A Brief Health Report

It's been a good day because Rich got his cast off.  Yeah!  Now he has four weeks of rehab therapy to strengthen his arm up.  The doctor said that his arm will be stiff and hurt for awhile because he's middle-aged.  I don't think he liked the doctor's assessment of his age.  They've given him a small brace to wear when he's having pain, and he's supposed to keep his wrist elevated if it swells at all.  After four weeks, he gets to return to his regular job.    Okay, just gotta hang in here for another month.

My personal health issue has improved just in the last 5 days.  I'd say I'm at 90%, holding out for 100%.  The way things are shaping up, I may not need that colonoscopy after all.

Things around here seem to be looking up.  Thank the Lord.

Oh, The Places I'll Go

So how many miles do you think I'll get out of these babies?

This picture was taken right after I finished my big run yesterday.  (Go ahead.  Click on that link and see what you missed yesterday.)

The Challenge!

This was a scheduled running day for me.  And since running has sort of become an obsession with me, I put out a challenge for myself.  I decided to throw out the training schedule for today and set a goal...something I've been dreaming about since December 2007. 

I knew I could not take all of you out for this exciting excursion, so I decided to bring it to you via video.  (Amy Beth, the princess of video blogging, is my inspiration for this media presentation.)

This is so exciting!  Take a look at what happened...

 

... And They Brought a Friend

I'm in charge of the kiddos this afternoon.  My sister's kiddos, that is.  When I first arrived here, all four of them were gone to friends' houses.  Friends' houses with pools.  I was told that they would probably be there all afternoon, and I most likely wouldn't see them...because who could tear a kid away from a friend's house with a POOL?

Guess what.  Two of the youngest kiddos came home within minutes of their mom leaving me here all alone by myself to supervise...and brought a friend.  Did I mention I'm here all alone and left to supervise?  I'm keeping an eye on them playing in the backyard now. 

First they were working on creating a water slide out of their swing set slide by hosing it down.  That didn't seem like such a good idea to me, so I nixed that one.  Then their game turned to throwing a bubble maker toy up and down the slide about 100 times.  They laughed every single time, which puzzles me.  What is so funny about that?  I was concerned for moments that they were going to stand on a Frisbee and slide down the slide, but I guess I jumped the gun on that one.  They were just going to slide the Frisbee down the slide.  Can you spell P-A-N-I-C? 

Looks like maybe they're going to run through the Blue's Clues sprinkler now.  Nope.  Guess not.  I just saw the hose disappear.  Hmmm.  Wonder what they're up to?

Say a prayer for me.  Having the friend here is stressing me out.

Unbelievable!

Oh, you guys!  I just had to post my little blog this afternoon to let y'all know.  I've been talking to myself this afternoon.  Just kept saying to myself for half an hour the word Unbelievable.  Over and over again.  Do you know what was so unbelievable?  That I ran for 5 minutes today...and did it 4 times.  That's 20 minutes of running!

You have no idea how that thrills me.  I didn't even feel motivated to run today.  I just sort of pushed myself to throw on my running clothes and drive to the park.  I had every intention of only running 3-minute intervals.  But then I got there, and I told myself I was gonna do 5.  And I did.  Almost as if someone else took over my body.  It sure didn't feel like me.

Do you know what this means to a girl who stunk at sports, was always picked last in gym class, was last to finish running laps around the soccer field, and was told to run faster or we'll lose?  I tell ya, it means A LOT. 

I AM an athlete.  I CAN run.  Just watch me...

Hot Dog, Anyone?

I'm still plugging away at that running thing.  I'm working on the 3 minutes run/3 minutes walk interval.  Maybe just one more time out at that, and then I'll move up to 5 minutes of running.  I'm not quite there yet.

When I ran on Monday, though, something concerned me.  Somewhere around the beginning of the third lap, I started thinking Dairy Queen.  Seriously.  Dairy Queen!  I thought how refreshing it would be to drive over there as soon as I finished my laps and get a yummy, frozen treat.  How can a person be thinking about indulging in a Fudge Brownie Temptation served in a waffle dish while they're running?  The sundae would cancel out the running, probably 3 days worth of running.  And then a few days before that, I was at the park in the evening while softball games were going on, and a hot dog vendor was pushing a cart down the street toward me.  All I could think about was stopping and eating a hot dog.  Right in the middle of my run.  The only thing stopping me was that I wasn't carrying any cash.

Does anybody else get cravings while they're exercising?

