of the best parts about living in Iron Mountain. We get to see each other way more than we have since we lived together in Seattle (which was like a million years ago). We signed up to do a 5-K Turkey Trot on Saturday. Should be interesting seeing as how we are both in pain today (my hip, his knees). We may hobble through the course rather than trotting! But it should be fun! Next week I leave for Memphis for my first ever half marathon! Thanks to all my friends and family, I reached my goal of $2500! It means alot that everyone has supported me. I am a little nervous for the race but even if I have to walk most if it I am going to finish!! That's my only goal at this point! I will try my hardest, dear reader(s), to post more often. I owe it to you, my fan(s). :):):)

Ranting

Yep, that's what this post is going to be. I know, I know. I shouldn't use this as a forum to vent but dang it!! I'm going to. It's not really ranting about anything that I or anyone else has any control over. I just can't believe that it's the Grizzlies home opener and I am sitting in freaking Iron Mountain, Michigan forced to watch it on TV!!! Now, I realize that it was my decision to move here and I was never going to stay in Memphis permanently. But that's beside the point. I just want to complain for a minute. Okay, that's out of my system. Thanks for listening :)

First Day of Boot Camp

Yep...you read that right. MK is going to boot camp. Not like military boot camp, though. Exercise boot camp. It's called Best Body Bootcamp and tonight was my first workout. So far...I think this is going to be awesome! I mean, every ounce of my body hurts, except maybe my toes. But no pain, no gain right? I have to be honest though, I didn't complete the full interval training. I did half of it and thought I was going to fly off the back of the treadmill and since tomorrow is a running day, I decided to take it easy. But aside from that, I did the whole workout. My hip did start hurt a bit but I think it's because I haven't been doing as many squats or lunges as I did tonight. I think over time it will get better. Check it out...you may want to do it the next round...

Less than 6 weeks until my first half-marathon. I can't believe it's almost here. I'm not quite ready for it but am really going to buckle down with my training. Looking forward to seeing all my friends in Memphis again...especially at the finish line!! What a great way to finish my first race. Plus my dad will be there so that will be nice as well. Last week, I was in DC for work. It was a great opportunity and I got to hang out in the city again. Of course, you know I can't go to DC and not have an "incident". This time, it wasn't the bicycle that got the better of me. It was the layout of the city and the stupid rain. So Monday night I decided that I would go to Legal Seafood for dinner. My favorite seafood place. Anyway...I was staying in a part of town I'd not been in before but I figured I could find it anyway and would walk there. Yeah...I should learn by now. So I started walking and 10 minutes later, I was back at my hotel. Yep...walked around the block. Unintentionally of course. So I pulled out the GPS on my phone (what did we do before GPS on phones?) and followed the little blue arrow. Luckily...I was a good Girl Scout and had my umbrella with me because shortly thereafter...a downpour. 45 minutes after I started I made it to the restaurant. I decided to take the Metro back to my hotel. It was better that way. I also got to see my cousin, Sarah Lynn, I haven't seen in 15 years! It was fantastic. I got to meet her fiance who is a very nice guy. Then I got to see Jess (my Princess half marathon buddy) and her baby Gwyn who just turned 1 and I hadn't met her yet. What fun!!

The surprise of the weekend was that our hotel was hosting the Miss Adams Morgan Pageant which, contrary to my initial thought, was NOT a traditional pageant. It was a drag pageant which led us to have some great conversations and great people watching! It's been a long time since I've been around the drag circuit so it was so much fun to be around those people.

So this week, I'm off to Milwaukee for a few days and then my mommy arrives!! WOO HOO!!! So excited to see her! Plus my Halloween/House Warming party is Saturday so lots of stuff going on! Have a great week!!

The Joy of Being Sick

Yucky, yucky, yucky. The good news is it's not strep throat and it's getting better. The bad news is I hate being sick. I wasn't going to go to the doctor (because no one that works in healthcare is a good patient and goes to the doctor when they should) but while on travel this week, I was sort of "forced" into it. We were having a meeting about partnerships with Indian Health Service and Tribal clinics and we had our vendor for tele-health equipment doing a demo. For those of you who don't know what tele-health is, it's basically medical appointments done via video-conference. It's great for rural health because patients don't have to drive 3 hours one way for a 15 minute appointment. So...he was doing a demo and taking pictures of moles and such and I made a joke about having a sore throat so he could use the camera to look at my throat. So he hooks up the camera/tongue depressor and sticks it in my mouth and every clinician in the room at the same time said "Please go to the doctor" and other such phrases. So I went to the walk-in clinic and was told it's not strep. Just tonsilitis. And then I came home and slept for 17 hours. Guess I was tired too. But last weekend was lots of fun! One of my good friends from Memphis came to spend the long weekend and we headed north to the Keweenaw Peninsula. Had a FANTASTIC time! Just a few pics...it was GORGEOUS! The colors were amazing. And we learned all about copper mining. Of course, we were going to try to look at some camps I had found but of course, they didn't exist where they were supposed to exist. We had a great time though!

Also this past week...I experienced my first Native American sweat. It was AMAZING. It is hard to desribe why it is so powerful but it really is. It helped clear my psyche after all the drama that's been going on. I'm not fully over it but definitely not as upset as I was. I would really like to do another sweat sometime. It really was a cool experience. This week's lesson: This town really is small and you never know who you are going to meet.

Fall has fallen

You can tell by the corn mazes and all the pumpkins everywhere. Did I mention I LOVE FALL?! Especially here in the U.P with all the colors!

I don't often say this about pictures of me, but this is actually a great picture!

I'm focusing on the positive these days. Turns out, there are crappy people everywhere including small town U.P. But...I'm going to stay positive and enjoy what life has to offer. Here are my positive outlooks today... One of my good friends from Memphis is coming to visit this weekend. I can hardly wait!! It will be so fantastic to have her here! We are heading north (can you believe it's possible to go further north?) because apparently the colors up there are more breathtaking than the ones here. It should be spectacular. Positive outlook number two...I had a fabulous idea today and it's going to work out. I am in DC week after next for work and my friend Jess who I am running the Princess Half Marathon with lives 3 hours away. I have yet to see her baby (who will be one this month) so they and her sister-in-law (who is also so much fun!) are going to come to the city and we are spending the weekend in DC! WOO HOO!!! It will be such fun! I haven't seen Jess in at least 2 years. So no pouty face for me. I refuse to let the yucky people win!