Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Despite an iffy forecast, Greg, my brother-in-law Rob, and I decided to take the kids out on the pontoon boat yesterday.  Now that I'm going back to work, our multiple, mid-week trips to the lake are over, at least until next summer.  We always have so much planned on the weekends, that our pontoon boating in general is going to be very limited now.  We may be able to go out this coming Saturday, but  we wanted to squeeze in another outing while we had the chance.  It was drizzly when we left Hollidaysburg, but by the time we got to Huntingdon, it was humid but dry.  I'm always amazed at how different the weather is at a place that's only 30 miles away.  I guess it's the mountains, or the water...I don't know why, but it's always just a little different.  We hopped on the boat, traveled around and did "boat things" for a while and just when we were getting into our groove, the storms hit.  I can't say I was surprised.  The weather man said there was a chance of scattered thunder storms.  So we packed up our stuff and headed home around 1:30.  4 hours on the boat is better than none!  

  

It started out promising.  After a little ride down the lake, the sun came through the clouds and the gang got in for a swim. 

The kids even swam to the bank and wandered around collecting rocks.

"This sure doesn't look like Michigan's shore line!" 

They swam for over 30 minutes and then decided 

that it was time for some lunch and relaxation under the bimini (or afimaby, as Sharon says!)

And then the rain hit.  

It started slowly, and we thought it would pass, but as you can see, it did not.  When the thunder and lightning started, we had no choice but to get off of the water.  

Even with the rain, the kids had a good time.  

We just bundled up in wet towels and headed home.  

The "boys" (Greg and Rob) stayed to fish and, as is typical for a rainy day, caught us enough fish for both of our families to eat dinner.  All in all, it was a good day.  It could have been longer for the kids and me, but I'm not complaining.  I'll take what I can get!  

Cat Napper

Warm and cozy under the covers.

"What on earth could be important enough to disturb my slumber?"

"I'm not opening my eyes."

"Too comfortable to get up."

"Oh, just scratch my neck a little over here..."

"Purrfect.  Now, let me go back to sleep."

UP North

OK, we weren't actually on the UP, we were on the tip of the lower peninsula in Northern Michigan, but LP North didn't have quite as good of a ring to it!  

Let's start at the beginning...

A few months ago, my friend Linda invited me to visit her in her lake home in Northern Michigan.  Linda and I have been friends since I was 19, a sophomore at Allegheny College.  She was the head of the German Department and I was a student.  I only took one class with her as my professor, but we became friends almost right away.  I should say, she was a good friend and mentor to me.  I don't think it was really until years later that I would consider the friendship to be equal.  At any rate, she took me under her wing throughout my years at Allegheny and we have kept in touch ever since.   For years, she has been asking us to visit her in Michigan, but the timing was just never very good for us.  Even though we wanted to go, it was a long ride, with small children and I just didn't think it would be the best option for us.  This year, however, the timing seemed right.  Jake was going to the beach with my mom.  Andrew is 4 and much easier to handle now than as a toddler.  So we decided to go for it!

 The night before we were planning to leave, we had a major storm blow through our area and wipe out our power.  After hearing all of the horror stories about people along the East coast who had no power for days, we were worried about all the food in our fridge and freezer.  I was afraid that in the morning we would still be out of power and I didn't want to be calling friends and family at 5 a.m to ask if we could use their freezers until we got home.  So at 930 we started moving all of our food to my mom's house and Greg's brother's house.  Just after we were done, what do you think happened?  Yep, the power came back on.  Ugh.  We didn't unload their refrigerators that night.  We left everything until we got back.  It made for quite a busy morning on our first day home!

We didn't want to drive the entire way to Indian River, MI in one day.  We left relatively early on Sunday morning and drove to Sandusky, OH to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge.  Greg had fished many tournaments in Sandusky and had been eyeing up the lodge as a potential place for us to take the kids for years.  It worked out well, because it was almost exactly half way.  The Great Wolf Lodge was great for Andrew.  He had a blast!  It has an indoor water park, an outside pool, two restaurants and an arcade as well as several activities that they do with the kids daily.  Greg and I were a little less than impressed with some it.  The food left a lot to be desired and the staff were all a bit strange...but then again, maybe you have to be a bit off kilter to work in a place like that!  At any rate, we won't stay there again.  It was really too young for Jake anyway.  But Andrew had a lot of fun and that's what mattered for this trip.  Here are some photos:  

Now that's riding in style - neck pillow, ear phones, and a DVD player with Power Rangers movie.  Who could ask for more?

