Well, I'm off my sick bed. Finally! There's still a cough and sniffles, but things are much better. So, I have a little rant in my head.
Today is Halloween. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, but this year I'm just not feeling it. Halloween, like many other holidays has lost its meaning. I am going to jump past its meaning as a Pagan ritual and instead go into the more recent meaning.
When I was a kid, Halloween was about having fun. My first costume was a cheap mask from the dollar store.
One of the people in my neighborhood transformed his house into a haunted house and dressed up as a vampire. I think I was four the first time I went out. That house TERRIFIED me (I learned later that same man was also my dentist which then made me slightly afraid of my dentist).
As I grew older, trick-or-treating was a treat, but the bigger treat was the haunted hay ride and the time with friends. I NEVER went out with just my family. It was always a big group activity.
I think my most elaborate costume was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (although I could be completely wrong and making this up).
By the time I entered middle school (I was 11) I was done trick or treating. Sure, I probably could have pulled off a couple more years, but really the trick or treating has always been for the younger kids.
Halloween through middle and high school was about reinventing yourself. For one day you could be whomever or whatever you wanted to be. Magic was real and everything was special.
Over the past few years, though, I've become disenchanted. For most older kids and adults, Halloween is just about dressing trashy or cross-dressing. There's no originality.
I'm sick of seeing age-inappropriate kids trick or treating. If you're old enough to not need an adult escort, you're too old. If you're too young to say, "Trick or Treat" or eat half the candy you acquire, you're too young.
If your parties are about getting hammered and dancing then maybe you shouldn't call it a Halloween party. Maybe it's just a well-timed costume party.
If you think Halloween is about the candy, then maybe you should just celebrate Halloween on Easter or Christmas since lots of candy is given out then too.
I know I'm probably pissing a few people off, but I'm kind of in a crabby mood. Some people out there really remember what Halloween is about, but so many more seem to have forgotten. Maybe next year I'll be more excited. Maybe next year, I'll have the haunted house. Maybe next year I'll throw on some elaborate costume and portray myself as some grand historical figure (Anne Boleyn would be fun. You could do pre-beheading for just a fun costume or post-beheading for something scary). This year, though, I'm just not feeling it. Sorry.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Pros and Cons of Being Sick
Pro: You get to sleep a lot.
Con: You feel like crap.
Pro: People take care of you.
Con: You feel like crap.
Pro: You can eat anything you want.
Con: Anything you eat makes you feel like crap or tastes like crap.
Pro: You don't have to worry about going to work.
Con: Missing work makes you feel like crap.
Obviously my body wanted me to take a rest. Last week I had a terrible crick in my neck which put me out of commission for a day and a half. This week, I felt out of sorts Monday and Tuesday, and I've been full out sick for the past 3 days. Today, my fever is way down, but any sort of exertion makes me want to sleep. I do have things that I can't miss tomorrow, so hopefully I feel much better. Anyway, wish me luck!
Con: You feel like crap.
Pro: People take care of you.
Con: You feel like crap.
Pro: You can eat anything you want.
Con: Anything you eat makes you feel like crap or tastes like crap.
Pro: You don't have to worry about going to work.
Con: Missing work makes you feel like crap.
Obviously my body wanted me to take a rest. Last week I had a terrible crick in my neck which put me out of commission for a day and a half. This week, I felt out of sorts Monday and Tuesday, and I've been full out sick for the past 3 days. Today, my fever is way down, but any sort of exertion makes me want to sleep. I do have things that I can't miss tomorrow, so hopefully I feel much better. Anyway, wish me luck!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The Paleo Diet
Hi everyone!
Today is day 4 of our Paleo diet...sort of. I'll explain in a minute. So far, I've loved it!!! I've been eager to make the foods, and I've gotten loads of veggies. Surprisingly, I haven't even missed the bread that would normally go with my food, but I am grateful that Paleo is not the same as no carbs. I do love my fruit. I've also enjoyed discovering new foods like almond butter, and Hans has discovered the joys of mango. Oh, and my favorite part is that coconut is a big part of EVERYTHING. Being a huge coconut lover, this is definitely the lifestyle for me...although Hans is having second thoughts. :)
So let me tell you where the "sort of" comes in. On Monday, I started feeling sick. Nothing much, just really tired and a scratchy throat. I thought it was bad allergies. On Tuesday, I really didn't feel good. On one of my breaks between lessons, instead of walking the dogs or getting caught up on paperwork, I just slept...and slept and slept. Yesterday, I felt like death warmed over. I went to two appointments, and then decided I couldn't do anymore. I called and cancelled my remaining lessons, and I went straight home. I changed into my pajamas and curled up on the couch with a box of tissues.
