Deer and Polar Bears

Tuesday

Total Steps: 10,055
Walking: 3 miles

On Tuesday my son and I went to check out a new trail (new to us anyways) that I heard about through the running group I "joined". By "joined" I mean I now recieve their weekly emails about where they are running that weekend, but I have yet to meet up with them to run. Does that count?? Anyways, this new trail loops around a golf course, and the scenery was gorgeous. Once the fall colors are at their prime, I will definitely be going back down there with my camera for some good foliage pics.

This little guy was about 10 yards from us on the trail. We saw a bunch more running through the trees farther out, but this one wasn't afraid of us at all!

Wednesday

Total Steps: 10,377
Planks: 60 seconds x 3 sets
Lunges: 25 reps x 3 sets
Squats: 25 reps x 3 sets
Pushups: 20 reps x 3 sets
Tricep Dips: 25 reps x 3 sets

Yesterday I took my 16-year-old son to the doctor, and as soon as we entered the exam room I realized he needs to be transferred to the Family Clinic instead of Pediatrics. It was quite comical, especially when the doctor made him lay down and half his body was hanging off the table. Then the doctor proceeded to ask him a bunch of questions that most teens would not want to discuss in front of their parents and it could have been incredibly awkward, but we're cool like that. I know I say this all. the. time....but how in the world did my baby grow up so fast? I love this rad dude <3

 

 

 

~Fluffy Girl~

Never Forget 11.5.09

Today marks the four year anniversary of the Fort Hood Shooting where 13 people were fatally shot and more than 30 others were wounded at the hands of a US Soldier. I will never forget that day and all the chaos and confusion that followed the news of the massacre. We were stationed at Fort Hood at the time, and my Hubs was on base. I had no idea where he was exactly or what was really going on since the news stations were reporting conflicting information. Cell phone communication was sketchy for hours as the entire Fort Hood/Killeen area went into full panic mode. I worked at a bank at the time, and a large portion of my coworkers were fellow military wives. I remember running down the hallway to the breakroom to watch the news, and I have never experienced a silence like that even though the room was packed from wall to wall. All eyes were trained on the television, and all ears were straining to hear the reports. Tears ran down our faces as we hugged eachother and tried to stay strong and calm, but in each of our minds we were wondering....where is my husband, and is he okay?

Several of my coworkers lived on base, so they were unable to go home because the base was on lockdown. A couple of them came to my house to wait, and we were glued to the television. Looking back on it now, I really wonder where some of those news stations were getting their information. There were so many different stories going around that there was no way to know what was really happening. They reported that there were multiple shooters--but there was only one. They reported that there were also shootings going on at several other locations on base, including the PX, the Commissary and the Library. These were all untrue. They reported that the shooter had escaped and was at an apartment in Killeen and they had him surrounded, which was untrue. Another news station reported that the shooter was DEAD. This, of course, was untrue as well.

I finally did hear from my husband hours later, which was a great relief. He had just returned from a 15-month tour in Iraq earlier that year, and I thought he was safe when he was on American soil. That day was a harsh wake up call that he is not safe anywhere, even surrounded by his fellow soldiers. And that, I think, is extremely sad.

Please keep the victims of this massacre and their families in your thoughts today. They have already gone through enough, and then our government decides to label this incident as "workplace violence" rather than terrorism--which makes the victims and their families ineligible to receive benefits. That fact just blows my mind, along with the fact that Hasan was still getting paid by our government while awaiting trial, but I'm not going to get into that right now. The important thing today is to reflect on those lost and tattered lives, and hope for a better tomorrow.

Never forget 11.5.09

~Fluffy Girl~

Shin Splints, Magazines & Bath Bombs, Oh My!

   

Monday

Total Steps: 12,572
Planks: 60 seconds x 3 sets
Push-ups: 15 reps x 3 sets
Squats: 25 reps x 3 sets
Lunges: 25 reps per leg x 3 sets

Running, and then walking: 3 miles...this was not how this was supposed to go! I was so pumped all day to go running, and then as soon as I hit 1.5 miles my legs decided to bust out some gnarly shin splints. I haven't had shin splints since I first started running. I had forgotten how excruciating they can be, and I'm not grateful for the reminder. Hopefully this was a one-time deal and they don't return anytime in the near future.

Today I finally received my first two issues of Runner's World magazine. My boss and his wife got me a subscription for my birthday--what a thoughtful gift! I can't wait to start reading them, but they will have to wait until tomorrow because it's past my bedtime. This time change thing really has me messed up!

My son's girlfriend got me a gift over the weekend while she was shopping in Washington DC. She is such a sweet girl! At first I wasn't sure what it was, but I have now figured out that it is a Bath Bomb by Lush. I'm excited to try this one out--it smells heavenly and is supposed to ease sore muscles. Perfect for someone training for a marathon! The Lush website is full of cool stuff. I may have to make a stop there next time I'm in DC. Thanks Sydney!!

That's all for now. Good night!

~Fluffy Girl~

Goals and Ambitions

I recently turned 34 years old. While that may not seem very old in the grand scope of things, I am having a hard time with being that age. Don't get me wrong--I love my life and I'm very thankful for all that I have, but I feel like I'm lacking something...I think it's time to come up with some goals and ambitions.