Looking down on the water park from the lobby.

The bed area for the kiddos was cool.  Andrew thought it was the neatest thing ever. 

He gave it a definite "thumbs-up!"

At dinner, they gave him wolf ears.  One of the things that I thought was really odd was that the mascot at the Great WOLF lodge was a raccoon.  They made tons of references to wolves, but I didn't see a single wolf character there, except the stuffed ones in the gift shop.  Hmm...

Andrew begged and begged for a pack of Swedish fish.  I finally caved in and bought him some, only to have a near heart attack when the cashier told me it would be $7.52 for the container!  Damn!

I was the coolest parent in the arcade with my ears, plastic beaded necklace, bracelet and plastic bull.  (Actually, you would think that this would be an unusual sight, but sadly, it was not.  There were plenty of other parents wearing wolf ears and plastic necklaces!)

Monday morning we got back on the road and headed to Michigan.  What a nicer drive the second day was!  Once we got out of the cities, it was just highway and forest.  Calm and serene.  The calm and serene feeling lasted all week long.  Linda and George's home is on Mullett Lake.  It's a beautiful lake in the middle of several water ways.  We spent most of our time on the water.  They have a fantastic (and fast!) ski boat which kept us more than occupied.  We toured the rivers, explored some amazing sand shoals and swam.  In the evenings, we ate dinner on the deck and talked while Andrew threw rocks into the lake and played in the wooded area behind their house.  Andrew was amazingly well behaved the entire time, which was a real blessing.  I hope that Linda and George had as good of a time hosting us as we did visiting!  

Shortly after we arrived on Monday afternoon, we loaded up the boat, took a quick zip around the lake and swam for a little bit.  What a great way to shake of the road! 

"Come on, Koelle!  Get your butt down here so we can get going!"

The water was simply amazing.  I know I keep using that word, but honestly, I was nothing less than amazed throughout the trip.  The water was so clear and blue-green, if I didn't know better, I would have thought I was in the Caribbean!  The bottom of the lake wasn't slimy and rocky like our lakes, but was rather covered in sand!  It was like visiting an ocean without the salt! 

This is the mouth of the Cheboygan River, which also lead into the Black River, where Linda's sister lives.  It was pretty neat to take the boat across the lake and through the rivers to visit her family!

Some trees popping through the surface of the Black River.  Beautiful, isn't it?

An old restored boat we saw along the Black River.  

Andrew, loving his seat at the front of the boat! 

Now that's some wide open space! 

We took some "science" activities for Andrew.  He had fun showing Linda the baking soda and vinegar experiment, but mostly, he loved throwing rocks into the lake and battling the trees in their back yard!

We saw some gorgeous sunsets from their deck.

This is one of their kitties.  Unfortunately, the cats are not used to little ones and it would be an understatement to say they hated us.  Can't you see the contempt in her face, "What the hell are you doing here?"  

There were also a lot of loons in the area.  

Greg go to do some fishing too, which was the "cake topper" to his vacation.  He didn't catch any fish in this spot, but he did catch several bass at Linda's sister's house on the Black River.  We had them for dinner on our last night there!  Yum! 

Linda and me on the last night, looking happy, but a little beat up from the sun and wind.  My camera ran out of batteries right after this shot, so I don't have the photos of all four of us together.  George is supposed to email them to me and I'll share them soon.

Cutting it a little close on gas on the way home, with an estimated 3 miles before puttering to a dead stop on an empty tank! 

We made it home in one day.  It took almost exactly 12 hours for us, including stops.  Andrew was great in the car.  He didn't complain or have any tantrums at all.  That's a lot for a 4 year old!  Greg and I had more behavior problems than he did!  As soon as we crossed the Pennsylvania boarder, the speed dropped 5 miles an hour and the rain began.  Seriously, rain hit our windshield immediately after the sign, "Welcome to Pennsylvania."  Ugh.  Actually, we need the rain, but it's hard to come home to dreary, cloudy weather after so many beautiful days out on the water.  

We can't wait to get back to Michigan.  Greg already has plans for next year, but in the meantime we will have to get by on some lovely memories.  Thanks, Linda, for hosting.  We had a wonderful time! 

