Yes, I'd be a slug

Well, the past 2 days I've been a slug, and felt the need to fess up about it--for myself, even if no one else reads this! Yesterday, Craig had to get his grades in at school by like 8 am and hadn't done it yet, so he left the house early, early to go to school, which would have put me leaving home to run at like 4 am. That was waaaayyyyy too early...5 I can do, but getting up in the 4's is just sort of ridiculous! So, I was going to go later on in the day...first while the kids were in preschool, if I got enough work done at the office. Well, we had a staff meeting that ran a little longer than we thought it might, so I didn't get as much done by 1pm as I had hoped, and so I kept working til it was time to pick up the kids at 2. So then, I was going to go after I took them for a little special date at Chick-Fil-A last night, but it didn't happen because the childcare at the gym closes at 8pm, and it was like 10 after 7 by the time we finished eating...and of course, at Chick-Fil-A, you can't leave until you've got to climb around all over the playground thingy and sit in the little airplane up there for-e-ver! Then, when I got home, I cleaned house for a bit, just mostly doing clutter control, and then I needed to work some more getting ready for Sunday. It is our pastor's annual trip to Colorado, which means I get to preach. I absolutely LOVE getting to do it. Pretty much whenever he goes away, I get to fill in, although he doesn't go away very much. It is really something I love to do, but it requires a commodity that is in short supply in my life right now to get ready---nice, quiet, uninterrupted time! So, last night after kids were in bed, after I got the house de-cluttered enough that I didn't want to strangle someone (I'm showin the love, huh), I worked on my sermon. Tomorrow we have a big fun deal at church for the kids, and then my 5th-8th graders are having a little party-type get together, so there won't be a lot of time on Friday. And Saturday, I will have to leave to work at the hospital about the time everyone is laying down for their naps, after lunchtime. I work til 10:30 Saturday night, which isn't late, but it does limit the time I have to work on all this Saturday....so, I am trying to be pretty much ready to go by the time I go to bed tonight....which, may mean not getting out early in the morning (which may very well translate to no exercise that day). I am hoping not, but I do need to make sure I am ready for Sunday. If I don't make it out, I WILL be out there come Monday morning, for sure, and back at the consistency. I really am missing the early runs right now, and that's a good thing....I'm not really enjoying the sleeping in til 7-something--which surprises me in a wonderful way! I am just trying to get my 6 or 7 hours of sleep in, which is another commitment I am making for the sake of my health--these 2 to 4-hour nights of sleep I've done for years have been part of my undoing for weight, I'm sure. So, all things work together for good.....

Okay, there! I fessed up! And yes, it feels better to get it out of my head and somewhere I can look at it and see it makes sense to do what I am doing. There is a lot of empty space up in my head for all these thoughts to rattle around in....its nice to have them nailed down on a blog! Later, taters....love, the the Slug....aka, Stacy!