Being a military wife has made it difficult to focus on a career goal for myself since we move so often, and I haven't had a lot of opportunity to fully engage myself in a job before we have to move on to the next duty station. Heck, even finding a job at all is difficult in this economy, let alone scoring a job that I may actually enjoy for the short amount of time we live there. But some big changes are coming up in the next year, and I must admit that I am scared. There are so many big decisions to make, and one of those is for me to figure out what I want to do career-wise. I have tried many different occupations in my life, and I can't really say I want to continue doing any of them. I'm sick of the same old desk jobs where I sit and count down the hours until I can leave. I want a job that I actually enjoy doing--not just a place to go collect a paycheck. The problem is, I'm not really sure what that might be.

One thing I have always enjoyed is writing, and that's one of the many reasons I started this blog. When I was growing up, my favorite subject in school was English. Any type of reading or writing was my favorite thing to do. I can't even tell you how many books I have read in my life, but it would be in the thousands for sure. I took some creative writing classes in college, and everyone always told me they loved my work. It would be amazing to someday become a columnist for a magazine, a professional blogger for a website, or even write a book. But unfortunately, none of those things will be adding numbers to my checkbook until a make a name for myself, get my work out there, and grab everyone's attention. But....where to begin???

The one ambition I do have right now is to run a marathon. I was not athletic growing up, and as I said in my "Back to Basics" post (which you can read Here ), I couldn't even run one lap around a track when I first began running. Unfortunately, due to a stubborn doctor and my thyroid disease's effects on my body, I haven't been running much for the past year. This is so not cool. But, I'm going to change that because my training starts in one week, screwy thyroid or not! I am so excited to start this journey and push myself beyond my limits. Never in a million years would I have thought I could run a marathon, but gosh darn it, I am going to do it. Hopefully this will also inspire me and give me the confidence to try other things that I never thought I could do. The possibilities are endless!

What are some goals/ambitions that you have, and what are you doing to achieve them?

~Fluffy Girl~

Bring It On

Sunday

Total Steps: 11,268
Hiking: 5 miles

Started out the day with a nice 5 mile hike with Hubs on the Noland Trail, and the scenery was gorgeous. The trail winds around Lake Maury, and this is my favorite time of year when the leaves are changing colors and there's a nip in the air. Absolutely perfect beginning to my Sunday! Then, we came home and had a scrumptious breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. Yum :)

So I was looking at the calendar and realized that my official marathon training begins one week from tomorrow. I'm excited to get started on this journey to completing a marathon and seeing how it transforms my body and mind. I have been reading tons of articles, magazines, blogs and books about running, and it really has me pumped up! Bring. It. On.

Degrees of Desperation

Thursday

Total Steps: 13,525
Planks: 45 seconds x 5 sets
Walking: 3.5 miles
Pace: 15:10

I made the mistake of trying to go for a run during trick-or-treating hours. Bad idea! I have never been a huge fan of Halloween, so as you can imagine I was pretty annoyed. I ended up walking the entire way. Boo!

Friday

Total Steps: Unknown. Forgot my pedometer because I wore different shoes. I hate it when I do that!
Planks: 45 seconds x 3 sets
Squats: 25 reps x 3 sets
Lunges: 25 reps x 3 sets

Saturday

REST

I actually meant to go for a run on my favorite trail today, but I never made it down there. Hopefully I will get my butt in gear tomorrow and knock it out. I sure wish I had a friend to join me!

Which brings me to a sad, pitiful point: me and Hubs really, desperately, need some local friends. We have lived here for two years, and all the people we met have either moved away or we lost touch. It is so tough to make new friends! We often compare ourselves to Doug and Carrie on "King of Queens" when they try to meet new people at a home improvement store and a drug store, among other places. We haven't actually resorted to that quite yet, but it has been brought up several times and is getting ridiculously close to that degree of desperation. So sad, so sad....

~Fluffy Girl~

Soccer Mom Pride

Wednesday

Planks: 45 seconds x 5 sets

Total Steps: 11,370

So in case you didn't know, I have been a Proud Soccer Mom for 12 years. And yes, I just capitalized that because it is that important to me! I don't mean to brag or anything, but my kid ROCKS at soccer. I used to be one of those moms who ran up and down the side of the field screaming my head off like a maniac and hurling insults that are meant to be constructive, but I have settled down now...a little bit. I'm usually able to stay in my chair these days and keep my trap shut, but sometimes I get the urge to be "that mom" again--particularly during games when the kids are playing like they have never seen a soccer ball before. What is even harder to be quiet about is when the refs make insanely horrible calls on the field--that is the worst!!

Wednesday night was the last game of the fall season for my son's rec league. They were undefeated, so it wasn't going to be all that stressful since they already had first place in the bag. It turned out that the opposing team (which happens to be my son's girlfriend's team) forfeited because they thought they didn't have enough players even though their entire team ended up showing at the last minute. So, they decided to play just for fun instead. It was a nice way to end the season with a fun and silly game with no pressure. A couple of the coaches joined in, and one even played barefoot. Now that takes guts--there is no way I would play soccer barefoot with a bunch of rowdy teenagers and expect to keep all my toes. But, everyone (and their extremities) survived and another successful soccer season comes to a close. We are the champions!!

I found this pic recently and laughed my butt off while simultaneously shedding a tear at it's cuteness. It's amazing how quickly time goes by and how much our kids change without us even realizing it.

Then.... 

I believe this was my son's first soccer team when he was 4 years old. Can you pick him out?

 And present day...

Tabb High School Soccer Team, Spring 2013

 

I don't know what I'm gonna do without this guy in a couple years :(  Love you Oopie Doopie!


~Fluffy Girl~