Move Over Medium

Remember a few months ago when I was obsessed with a visit that I made to a medium? (If you don't remember, or you haven't read it and are so inclined click here).   I haven't really talked about it since then, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it.  Actually, I spent several months ruminating  over the words she said, the potential meaning (or lack thereof) behind them, the validity of that evening's events.  I prayed to God for answers.  I begged my grandmother for a tangible sign of her presence.  I even made a deal with my aunt Carmen that when she dies, she'll drop me a few coffee beans from the other side!

I don't think you'll be surprised to hear that I have yet to be given any concrete answers.  (Thank goodness, my aunt Carmen is still living, so I haven't stumbled upon any coffee beans either!)  I may not have been given answers to the questions I was asking, but that doesn't mean I came away from the experience frustrated and empty handed.  Let me explain:

One night, weeks after I saw the medium, and well after my obsession with making contact with the dead began, I had a dream.  I was standing at the top of the stairs of Jacob's school, looking down onto Spruce Street in Hollidaysburg.  School was letting out for the afternoon and there were lots of parents and children walking around, greeting one another, getting into their cars, etc.  The sky was overcast, threatening of rain, but still dry.   I saw a woman standing at the corner in a tan, 1950's style rain jacket, cinched at the waist with a thick belt.  She had her back to me, and had mid-length, wavy, black hair.  I thought that she looked familiar, and I stared at her, trying to place her.  As I was looking at her, she turned around and faced me.  It was my grandmother, but she was not the grandmother I knew as a child.  The woman in front of me was my grandmother from an old photo I have of her and my grandfather some time before they were married, young and beautiful.  As I realized who she was, she slowly morphed into the woman I remembered, a woman in her early 50's, a little pudgy, a few laugh lines around her face.  She didn't say a word, but smiled sweetly, waved to me, and gave me a slight, knowing nod as she slowly got into a car that was parked on the curb.  Then I woke up.  It was the end of the dream, and also, somehow, the end of my darkness.  This dream occurred in the early morning, and I awoke right before my alarm was set to go off.  I opened my eyes to the faint light of day creeping through my blinds, and I felt completely at peace.

Now, what the dream really was is a question I will always have.  It could have been my grandmother who finally came to me and silently said, "I am here."    Or it could have been my brain's way of releasing the constant churning that had been going on for eons.  I don't know, and I can honestly say I don't need to know the answers for once.  What I know is that since I had the dream, I have felt more at peace with my grandmother's passing than ever before in my life.  I still think about her every day.  I still miss her tremendously, but I am not obsessed with contacting her.  I am not relentlessly searching for signs from beyond the grave.  For as long as I can remember, I have experienced random moments when an intense and sudden sadness overtakes me for no apparent reason.  I haven't had one of those moments in months.  I have fleeting moments of slight melancholy, of course.  I'm not completely cured.  A large part of those bouts are simply embedded in my personality.  Even with the touches of sadness,  however, I have not felt that extreme, unexplainable despondency since I had the dream.

I'm curious to see if this new-found peace will stay with me.  What strikes me the most is that after so many years, decades really, of actively searching, scouring the depths of my own soul to find peace, it somehow made its way to me quietly, on its own, without my help.  It was not something that I summoned at all, but rather something that just serenely emerged.  Had I been trying to hard?  Was I just not ready before?  Why now, has it come so easily?  I don't know why or how.  What I do know is that I am grateful.

For a while after I saw the medium, I wondered if I had made a mistake.  What if I had broken some kind of spiritual law.  What if I had summoned my grandmother from beyond without her permission?  Could I have caused a rift in the spiritual continuum, causing irreparable damage to the peace of her afterlife? What about the things the medium said?  Were they true?  Was I missing signs, not observant enough, failing myself in yet another area of my life?  What if the whole thing was one big farce, and I spent countless hours wrangling with my own thoughts and demons based on something that was simply not true?  How could I know for sure?  That final question is the one that bothered me the most.  I wanted, no I needed, to know for certain.