Forward Motion

Well, I didn't know if I would make it out the door today or not, but I did it, and I am so glad. I had to work the evening shift at the lab last night, which meant I was supposed to get off at 10:30. I was working blood bank and microbiology last night, which was amazingly quiet. I think I crossmatched blood on only a couple of folks, did a cord blood, and only set up a handful of cultures....which means I should have been able to get home on time, possibly even early. I was hoping for the early thing, because I was sleeeeeepy after having been up since early! On MWF I work at my office at church in the mornings too, while the kids are in school, so it wasn't really just a leisurely morning either--suffice it to say, I was ready for sleeping! Well, there is this little (or actually not so little) training deal we all have to do in the lab that I should've gotten done a while ago, but because I am not there all the time and because when I am there, I am often by myself (working nights), I hadn't completed it yet. It's one of those computer thingys with a powerpoint type training session and it tests you and you have to pass and all that stuff....and can I just say, all of those type things put me to sleep like crazy! I mean, I would so rather stick icepicks under my toenails than have to sit through one of those things! So, I am making my way thorugh this awful thing (it was on packing dangerous goods, and transporting them, and "class A, UN number 2833 under IATA code 3423.32.38 and use packing instruction 402" type stuff for---oh, like every dangerous good known to man--and how to pack it for an airplane and----aaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!! Seriously, can I poke a finger through my eye now????--all ELEVEN CHAPTERS of it!!! So, I am close to finishing it and it's time to go home--but I am not quite finished. As tired as I was, I KNEW good and well I DID NOT want to sit down and finish this stupid thing later (or do it ever again!) so, I stayed to finish it up and it took me until 11:30! So much for going to bed early! And of course, once I get home, I can't go straight to bed--gotta have a little wind down time--usually on facebook, reading the paper online, etc. (I really needed to clean the dirty kitchen that was left for me, but that's another story I won't get into! Needless to say...I need to do some housework today!)Anyhow....I'm in bed at around 1 am, thinking there is no way I will be getting up at 4:45 to run, and I probably should allow myself some grace because of having to endure that stupid SAFTPAK training for so long. Well, my alarm went off at 4:45, and the snooze alarm and I had a little fight---and though the fight went for a couple of rounds, I WON, I WON! Yep, I was out of bed at 5:05 or so, and after stumbling around on my sore feet and trying to find my socks, I was out the door at 5:30...woohoo! It seemed sort of appropriate that the first song to come up on my ipod was "Forward Motion" by Relient K--and how I have trouble with forward motion! Some Linda Rondstat (when will I be loved), Chris Tomlin, Jars of Clay, Garth Brooks, and Bowling for Soup later, I had gone about 2-1/2 miles, according to my newly-again-functional Nike+ipod thingymadoo. I had to get a new sensor for it (I got it for my birthday last year) and I havne't calibrated it yet, but out of the box, it is pretty close to being accurate for most people, statistically. I was able to run the whole way around my neighborhood's "big block" without a walk break, which is about a mile, for the first time since I've been back at it....a mile isn't terribly far, but for me right now, that was quite a milestone! I think the cold weather is helping a lot too....I have always LOVED to run when its cold! With the walk breaks, I averaged about 12-1/2 minutes per mile, which for me, is pretty darn good right now! (I was never fast....even 3 kids, 100 pounds, and 8 years ago!) If I can move one foot in front of the other faster than I walk, that's a run for me, baby---no matter what the speed! So...after the shower that felt soooo good--because I was cold from the weather, hot from the run, and because I EARNED it--I was updating my prayer list, reading, and enjoying the quiet of the morning, just me and Jesus, hangin out. I love those times--while they last, that is! Barrett and Silas were bounding down the stairs pretty soon...yes, like, buttcrack of dawn soon! Anyhow, I took the opportunity to snuggle up with them on the couch while they watched their "mornin shows" as they call them, and the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes, and it was daylight, and we were all the way to Tigger and Pooh on Playhouse Disney! So much for staying up with no naps...but but its worth it! After all, I felt great from my run, and Barrett and Silas will only be 4 for a little while...speaking of which, Miss Gabriella, who will only be 2 for a little while is up now, so I better go give her some equal opportunity! She who is at 0.97 percentile on the weight scale....she didn't inherit that from me!!!! Maybe I need to get her to teach me a thing or two--she never stops moving! I think that's why she's so tiny!Thanks soooooooo much for the encouragement too!!! It helps a lot--because I know I don't want to post a status update that says "Stacy is a lazy slug who didn't get out of bed to run!" Yep, accountability works!

Four days down makes my first week back!