Back To Work

Rich went back to work yesterday.  Not to his normal job, though.  His wrist is still in the cast.  They found something else for him to do, so workman's comp doesn't have to pay his full wage.  He gets to stand outside the gas station greeting customers and watching for, and hopefully deterring, any drive-offs.  He gets to do that for 8 hours a day, and let me tell you how THRILLED he is about that.  (please read sarcasm into that statement)  I believe the word they used for this position is guinea pig.  It seems that if that position meets a need, the company will be implementing this position at all their locations.

He'll be at that position for a few weeks because even after the cast comes off, he will still need a little rehabilitation to get the strength back in that arm.  In the meantime, I get to enjoy a few hours of alone time on the afternoons he works.  Monday was the first day, and I relished every minute.  I even stopped at the library on my way home from work to find a novel to read.  (I can hear you all placing bets now on whether or not I'll actually finish the one two three books I brought home.)

We'll see how everything works out over the next few weeks. 

Time For a Meme

This is a really good day for a meme, dontcha think?  I'll answer that for you.  Yes, it is.  I woke up dizzy in the night from straining my neck when I mowed the lawn yesterday.  I popped half a Dramamine and have paid the consequences for that ever since.  Talk about d-r-o-w-s-y.  So, off with the meme...

What is the worst meal you ever had? 

I can't remember a meal, but I do remember the day I tried brussel sprouts for the first time.  I was at Old Country Buffet and figured since they had them, I'd try them.  I popped one in my mouth, and...OH.MY.WORD.....thought I'd choke on it.  There was no swallowing.  It totally went into a napkin.

Name one place you could vacation every year? 

C'mon!  Where else would I go?  Disney World all the way, baby!

5 things that drive you crazy?

1.  Misspelled words

2.  When Rich goes to bed and then our cat Teddy decides to go into wild mode.  Do you know he shoved my bunch of bananas off the counter the other night?  (hey, there go my Google banana rankings again)

3.  Kids who ride their bikes or walk down the middle of the street without looking for traffic.

4.  Having wet hair that soaks into my shirt.  (Bleck!!)

5.  Restraining myself from buying a donut when I go to the grocery store.

Name 3 people from your past that make you stop and think, “Hey, I wonder what ever happened to…”

1.  Nancy

2.  Sean

3.  Edward (my kindergarten boyfriend)

Kids' TV show you might actually enjoy more than your kids do? 

I don't have kids, so I really can't answer that.

Worst movie you’ve ever seen? 

Madagascar.  We watched the whole thing, and when it was over I said, "Why did we waste our time watching that?" 

Most under-rated TV show you watch regularly? 

I guess I don't watch much primetime regularly.  I sometimes watch Bones, but I don't know how underrated that is.

Most popular TV show you never watch? 

Lost.  I tried watching the first episode, and I couldn't follow it.  So I gave up trying.  It's now dawning on me WHY the show is called "Lost".

Celebrity whose looks you’d like to have? 

I don't know.  I guess I don't get into the glam.

Celeb you can’t stand? 

I think I have a LIST, but I guess Rosie O'Donnell would be at the top.

What did you do today? 

Slept in because I took Dramamine for dizziness in the middle of the night.  Went into work late.  Ran a couple laps.  Ate lunch and went back to bed.  Watched Brady Bunch.  Had grilled steaks for dinner.  And now I'm blogging. 

Who are you tagging? 

Nobody.  Grab this one, if you'd like.

Aaaaahh....

The only time Bailey can relax is at night, after the dog has gone to bed.  Poor guy.

Airline Fees Getting Out of Hand?

Take a look...

Just Gotta Love Her!

If you haven't met Amy Beth of Ministry So Fabulous yet, you are missing out on some funny stuff.  You must go over and visit her blog today.  I just happened across her blog a couple weeks ago, and she is a bright spot in my day.  She is definitely on my list of favorite blog reads now, right up there with ohamanda! and BigMama.  She is a crazy, sassy, single gal who runs a non-profit organization.  All I can say is, you have got to love a woman who is not afraid to make a video of herself singing in the car.  I totally want to do that, too!

Many Topics, One Post

It's probably time to update you on some ongoing circumstances to let you know how things are going around here.  And this is what makes for all the riveting drama that Discovering Liz is.

The Husband's Broken Wrist

The wrist is healing fine, as that is what the last two x-rays have indicated.  Since his employer did not find a job he could do with one hand that didn't involve water, he will be home from work until the end of June.  He's getting bored.  This situation really has no bearing on me, though, because the amount of time we are together has not changed.  We both work morning hours, and we're always together from early afternoon on.