Over the last few months, I have lost that need to know for certain.  I still wonder.  I give credence to all possibilities.  I think that it's entirely possible for our loved ones to contact us from the other side, for them to guide and love us even in death.  I also think that there's a good possibility that there is simply nothing after death.  Lights out.  That's it.  I think it's highly likely that all constructs of life after death, even organized religion in general (don't lynch me here) are all simply elaborate, man-made postulations created to comfort our own fears and insecurities and give meaning to our existence.  I'm not saying I don't believe in God.  On the contrary, I do believe in God.  Personally, I think that the universe is just too complicated to be explained by science alone.  I absolutely believe in a higher guiding presence.  But I also see why many people do not.

The point was not to argue religion, though.  The point was to illustrate the change in my perspective.  I like to think we are guided to where we need to be in our lives and given the experiences we need to mold us into the people we supposed to become.  That's my personal take on life.  One can argue it many ways.  Fate or free will, guided or blindly stumbling, there's no arguing that what we experience shapes us.  I no longer look at my visit to the medium as a mistake.   I needed to question.  I needed the issues that have been floating around in my brain for so long to come to a head and be released.  The validity of her actual words don't matter.  The visit has been validated in its own right by my peace of mind.  In many ways, she truly did act as a medium for me - either by channeling my grandmother, or by simply acting as a bridge to my contentedness.  The medium was the jumping board for my serenity, and I am beyond grateful for the peace.  I no longer feel a relentless need to contact my grandmother.  I am at ease knowing that she is with me.  However she is with me - in my head or actually by my side - doesn't matter.  I don't need a medium to reassure me, all I need is myself.

That said, if I ran into Teresa Caputo, I would absolutely hit her up for a reading!  But for now, I'm happy to just be, something that I don't think I've ever been able to say before, something that speaks for itself and sets me worlds beyond my former struggles.

Strapped For Cash

I made a batch of homemade laundry detergent this morning and it made me think about ways to save money.  I have a bunch of friends who are yard sale and warehouse store addicts.  I see some of the things they come away with and I'll admit that I have thought, "Gee, maybe I should try it.  That's a steal!"  But the fact of the matter is that I am just not a bargain shopper.  I don't shop at discount stores or yard sales because I don't have the desire to devote hours of digging through piles junk just to find that one gem amidst the garbage.  Likewise, I'm not an extreme couponer by a long shot.  Sometimes I browse through the fliers in the Sunday paper, but I rarely act on them.  I clip coupons, and I use them when I grocery shop, but I often find that buying a store brand is cheaper than the name brand with a coupon anyway.   I have gone to various coupon websites, but I always find myself extremely frustrated because they ask you to sign up for new letters and then bombard you with spam, or have all  kinds of hoops to jump through.  I look at people who save hundreds of dollars in one shopping trip with a kind of awe.  I'm envious.  I wish I had the time and motivation to hunt bargains like they do, but the fact is that I don't.  My priorities are elsewhere, not in bargain hunting, but that doesn't mean that I don't try to save money when I can.  I may not be an extreme saver, but I am a planner and a good budgeter.  I think that those two things go a long way when it comes to finances.  So if you're looking for tips on how to save thousands of dollars a year on your grocery bill, this probably isn't the blog for you...but then again, maybe it is.  The little things add up.  If I sat down and really assessed my tactics, I bet I would find that I am at least not wasting money, which in my opinion is just as important as saving it.

Here are some of the things I do:

• I started making my own cleaning supplies.  Let's face it, cleaning supplies are expensive and the generic ones just don't work very well.  I was skeptical at first about making my own cleaners, but after several months of using my own laundry detergent, I am pleasantly surprised.  Here's the recipe given to me by a friend:

Liquid Laundry Detergent:

• Water
• 2 gallon bucket - I save laundry detergent bottles and put it in them. Easier to shake up and use
• 1/2 Cup borax
• 1/2 Cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
• 1/3 Fels Naphtha Bar soap - grated

In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water and 1/3 grated Fels Naphtha bar soap over medium heat until soap dissolves. Add 1/2 cup or Borax and 1/2 Cup of Super Washing Soda. Stir until powder dissolves. Remove from heat.

In a 2 gallon bucket pour in one quart of water. Add hot soap mixture carefully and slowly. Top bucket off with water to 2 gallon mark. Stir well. Pour into empty detergent bottles.  Allow to cool overnight. It will be a gel-like goop.  Shake it before using.  If the gel is too thick, just add more water and shake again.  Use 1/2 to 1 cup per load depending on your laundry needs and load size.  I just use 2 lid-fulls from the old detergent bottles.  This detergent is low sudsing, so it's great for front loaders and HE machines.  

