Gratitude

I'm a bit of a Facebook junkie.  I'm on there a LOT.  I don't play the games and all of that crap, though, I really do use it as a tool to keep up with friends (and family) near and far, and organizations that I support.

One thing I've noticed people posting about since the beginning of November is GRATITUDE.  Since November is the month of Thanksgiving, it makes sense to take some time to reflect.  I can't say that I express my gratitude very often, but it's never too late to start. 

So, here's my Grown-Up Gratitude List (not in any particular order, and it is in no way complete):

1.  My husband:  He is my best friend, and tells me daily how much he loves me.  No matter where I am, when I'm with him I feel like Home.  I could say so much more, but I'll start crying, so I'll leave it at that.

2.  My Mom:  I would not be the woman I am now if it were not for how she raised me and how I saw her live her life.  I'm strong, independent, stubborn, and love coffee and crossword puzzles, all because of her.

3.  My Friends: I've got a great network of friends, some who have known me since I was in Junior High, some I've met only recently.  They are a very diverse group of people, and they make me laugh, cry, and drive me crazy (or do crazy things), but I would not be the person I am today without them, either.

4.  Cats:  I love my kitties, they are my fur babies, and petting them is my daily therapy.

5.  Autumn:  The colorful leaves, the changing sunlight, the crisp air.  It makes me feel recharged and renewed.

6.  The Pacific Northwest:  The part of the world my late father always called "God's Country".  I did not appreciate the beauty and richness of this area until I did not live there anymore.  Now I feel like I'm not quite complete unless I've touched my toes into the sands of Cannon Beach, walked through the stalls at Saturday Market, or watched Mount Hood or Mount Rainier change as the sun sets.

7.  My body and brain:  I am becoming stronger than I ever knew I could, and am constantly learning and changing how I think, feel, and move.  It's an amazing gift that keeps on giving.

K... I'm stopping there for now.  Perhaps I'll add more later on this month...

What are YOU grateful for?

Super Slacker

Wow!  I guess it's a good thing I don't have a lot of followers, since I seem to suck at blogging.

It's been a busy few months since I last posted, considering it's now OCTOBER! :)

I've been a runnin' machine, for one thing, and as I've learned more and more about successful, healthy running, I decided to add in some cross-training.  So, I joined a gym.  It offers great group classes, and I've gotten into three of them that I'm going to try to do regularly:  Pilates class on Monday mornings (super stretching and core work!), Total Body Conditioning class (oh, the lunges, the squats, the push-ups!), and Sh'Bam! (a high-cardio, high-fun dance-ish class).  I also thought that, as it gets colder and the sun rises later, a treadmill could be a useful tool to continue my training.

Which brings me to the Next Awesome Thing: a new goal!! I think in my last post I mentioned a goal of running a 10k.  Well, pbthththth on that goal.  I've done not one, but TWO 10k races so far, and another one planned for November!  So my new goal: a half-marathon!  I'd love to do the Princess Half at Walt Disney World, since I've never been there, but it's awfully expensive to get there.  The hubby keeps trying to get it to work with our finances, so we'll see.  The one I definitely plan on running is the Flying Pirate Half at the Outer Banks, NC.  One of my besties will be flying out here with her family to run it with me, and I'm so excited!!!!


So, that's it for my running stuff... 

slow and steady finishes the race, right?

A fresh start (blog-wise, anyways)!

I know this blog has covered a lot of stuff: wedding planning, house-buying, master's degree-earning, job- saving, and even Europe-traveling!  Well, it's still going to cover a lot of the random events and activities in my world, but will also focus a lot on my new-found obsession: fitness and good health.

I'm constantly trying to lose weight, I have been for most of my life.  Some times are more successful than others, obviously, or  I wouldn't still be struggling with it.  But I set a goal for myself to increase my activity, specifically my cardiovascular activities.  

I had my annual physical in January of this year, which included blood work.  My doctor wanted to have a detailed cholesterol test done, since my family history is not great in this area, and sure enough, the bad cholesterol is rearing it's ugly head (thanks Mom!).  The foods that I eat are pretty healthy as it is (lots of whole grains, very few fried foods, lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins), so the one area I could do a lot of work with is my exercise.  I am a big fan of yoga, but hadn't been getting my heart rate up with any intense exercise on a regular basis.

So, in came my goal for the year: to train for and run a 5k.

I found the Couch to 5k Running program, which looked great to me.  It is intervals of time, to build up endurance gradually, walking and jogging until you are able to run 30 minutes non-stop.  I LOVED it! I still love what it did for me -- it made me LOVE running! I've tried jogging before, and hated it.  And I think that's because I tried to do too much, too fast.

I finished the program in May, and have done three 5k races and one 4-mile race so far.  I'm now changing my goal (adding on to it, really) from training for and completing a 5k to training for and completing a 10k!  I just registered for one on October 1, and have been looking at training plans to get myself ready.  I've been doing boot camp classes for cross-training, and am loving that "oh, I'm so sore" feeling from my muscles being used in new ways.  

So, stay tuned and we'll see what happens.

Run, Forrest, RUN!