Around 4:00, my tummy alerted me it was hungry, but I still felt awful. I wanted ants on a log (celery sticks with almond butter, raisins and coconut), but I couldn't muster the energy to make them. When Hans got home around 6:00, I was still hungry, so he brought me some raisins to hold me over until he let dogs out. (Side note: God bless my husband. He's a saint.) Raisins have always been something I could eat when nothing else sounded good, so that was a good choice. By the time he finished letting dogs out, I had spiked a fever. It was only 99.5, but my normal is 97.2, so 99s are fairly high for me. Hans asked me if I'd like ants on a log. My belly answered yes, but my jaw and head decided that celery was too crunchy. I thought of everything we had in the house, and aside from a box of raisin (hello fruit-induced bowel movement), nothing sounded good. Nothing, that is, except for ice cream.
I fought it off as long as I could, but when it got to the point where raisins and ice cream were the only things I could think of without wanting to vomit, I gave in. It was a small bowl, but it was ice cream all the same. I had more for breakfast this morning, and I don't feel bad about it. If I'd had the ingredients, I may have asked Hans to make some Paleo ice cream (which just sounds delicious, by the way), but I didn't, and I didn't want to ask Hans to do more than he already was. (I'm telling you, that man is a saint.) I allowed myself to have ice cream, and I'm OK with it.
This morning, my fever is down, but I still feel like poop (which is better than death). I have a stuffy nose, and a horrible cough. It's 70 degrees out, but I'm wrapped up in blankets. I'm thinking about lunch, and right now the thought of eating anything is sickening. Maybe I'll be able to handle some avocado. I could put some tuna in it, but the thought of that much flavor is sickening. I suppose my stomach will decide later. For now, I'm going to curl back under the covers and take a nap.
Today is day 4 of our Paleo diet...sort of. I'll explain in a minute. So far, I've loved it!!! I've been eager to make the foods, and I've gotten loads of veggies. Surprisingly, I haven't even missed the bread that would normally go with my food, but I am grateful that Paleo is not the same as no carbs. I do love my fruit. I've also enjoyed discovering new foods like almond butter, and Hans has discovered the joys of mango. Oh, and my favorite part is that coconut is a big part of EVERYTHING. Being a huge coconut lover, this is definitely the lifestyle for me...although Hans is having second thoughts. :)
So let me tell you where the "sort of" comes in. On Monday, I started feeling sick. Nothing much, just really tired and a scratchy throat. I thought it was bad allergies. On Tuesday, I really didn't feel good. On one of my breaks between lessons, instead of walking the dogs or getting caught up on paperwork, I just slept...and slept and slept. Yesterday, I felt like death warmed over. I went to two appointments, and then decided I couldn't do anymore. I called and cancelled my remaining lessons, and I went straight home. I changed into my pajamas and curled up on the couch with a box of tissues.
Around 4:00, my tummy alerted me it was hungry, but I still felt awful. I wanted ants on a log (celery sticks with almond butter, raisins and coconut), but I couldn't muster the energy to make them. When Hans got home around 6:00, I was still hungry, so he brought me some raisins to hold me over until he let dogs out. (Side note: God bless my husband. He's a saint.) Raisins have always been something I could eat when nothing else sounded good, so that was a good choice. By the time he finished letting dogs out, I had spiked a fever. It was only 99.5, but my normal is 97.2, so 99s are fairly high for me. Hans asked me if I'd like ants on a log. My belly answered yes, but my jaw and head decided that celery was too crunchy. I thought of everything we had in the house, and aside from a box of raisin (hello fruit-induced bowel movement), nothing sounded good. Nothing, that is, except for ice cream.
I fought it off as long as I could, but when it got to the point where raisins and ice cream were the only things I could think of without wanting to vomit, I gave in. It was a small bowl, but it was ice cream all the same. I had more for breakfast this morning, and I don't feel bad about it. If I'd had the ingredients, I may have asked Hans to make some Paleo ice cream (which just sounds delicious, by the way), but I didn't, and I didn't want to ask Hans to do more than he already was. (I'm telling you, that man is a saint.) I allowed myself to have ice cream, and I'm OK with it.