This is a super easy recipe, but to be honest, grating that bar of soap is a PIA.  When I make it, I grate the whole bar and triple the recipe.  It makes a TON of detergent if you triple the recipe, so make sure you have 4 or 5 empty detergent bottles to store it in.  You will spend around $10 total on this recipe, and there will be plenty of the Borax and Arm and Hammer Washing Soda for many more batches.  You'll just have to buy more Fels bars, but they are only around $2 each.  Not bad when you consider that for a bottle of Tide, it's around $15 just for one container!  

Instead of buying dryer sheets, I have been using the Bounce Dryer bar for over a year now.  It's not expensive - one bar costs about $6 and lasts 4 months, and it's easy.  No dryer sheets to remember, nothing to throw away after the load of laundry is done.  

I have stopped buying expensive cleaners for my bathrooms and counters.  I just use bleach diluted in water in an old Windex spray bottle.  I still buy Windex for the windows, mirrors and anything glass (like my computer desk cover), because nothing beats real Windex.  I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in my tub along with the bleach (They make a nice one now for the tub that is bigger and easier to use).  Otherwise, I just use bleach, water and a rough rag on pretty much every surface in the house.  It's so much cheaper than buying comet, and soft scrub, and counter spray, etc.  Now, I do use Murphy's Oil soap on my floors, Pledge to dust with, and of course I keep a can of aerosol Lysol handy!  (I may be trying to save money, but not at the cost of allowing germs to breed in my home!)  

• I plan my grocery trips.  
• I keep the coupons that I clip in an envelope in a cupboard in my kitchen.  When I make my grocery lists, I go through the coupons, attach them to my list with a paper clip.  I put an asterisk next to the items that I have a coupon for, so I don't forget when I am shopping.  That said, if I get to the store and another brand is cheaper or I find that I don't need 3 of a particular item, I don't buy it just because I have a coupon.  Coupons don't always save you money.  
• I plan out my meals a week in advance and write them on a chalk board hanging in my kitchen. I make my grocery list according to the meals I want to make.  That way, I know I have the ingredients on hand when I am ready to cook, and I am not buying a bunch of random things I don't need.  The meal planning isn't just for dinners.  I plan lunches and snacks too!  
• While I plan my meals a week in advance, I only buy the items needed for the first half of the week.  I always make at least two, sometimes more, grocery trips per week.  Many times I may plan to eat meatloaf on Thursday, but then we have a bunch of left overs or get invited somewhere and those plans fall through.  Instead of letting all those items go to waste, I keep a list on my fridge for a mid-week shopping trip and buy the second round of meal items on Tuesday or Wednesday.  The same goes for produce.  We eat a lot of fruits and veggies, but they don't last a whole week.  If I buy a few on Saturday, we will eat them all and need more by mid-week.  Produce is expensive.  It's a good idea to buy it strategically.  
• I try to buy local produce in the summer too.  It's often cheaper (except for Baronner's corn, which is expensive, but worth the extra moola!) and it's better for the local economy and environment.  
• I keep an ongoing list for grocery shopping on my fridge so that when I notice I am running low on something I can jot it down right away.  That way I don't run out of things I need, and I don't have to think too much when it comes time to make my list. 
• When I have coupons for things that are expensive, like razors and toiletries, I buy them in advance.  I don't keep stockpiles of supplies like some people, but I always make sure that I have at least one extra on hand.  Every so often I find a "buy one get one free" coupon for razors and I always use it.  Razors are expensive, and that is one item that you just have to buy name-brand.  Razor burn from a cheap razor isn't worth any amount of saving in my opinion!  
• I like to think that planning my shopping trips in advance is saving me in several ways.  It keeps us from wasting food, and it also saves time and gas.  When I am working, I stop at the grocery store mid-week on my way home, so that I'm not going out of my way to get the stuff I need.  Time is money and gas is even more money! 
• We use the "envelope system" and plan ahead.  
• If we know something big is coming up, like a Disney cruise with the kids in two years, we will designate an envelope for savings specific to that event.  When we get paid or have a few extra bucks, we throw it into the envelope, which is kept in a locked safe, out of sight, out of mind.  By the time the event comes along, we have usually saved enough cash to pay for the bulk of whatever we are doing.  
• I do the same with my bank accounts.  I keep separate savings accounts for Jacob's school tuition and educational needs.  With each pay check, I automatically transfer money into "his" account, so that by the time school starts in the fall I can buy uniforms and pay his tuition up front without dipping into my savings or checking.  
• I keep envelopes for routine things too, like birthdays and celebrations, Christmas, car repairs, etc.  I throw a couple bucks into the those envelopes each pay and then when the time comes to buy a gift or take care of a minor car issue, it almost feels as if we didn't have to pay for it, because the money was "inaccessible" anyway.
• I try to buy at least some of our clothes on clearance at the end of the season.  I also save all of Jake's stuff for Andrew.  At the end of each season, I put it all away in Rubbermaid bins, labeled with the size and season so that I can easily see what I have when Andrew grows into that particular size.  When Andrew outgrows things I pass them on to my friend who has a son who is almost exactly one year younger than Andrew.  I'm not proud, either.  I gladly accept hand-me-downs for the boys and for myself too!  
• I start making my Christmas list in July.  Yep, I already started it.  I keep a list of all the people I would like to buy gifts for, and if I have ideas of what to buy, I write them down too.  As I see things that I think my friends and family would like, I buy them and cross the items off the list. I don't know how much money this actually saves, but it definitely spreads out the expense so it's not so taxing all at one time.  
• I use my credit card sparingly.  I rarely carry a balance on my credit card.  My motto is that if I can't afford to pay it off with my next pay check, then I probably shouldn't buy it, and usually I don't.  Once or twice a year I may keep a balance on something big (like Greg's grill for Christmas) that I take several pay checks to pay off, but that's about all.  The only debt we have besides the house and cars is my student loans.  It already makes me sick to think of all the interest I am paying Sallie Mae.  I don't want to give Visa any extra on top of it!  Paying interest is like throwing cash away, especially to a credit card company where there isn't even an investment involved.  Credit cards are nothing but a major cash pitfall in my opinion.  