I have this habit each year of picking goals or projects to work on, and this year I set a goal for myself of running in a 5k.  So, I've started running.  Well, really it's more of a jog.  Or, as my friend Amy calls it, "wogging" -- a combination of walking/jogging.  That really is more appropriate, as I'm not very fast.  And I feel like I should apologize to my neighbors who have to watch me out there three days a week.

I found a training program online called "Couch to 5k" which has a 9 week program of walking and jogging intervals that eventually lead you to jogging for 30 minutes non-stop (which, I suppose, would be enough time for most folks to run a 5k).  I also found a podcast that uses music to signal when to walk or jog that corresponds to the Couch to 5k intervals, and it's been great to not have to look at a watch and keep track of time, but concentrate on my form and breathing. I started in February, and with only one week that had to be repeated (I got really sick in March), and have now successfully completed the program, and I love it!  I'm still jogging 3 days a week, and have completed two 5k races so far.  I have another one in June, and hope to sign up for one each month to help keep me training.

The challenge I'm facing is my weight loss.  I know that I'm gaining muscle, but I don't seem to see much difference in how my clothes are fitting, and very little change in my weight on the scale each week at Weight Watchers.  I've been pretty frustrated with it for several weeks now, and am working on adding healthy proteins to help my metabolism.  I started eating almonds as a snack at work, which had been great, until I broke a tooth!  *sigh*  Now I have a temporary crown and have been banned from eating hard, crunchy foods. 

I'm waiting for my dentist to call and tell me my permanent crown is ready to be installed, something I'm not looking forward to, but hopefully it won't keep me from my weekly jogs!

Save Wright School!

Friends in North Carolina, PLEASE!

There are cuts to the budget that are necessary, but please don't let mental health services be one of them!

Yes, I do work at Wright School, but I write this as a concerned citizen of North Carolina who wants our children with special needs to have quality services to help them with their mental health needs.

Time is running out! Please do what you can! :) Help us to help these kids and their families!

Dear Friends of Wright School (or those who know how important mental health services are)

(Most of this post comes courtesy of Rebecca Viverette: she worded it so well I didn't feel the need to change anything)

It was your support two years ago that has allowed Wright School to continue to serve children, families and communities. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. The time has come once again to advocate for Wright School so that it remains in the state budget. Though Wright School is currently in Governor Perdue's proposed budget, we have recently learned that a plan to close Wright School was presented to the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee for Health and Human Services. Time is of the essence and your support is of the utmost importance. We have many new legislators that need to be educated about the scarcity of quality resources available to children with severe mental illness and their families in their communities, and about the great work being done by Wright School. You may help by choosing one of the following most effective ways to advocate:

1. Face to face meeting with your legislators
2. Phone call to your legislators
3. Hand written letter
4. Personal email
5. Form letter or email

At the bottom of this post is a sample document, with detailed information about the program. Personalized letters are the most effective, and the two attached documents can be used as sources for talking points or templates for letters. Click on the following link to find the contact information for your legislators: http://www.ncleg.net/GIS/RandR07/Representation.html. Please make contact with members of the House by March 31st, as they will complete their revisions of the budget and pass it to the Senate in April. We would like to hear back from you. It is helpful to know which legislators have been contacted.

You may also send Governor Perdue (governor.office@nc.gov) a note of gratitude for keeping Wright School in her version of the budget. We were not in her proposed budget two years ago, and your letters and support are part of the reason Wright School is in it this year. Thank you again for your continued support!

___________________________________

Dear (Name of your legislator):

I understand that the task of balancing the State budget is more challenging than ever, and I support your efforts to do so in a way that preserves programs that work. Wright School is a best practice, short term, high quality residential treatment center for children with severe emotional, behavioral and learning difficulties whose needs can't currently be met in their communities. One of the program's foremost goals is to identify, strengthen and form alliances with community resources to support the children and their families when they return to their communities.

I urge you to visit the school and see for yourself! You will find that:

·        Wright School provides best practice treatment that works. 

A research study, conducted by Duke University and published in 2006, shows that Wright School’s treatment program DOES make a positive difference for children with challenging and troubling behaviors. To read more about Wright School’s outcome study, go to   http://www.wrightschool.org/study.htm

·        Wright School serves and strengthens communities across the state that have scarce resources or have exhausted their resources.

·        Wright School serves children and families from all counties in North Carolina whose Local Management Entities (LMEs) approve their application for admission to the program.

·        Wright School’s safety record is exemplary.

·        Wright School is the only non acute care state operated facility that provides residential treatment for school age children with severe behavior problems.

·        Wright School is a highly cost-effective treatment program that serves as an alternative to the medical model of acute inpatient hospitalization for stabilization.

·        Wright School also serves as a training site for the professionals of tomorrow. 

Please support this program. If you can, visit the school and talk to the staff. It is really a stellar example of a program that works.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

__________________________________________________________

Okay... finally back to the present day!

I just wanted to make it official -- I've finished my London/Ireland blogs!!!!!  It only took10times longer than the trip itself, but now it's finished!

Now, to present day posting.  Yay!