This morning, my fever is down, but I still feel like poop (which is better than death). I have a stuffy nose, and a horrible cough. It's 70 degrees out, but I'm wrapped up in blankets. I'm thinking about lunch, and right now the thought of eating anything is sickening. Maybe I'll be able to handle some avocado. I could put some tuna in it, but the thought of that much flavor is sickening. I suppose my stomach will decide later. For now, I'm going to curl back under the covers and take a nap.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Long Time No See
Hello everyone! How is life? I know, I know. It's been a very long time since I last posted. So, let me fill you in.
-Last Thursday (the 13th) was my birthday. I love the timing of my birthday. The fall leaves are in full color and I feel like there's a celebration just for me. This year there were thunderstorms, so I figure God was playing on the drums as part of my party.
-There are MAJOR things happening with the business. I'm doing some mild restructuring of things, and I'm looking for a kennel to work out of. Still, though, there are other more exciting things. Which reminds me, I need to call some family members!
-Running is still going really well. I've had a couple of setbacks, though. The biggest one happened this past Monday. I suppose I slept funny, but when I woke up I couldn't even turn my head to the side my neck hurt so bad. I ended up canceling all my appointments, putting on the neck brace, and popping some Valium in an attempt to make the pain go away. Still, though, I was in tears. Five days, a chiropractic adjustment, and a massage later I'm feeling much better. I'm still icing in the evenings just to keep inflammation down, but I will probably resume running in full by next Monday.
-Speaking of health issues, Hans and I have decided to try something new. One of the blogs I read, Skinny Emmie, has mentioned that she is doing the Paleo diet. At first I just wondered what on Earth the Paleo diet was, so I did some research. The basic rules are no gluten, no processed sugars, and no dairy. In other words, NO PROCESSED SUGARS. After reading up some more and searching through the book store, I found a book that I really like: Everyday Paleo. Anyway, there's a whole 30 day meal plan in there. I'm worried, because I'm pretty sure that Hans won't like most of it, but he's a trooper and he's willing to give it a shot. After 30 days, if we don't like it, we'll stop, but for now I'm excited. We're going shopping and preparing food on Saturday. Monday is the big start day. Woot!
Well, that's pretty much all the big news for now. I'll keep y'all updated as things progress!
-Last Thursday (the 13th) was my birthday. I love the timing of my birthday. The fall leaves are in full color and I feel like there's a celebration just for me. This year there were thunderstorms, so I figure God was playing on the drums as part of my party.
-There are MAJOR things happening with the business. I'm doing some mild restructuring of things, and I'm looking for a kennel to work out of. Still, though, there are other more exciting things. Which reminds me, I need to call some family members!
-Running is still going really well. I've had a couple of setbacks, though. The biggest one happened this past Monday. I suppose I slept funny, but when I woke up I couldn't even turn my head to the side my neck hurt so bad. I ended up canceling all my appointments, putting on the neck brace, and popping some Valium in an attempt to make the pain go away. Still, though, I was in tears. Five days, a chiropractic adjustment, and a massage later I'm feeling much better. I'm still icing in the evenings just to keep inflammation down, but I will probably resume running in full by next Monday.
-Speaking of health issues, Hans and I have decided to try something new. One of the blogs I read, Skinny Emmie, has mentioned that she is doing the Paleo diet. At first I just wondered what on Earth the Paleo diet was, so I did some research. The basic rules are no gluten, no processed sugars, and no dairy. In other words, NO PROCESSED SUGARS. After reading up some more and searching through the book store, I found a book that I really like: Everyday Paleo. Anyway, there's a whole 30 day meal plan in there. I'm worried, because I'm pretty sure that Hans won't like most of it, but he's a trooper and he's willing to give it a shot. After 30 days, if we don't like it, we'll stop, but for now I'm excited. We're going shopping and preparing food on Saturday. Monday is the big start day. Woot!
Well, that's pretty much all the big news for now. I'll keep y'all updated as things progress!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Running Makes Everything Better
Hello all! Wow, it's been a bit of time since I last posted. After last weekend, I was so tired I couldn't think straight. It took me until Thursday to even start feeling like my old self. I was just kind of coping through the week. I couldn't seem to get up early, I wasn't going for runs, I barely made it to the gym for one of my favorite classes, I skipped yoga, and I was inexplicably tired. By Thursday, I knew something had to change or I'd get stuck in that groove. As I was getting ready to meet Hans for lunch, a thought struck me. Hans' work is 3.1 mi (a 5k) away from the house. I had some free time. Why not run it? So, I threw on my running clothes, put a leash and collar on Cody, and headed out. That was beginning of my feeling better.