That's my strategy in a nutshell.  Maybe someday when the boys are older and I have time to shop around for bargains, I'll hop on the yard sale bandwagon, but for now, I'll stick to planning ahead.  It's the best I can do for the time being! 

Get Your Motor Running

I have gone running every other day for the last two weeks.  It feels wonderful to be back in the saddle again...or should I say, back on the asphalt!    I'm not going fast (just under a 10 minute mile is what I have averaged) or far (topping out at 1.6 miles).  This time last year I would have beaten myself up for running so terribly, but a year and an injury makes a big difference in a person's perspective.  I'm not beating myself up in the slightest.  Instead, I am elated that I am able to run at all!

If you've been following my blog for any time, or if you know me in person, you know that running is my escape.  I've called it my active meditation for a long time.  I don't do yoga, because I can't keep my mind still enough to meditate.  I end up being frustrated at my inability to focus on inner peace, which defeats the purpose of yoga.  What I love about running is that I am not still.  The whole point is to move, and in moving my body I can also let my mind churn, wander and work out its kinks over the miles.  I couldn't tell you how many topics I have contemplated during the course of my runs.  Sometimes it's one subject that I mill over and over until I reach a resolution.  Sometimes I literally let my mind run the gamut of topics from health, to home renovations, to life beyond the grave, and everything in between! I am a very structured person.  I thrive on structure, really, but even the most routine-oriented planners among us need a release sometimes.  Running is the perfect balance of structure and spontaneity for me.  I can plan my runs.  I can hold myself to a standard of performance, but in the process of reaching my goals, I can also clear my head by simply letting it go on its own course.  You can see why I love it, and also why I missed it so much.

Are you wondering about my hip?  You know you are at least remotely interested, or you wouldn't be reading the blog!  It hurts, but it's tolerable.  I am aware of every step I take.  I'm a little afraid that I have started walking with a slight limp, although no one has mentioned that I have an unusual gait, so I'm hoping it's not visible to anyone else.  I'm also hoping that I can work through it.  I decided that unless it  becomes absolutely unbearable, I am not going to throw the towel in on running again.   I've been sedentary for 8 months and if I'm going to be honest, there were times during those 8 months that I was absolutely miserable.  I try not to write so much about the undesirable times, because: 1. I don't think it does any good to focus on the negative.  In fact, I think focusing on it, only serves to magnify it and cause you to feel worse.  And 2.  No one really wants to hear people complain.  Aside from close friends and family, the world doesn't want to hear about other people's minor, every day issues over and over.  I feel like we all have our own daily strife to deal with and I try to steer away from anything that can bring me down.  Andrew's theme song as of late is "Don't Bring Me Down."  Coincidence?  I think not!