Epilogue to the European Whirlwind

Well, we got up early to catch the bus to the airport, luggage in tow.  It was a quiet flight back for us, long, but we were pretty tired and eager to get home.  It was an AMAZING trip, but we were both really homesick, missing our husbands...

Turns out there were crazy thunderstorms in Chicago, where we landed back in the states.  As soon as we able to turn on our phones, we were bombarded with texts and voicemails from Michael, Joe, and the airline, letting us know that our flights to our respective homes were canceled. ACK!  We got in line to claim our luggage and I was able to get re-booked onto a flight from O'Hare to LaGuardia, and then back to RDU.  Brian, unfortunately, would have to wait until the next day to get to Seattle.  Which really sucked, because he was supposed to go back to work that day, and now had to pay for a hotel and wait another day.  My flight to New York was uneventful, and I waited for a few hours in the crappiest rat-hole of an airport I've ever seen -- LaGuardia airport SUCKS!! It smells, it's old, and I was so annoyed at how long it was taking to get home, I was in a really bad mood.

Finally, I made it home, and as I headed toward the baggage claim area to meet Joe, I was peeling off layers of coats, since it was 75 degrees in NC!  Joe was actually waiting right outside the security area, and I have never been so glad to see him!  Home at last, exhausted.  Brian made it home the next day.

What a wonderful trip! Brian and I both want to go back to Ireland (and I want to go back to England), but next time, we'll bring the hubbies with us :).

Monday -- a Bunch of Blarney

This is going to be short... it's been a long day, and I'm pretty beat.


We got up at the buttcrack of dawn to catch a shuttle bus to the airport. We flew to Cork this morning, and then took a bus to Blarney Village and the Blarney Castle grounds.  Wow! It was an amazing trip!  Beautiful, mystical grounds, and an amazingly clear gorgeous day!  They really dangle you waaaay down to kiss the Blarney Stone!

After we toured the Castle we explored some of the grounds.  We were able to see some ancient rock formations and a Druid cave.  Oh, and some fairies, too -- "Heyyyyy!" :)

We took the bus back to Cork to have a late lunch, and then caught a bus to get back to Dublin.  It was a long trip, even though it was an Express bus route.  By the time we got back to Dublin we ate dinner, and went to have an Irish Coffee at the hotel bar before going up to pack.  We head home tomorrow, bright and early!

G'night!

More pictures (click here!)

October 23, 2010 -- Dublin on a Sunday

Dublin was much better today. Cold, but dry. We walked ALL over today, saw a whole lot, all on foot. We got up early, and left the hotel to find some breakfast, and it was SO COLD outside!!!  And windy, too!  Well, we walked down the middle of O'Connell Street (the median is rather large), found our airport shuttle bus stop for tomorrow and Tuesday, and took lots of picture of the art installations down the median -- statues, mostly, and a really tall spire.

We walked down to the river, found the Ha'Penny Bridge and did our morning self-portrait.  We crossed the bridge to head to Grafton Street to find coffee.  Being Sunday, however, in a church town, not much was open at 7am -- except Starbucks.  *sigh*  So, we caved, had lattes and pastries, and thawed out for a bit to figure out our plan.  From there we walked to St. Stephen's Green -- WOW!!!! It was beautiful and AMAZING! Lots of monuments, gardens, fountains, benches, and green spaces.  Lovely, truly lovely.  Left there and headed toward the "Cathedral District."  Went to St Patrick's Cathedral (of course), saw a bunch of other churches, as well as St Patrick's Park.  "If it's old, it must be important and therefore I must take a picture of it" became my picture-taking mantra :).

We stumbled upon Dublin Castle, and impulsively decided to take the tour -- super interesting!!  Ate lunch nearby, and headed back out.  Wandered down to Dublinia, a Medieval Interpretive Center that looked interesting from the outside, but it was way way expensive to get in, so we passed on it.  SO, what was left to do in Dublin? The Guinness Storehouse, of course!!  We took the tour -- it was AWESOME!  The atrium was designed to look like a giant pint glass (the world's largest, to be exact) -- very cool.  The tour takes you from the ground floor, and spirals up, and goes through the brewing process and how it has changed over the years.  At the very top is the Galaxy Bar or something like that (Gravity Bar, actually), and it had the most AMAZING views of Dublin -- almost 360 degrees around!  We were able to get a free pint of Guinness as a part of the tour, and it was THE BEST PINT !! So yummy and smooth... mmmmmm.  We met an Irish Rugby team there, and they invited us to join them for the evening, but we politely declined.  I don't think we could keep up (or come close!) with them.

The last thing that I really wanted to do? The Leprechaun Museum.  Unfortunately, though, it closed about 30 minutes before we got there... so sad :( ... I was disappointed, but we wandered off to a nearby bar called The Church -- it really is an old church!  It now houses a bar/cafe/restaurant/lounge-y kind of place, but the still has the structures and details of a church.  Including the organ pipes and marble carvings of bible verses and monuments on the walls!  Brian and I each had an Irish Coffee there, and left to find dinner at a more affordable place.

We went back to the hotel to settle in early, since we have to get up early to fly to Cork and kiss the Blarney Stone!

G'Night!

Some pictures (click here!)