Friday was a busy day of appointments, so no running happened, but I still felt good.
Saturday started a lot of busyness. Saturday was Henrico Humane's Bark in the Park, and I was a vendor. So, Hans and I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, loaded up the truck (in the rain), and headed out to set up. For the first time ever, Bark in the Park included a 5k, and I decided I'd also like to be a part of that. At 8:45 I left Hans to finish setting up, and I headed over to the starting line. Off I went! Half an hour later, I was crossing the finish line, then a quick change, and then time to run a booth. By the time I was back at my booth, they were announcing the results of the race, and I was in for a surprise. I placed FIRST in my age group!!! Yay!!!! The rest of the day was just wonderful. There was time with the dogs, lots of new people to meet, and a cool, sunny day.
After Bark in the Park ended, Hans and I dropped everything off at the house, and then we headed out again. Off to the Italian Festival!!! We didn't stay long...we were kind of tired, but we had fun. Once we got home, we promptly fell asleep...at 6:30 pm. A quiet evening at home was exactly what the doctor called for.
Sunday was another busy day. We were lucky because our trainer called on Saturday to say he wouldn't be able to make it on Sunday morning. YAY! Sleep! We had a relaxing Sunday morning, and then it was time for church. After church, we had a lovely lunch out, and then we had big plans. Hans and I wanted to plant bulbs and organize our flower beds in the front yard. We gathered our bulbs and headed out. It was cold, it was threatening to rain, and we were still tired from the day before, but somehow we worked perfectly together. It was almost like we were doing a dance. He'd ready the soil, I'd plant the seeds. I'd split some of the plants that were already there, he'd spread more topsoil. It was great.
After we finished, Mom wanted to go to the state fair, so were were off again. I'll say this about the VA State Fair: Its new location means it's a lot bigger and better than it used to be, but it's not NEARLY as good as the MN State Fair. Still, though, we had a good time. All in all, we had a blast.
Yesterday, I took it fairly easy and went to bed early, but this morning I was up early again. Cody and I headed out for a nice, long run, and Hans took Rocky B (our foster) for a nice, long bike ride. Both dogs are now tired, and I'm feeling great. Now, I have to get back to work. Off to work I go!
Friday was a busy day of appointments, so no running happened, but I still felt good.
Saturday started a lot of busyness. Saturday was Henrico Humane's Bark in the Park, and I was a vendor. So, Hans and I woke up at 4:30 in the morning, loaded up the truck (in the rain), and headed out to set up. For the first time ever, Bark in the Park included a 5k, and I decided I'd also like to be a part of that. At 8:45 I left Hans to finish setting up, and I headed over to the starting line. Off I went! Half an hour later, I was crossing the finish line, then a quick change, and then time to run a booth. By the time I was back at my booth, they were announcing the results of the race, and I was in for a surprise. I placed FIRST in my age group!!! Yay!!!! The rest of the day was just wonderful. There was time with the dogs, lots of new people to meet, and a cool, sunny day.
 |
| It's not the best picture, but I'm crossing the finish line. |
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| Kyla and Alex are tired...and enjoying the Adirondog beds. |
Sunday was another busy day. We were lucky because our trainer called on Saturday to say he wouldn't be able to make it on Sunday morning. YAY! Sleep! We had a relaxing Sunday morning, and then it was time for church. After church, we had a lovely lunch out, and then we had big plans. Hans and I wanted to plant bulbs and organize our flower beds in the front yard. We gathered our bulbs and headed out. It was cold, it was threatening to rain, and we were still tired from the day before, but somehow we worked perfectly together. It was almost like we were doing a dance. He'd ready the soil, I'd plant the seeds. I'd split some of the plants that were already there, he'd spread more topsoil. It was great.
After we finished, Mom wanted to go to the state fair, so were were off again. I'll say this about the VA State Fair: Its new location means it's a lot bigger and better than it used to be, but it's not NEARLY as good as the MN State Fair. Still, though, we had a good time. All in all, we had a blast.
Yesterday, I took it fairly easy and went to bed early, but this morning I was up early again. Cody and I headed out for a nice, long run, and Hans took Rocky B (our foster) for a nice, long bike ride. Both dogs are now tired, and I'm feeling great. Now, I have to get back to work. Off to work I go!
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