Anyway, I digress.  Back to my hip.  It does hurt, and it is tight, but it's not nearly as bad as it was in the past.  I am hopeful that I can work through the pain if I keep my head level and go at a reasonable pace (reeling myself in is the hard part).  My foam roller has become my most hated best friend.  As soon as I am done with a run, I roll out my entire body, stretch and do some light weight training.  When I get to the area on my hip that is tender, I actually cry out in pain, it's that bad.  But the foam roller pain is worth enduring, because it significantly cuts back on the stiffness that sets in during the hours following a run.  The weight training is crucial too.  I believe that a large portion of cause of the hip injury in the first place was due to lack of adequate cross training.  I took for granted that I had always been in fairly good shape.  I have always carried the bulk of my weight on my hips and thighs, but my stomach was always lean and strong.  It wasn't until after Andrew that my middle became soft and weak.  Not having a strong core is bad for a runner.  Without it, I can't stabilize my spine and keep good posture when I run.  Being out of alignment while pounding the pavement over 5-10 miles per run, 4-5 times a week takes a toll on a (close to) middle aged body.  So, as much as I hate strength training, I know that if I want to run, I need to bite the bullet and do the reps!

That said, I think it's amazing how much being active has changed my perspective about my body too.  Yesterday when I put on my workout clothes, I felt stronger and leaner than I have felt in a long time.  Now, realistically, I know that two weeks of very slow, short runs and a few crunches, planks and push-ups has not actually changed my body at all just yet.  But to stay grounded in reality is not the point.  Two weeks may not be long enough to change me physically, but it's long enough to start a change in my mentally, and that mental transformation is just as important as the physical change, if not more.

I haven't given up on my dream of completing a full marathon some day, but I've set that dream aside for the time being.  Right now, I am focusing on taking it slow, getting myself back in shape and regaining my focus.  If I only run 3 or 4 miles in a stretch for the rest of my life, that's better than not running at all.  Moderation has never been one of my strengths, but perhaps these last 8 months have given me enough distance from one of my truest loves to moderate my frame of mind.   They say all things happen for a reason, and maybe, just maybe, the reason behind being benched for several seasons was to give me some perspective.  The lesson has been learned, and I am now proceeding with optimistic, and extremely grateful, caution.  Look out, Hollidaysburg.  I got my motor running, and I'm loving it!

Pontooning

Two winters ago, Greg mentioned buying a pontoon boat for the family.  He has had boats since long before I came into his life.  When we first started dating, he had a killer bass boat.  Jacob has always been a fairly calm (at least physically) and cautious child, and I never thought twice about taking him out on the water.  He was only 2 when he went on his first boat ride, and he's been fishing and boating ever since.  Andrew, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Jacob.  He's active, agile and adventurous.   Jacob takes serious convincing to take even the simplest risk, but Andrew thrives on excitement.  He's a climber and a jumper.   While I didn't worry about taking Jake on the water, you can see why I would have misgivings about Andrew.  Greg kept saying, "You'll love it!  It'll be so much fun for the family."  But all I could envision was me playing referee for 8 hours straight, trying to keep Andrew from jumping ship, and then dealing with the tantrums which would inevitably ensue from thwarting his escapades.  I wasn't exactly against the pontoon boat, but I wasn't necessarily for it either.  Greg looked around a little and found a boat that was reasonably priced, but we dragged our feet and someone else scooped it up before we did.  He was disappointed, but we kind of forgot about the whole pontoon boat for a while...

...Until this spring when one of my friends on Facebook posted photos of her family's new pontoon boat.  Greg became afflicted with what my dad calls the "bee in your bonnet syndrome."  If you have a bee in your bonnet, you'll do anything and everything possible to get it out, ASAP.  He had to get the pontoon boat idea out of his head, and the only way to do that was to buy a pontoon boat.  He looked around and found one relatively quickly.  By April, Greg and my father-in-law had gone together to buy our boat.  I'll admit, I was still a little skeptical because of Andrew, but 18 months makes a huge difference in the life of a toddler/pre-schooler.  Andrew is still my Mr.Adventure, but he has calmed down quite a bit since this time last year.  I was much more willing to give it a try  this summer than I was last summer.