Personal Digestive Issues

This condition has not improved.  When I saw the doctor two Saturdays ago I learned all my lab work was negative, and he said I could hold out for 2 more weeks.  If no improvement, I was advised to schedule the big "c" procedure... that is, it starts with a "c" and ends with "olonoscopy".  I sooooo do not want to have the aforementioned procedure performed on my little colon.  But with each passing day, the idea seems to be growing on me.  I know...I know...the procedure is not that bad, or so I have been told.  It's the prep the day before the procedure that brings me much distress.  If you know Jesus and thoughts of me somehow come to mind, please ask Him to help me surrender to that thing.  The end of my allotted two weeks is quickly nearing.

Dishwashing Duties

The new dishwasher is working out swell.  (Dishwasher is code for Liz)  I am practically sticking to the Wash Immediately After Every Use policy, and that's worked so well for me.  It's a real time saver.  I could keep this up forever.  Or at least until Rich gets the use of his arm back.  *ahem*

Dixie's Fleas

Oh yeah, I haven't told you about this one yet.  Dixie picked up fleas from a friendly Collie a few houses down from us.  She never meets dogs because we pretty much shelter her from the outside world.  One night she managed to slip out of her collar and took off running toward a Collie who was out for a walk.  Although we're thankful there were no casualties in that first-time meeting, we noticed about a week later that our precious baby had a flea.  And then another...and ANOTHER.  We now understand why that Collie often sports a shaved haircut whenever we see him.  So we gave all our furbabies a flea treatment.  We haven't seen any in days now, so we're kind of waiting this thing out to see if about a million flea babies hatch next month.  I've tried to reassure my Dixie that she only caught male fleas, who could not lay eggs.  It could happen, right?

Frizz Control Hair Products

Okay, I just had to throw this one in because it's such an issue in my life right now.  For some reason, summer in Indiana has been turned on full blast with temps in the high 80's/90's and humidity of like 263%.  Liz's hair does not take kindly to said humidity.  My mom didn't call me Frizzy Lizzy for nothin'.  Anyway, as a rule, I typically don't bother with frizz control hair products because they DO. NOT. WORK.  I'm not sure who they tested those products on, but there ain't no way they had my hair.  I haven't met a frizz control product yet that would tame my 'do.  Breaking my rule, I actually bought some Herbal Essences frizz control something-or-other shampoo and conditioner this week.  They suckered me in with the price and the cute, little packaging.  I tried it for the first time this morning, even feeling a little hopeful because, again... the description on the back of the bottle as to what their magical hair product would do for me was so hope-filling.  I mean, they promised that the essence of pearl (or whatever the secret element was) in the ingredients would infuse incredible, hair shaft smoothing properties into my frizz-laden locks.  It soooooo DID. NOT. WORK.  The only thing it's got going for it is a nice, salon quality scent, but unfortunately that's not the reason I bought the product.

Now that I've written this update on such a variety of topics, I realize that these would've made for some really good solo posts, but as I'm in the entertaining writing mood at this moment, I've got to go with it right now.  That covers all the important news in my world, so I guess that's a wrap.

My Secret Project

I thought I would show you what the project was that I had been working on.  It's a good thing I never gave any clues out because the recipient of the gift I made has been keeping up with my blog.  Now that the gift has been completed and presented, I can show you a picture.

 

This is a baby blanket I crocheted for my friend Amy.  She's expecting her first baby in a couple weeks.  I was working on it fast and furiously to get it finished in time to present it to her when I saw her last week.

Don't you love the colors and the way the variegation ripples through the blanket?  It's so cool.  I just love it!

Pressing Forward

I've been wanting to tell you about something, but since I'm not very good at following through on exercise commitments, I decided not to tell anybody about it until I had a few days under my belt.  I am off to a good start, so I guess now is as good a time as any.

I started a new training schedule for my running last week.  I've been reading The Complete Book of Running for Women, and there is a training schedule in it that was taken from Runner's World magazine.  Since I can already walk several laps and can run at short intervals, it looked like something I could jump into.  It's a 30-minute walk/run plan that will eventually get me to a level of 30 minutes of straight running.

I started off the first week with four days of running for 2 minutes and walking for 4 minutes.  I did that five times, which equaled 30 minutes.  I did get some extra walking time in there for warming up and cooling down.  I have been surprised by how quickly my body adapted to it.  Today was my last day at that level.  On Wednesday, I will increase to five sets of 3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking. 

Don't you love it when you are so close to reaching a goal, you can almost taste it?  There was a day when it took every ounce of sweat (and tears) to be able to run for 1 minute.  Just ONE MINUTE.  I walked away depressed and defeated, yet I just kept going out running, setting aside the sports watch for the time-being.  But now a new goal is within my reach, and I can truly see myself completing 3 minutes of running.  The very first time I run for 3 minutes straight will be one of the most exciting achievements in my brief athletic history.  I can't wait!