I'll be the first to admit that Greg was 100% right.  We love it.  The boys love it.  I love it.  Since the end of May, we have been out on the boat almost every opportunity we get.  The boys don't fuss about how long we have been out.  They don't get bored.  They swim, snack, fish and chill.  Even their fighting is less when we are on the water (not eradicated, but less for sure!)  Andrew is great on the boat.  He'll even lay down on the seat and take a nap mid-day!    We have taken the kids out often, taken some friends and family out, and we were amazingly able to sneak away by ourselves one day this week too!  And yes, we have plans actually written down on the calendar to take other people out!  Our schedules are so busy, if we don't plan it, it won't happen, and we don't want any opportunities to pass us by!  

Honestly, I think time elapses faster on the boat than anywhere else.  For our first trip out, I was wary about going at 9 in the morning and not coming home until 4 in the afternoon.  That's a long time to be on a 20 foot boat....or so I thought!  Now, 9 seems late, and 4 comes too quickly.  Anyone who has gone out with us can attest to the fact that evening sneaks up on you.  Before you know it, it's dusk when you feel like you just ate breakfast!  I'm really sad to go back to work full time in two weeks, because it's going to significantly cut down on our boating time.  I used to think that taking us out on the boat was a lot of work for Greg.  He always insisted that it was not, that he enjoyed it, and that time on the boat was anything but work.  While I always believed that he was sincere in his sentiment, I still felt bad that he had to do so much to get everything ready, cart us around, bow to our every whim, then clean everything up and put it all away.  Spending so much time on the boat the last two months has given me a different perspective.  I understand now that for him, it isn't really work when you love it so much.  We truly enjoy just being out in the open air, talking about everything and nothing at all, relaxing.  There's nothing pressing down on you on the water, nothing frustrating, no irritations.  Time spent with family and friends without the distraction of electronics, without the stresses of everyday life is irreplaceable.  I'm so glad that we have the opportunity to soak up as much sun, water and camaraderie as possible.  It's not just fun, it's a true gift, and one we feel blessed to share.  

Fishing, Greg's true calling in life.

I'm learning to drive the boat.  I figure, if I'm going to be out on it all the time, I may as well learn to operate it.  I don't think I'll ever be able to help hitch it up or tow it on the truck, but I can drive it on the lake, help with launching, docking and unfastening/fastening the covers and, as my lovely neighbor calls it, the "afimaby."  (It's really called a bimini, but she has a significant mental block with that word!)

Monster carp at the marina

"Boys, don't go too close to those people.  We don't know who they are!"

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet

My dear friend Norma said that Greg and I remind her of Ozzie and Harriet:



That's what happens when your friends are old.  They can't take the heat, talk about embarrassing body functions and compare your life to 50's sit-coms!  I went to Monroeville on Friday to visit some very dear friends.  I had a great time, but I am a little worried that they are having a hard time adjusting to life in the 21st century.  Marsha told me that checking her email is hard work.  Now, digging a foundation for a house is hard work.  Checking email, in my opinion falls a little lower on the hard-work rating scale.  But then again, I am much younger.  I tried to show her just how easy it really is, but I'm not sure she's fully on board.  Just take a look:

"Now, Marsha, this is an iPhone.  You can check your email, Facebook, do online searches, check the weather or the stock market, take pictures and send text messages and call people.  It's all very easy and convenient.  You can even do it while you are in the waiting room at the doctor's office."

Her reply? "Whoa, there Harriet!  That's crazy talk!  Who ever heard of such a thing!  You're making that up!"

I think I have some work to do.  

In the mean time, I'm grateful that they're still young enough to enjoy a good, old-fashioned day of sitting around and talking. It certainly makes for an enjoyable day.  I couldn't believe that I had spent over 6 hours with them by the time I left.  Time flies when you're with the girls you love!

And, while these two may be old, they sure can throw together a good lunch.  Take a look at the table and see if you can spot what I brought.  I'll give you a hint.  It's the antithesis of healthy!

Thanks, girls - for the company, the lunch and the laughs...and for being good sports about me calling you old!  :)