Well, I made it out the door early Wed, Thurs, and Friday, and got out this afternoon for 4 days out walking/running/shuffling my feet/yada yada yada....so, that's my first week back at the "I wanna be a runner" quest. I am so happy I am getting back out there. I already feel better and just the consistency and the routine are things are thrive with....I'm loving it!
Today, since nobody had to go into work or anything, I decided to sleep a little later...well...slightly later. The boys came and woke me up at 6:15 wanting to see their "mornin' shows"...ie, The Wiggles, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Tigger and Pooh and the morning Playhouse Disney lineup. 6 stinking 15! I don't know where they get this up at the buttcrack of dawn trait, but if it keeps up, it will serve them well, I'm sure! Oh, how I wish it came as naturally to me to get up so stinkin early!
Anyhow, the new LJ firestation was having an open house, so we went over there this morning and sat in firetrucks and ambulances and looked around at everything for awhile, and then came my trip to PetSmart to the SPCA setup. We fell in love with this precious pup named Pickles, who is going to be a great family-type dog, I"m pretty sure. We used to have dauchsunds, and due to their digging out of our yard as well as their propensity to not be so great with kids, they are in a new home now. I have been wanting to find a good family dog, because the kids, especially Gabriella are just dog crazy. So, we found Pickles today. An intense conversation with dad, several papers, and about an hour later, our adoption was sealed. She has to be spayed before we could bring her home, so we'll be getting her on Wednesday. (yes, that has nothing to do with running, but it was a big event of today, nevertheless!) The kids are soooooo excited for her, and I'm looking forward to seeing them bond. She really is sweet.
So...back to the running! It was a gorgeous, gorgeous day today, and I was going to go on my run while the kids were napping, but didn't make it out there before the boys woke up. They have been getting a little rambunctious on me, and are starting to really test their limits some more (ie, look at me and laugh when I tell them no and whine, whine, whine about stuff!) so, I think a good outing should do them some good. They got bikes last year for Christmas--with training wheels--and are pretty good on them, so I strapped on their helmets and put on my shoes, and we went out for a bike ride for them and a run/walk/traffic officer time for me. When they go fast, it pushes me on the running, which is great...when they don't go fast, well...it's either a nice brisk walk, or a leisurely stroll, just depending on how far we've gone so far! I got a little of all of the above in today. We went down the cool sidewalk-that-looks-like-a-road off the side of Oyster Creek Drive, and they were having big fun on that, and started to recognize we were getting near the neighborhood of church. They really, really wanted to ride "all the way down to church, Momma!" so we went on down. I guess church is probably between 1-1/2 and 2 miles away, so we probably ended up doing a total of between 3 and 4 miles. They loved it, especially on the way there. They were getting a little tired on the way home, but they were troopers and did really well. We've ridden that far several times before, but it's been awhile. I did a lot of walking on the way back, but I figure at least I was still out there. I mean, it wasn't like a heart-pounding workout, but it was so much fun to listen to them talk and chatter away and see them riding there beside and around me. It was a lot of fun, and I'm hoping we get out to do it again soon.
They were pretty pooped by the time we got home, and Gabriella had been awake from her nap for awhile. Craig said when he got her up she got all sad because her "boys" weren't there.....but, she got over it and was very happy to see them when we got home.
The early runs have been so great this week....I've really enjoyed them, and the nice quiet time built in after I get home before the kiddos wake up. It's really been a blessing, and I so hope I can keep it up. The one thing I don't like about getting out at the buttcrack of dawn is how dark it is then. That is a little creepy...but I honestly don't know what self-respecting perpetrator would mess with me! I'm careful and all, but truly...who is going to want to jump an ugly fat woman with this much gray hair and an empty bank account wearing my tacky totally uncoordinated painting shorts with splatters all over them?? The good thing is, is that there seem to be quite a few people out walking and stuff at that time of the day..and that the time change is next week! I usually hate this time change, because I love the longer days, but I am thinking I"ll like it for the early morning-stuff. It'll be nice to have a little earlier daylight.
My eating isn't quite where it ought to be yet, but its moving in the right direction. I'm being a lot better than I had been, but not quite as good as I need to be on it. For me, it seems the healthy eating always follows the exercise...never the other way around. So, I'm trying to get that where it oughta be too.
I'm making my goal to be out running/walking/moving at least Monday through Friday mornings early. I am hoping to also get in a Saturday workout too. There has to be at least a day off a week, to give the body some recovery time, so that'll probably be on Sunday. When you are on staff at church, Sundays are pretty much work days--I seem to go morning til night on Sundays between church and my responsibilities there, teaching confirmation, and then leading a small group for youth and having high school youth Sunday evenings. Next Sunday I am preaching, so I'll REALLY be on the go then! (I just love it when I get to preach..but it does take a lot out of you, to preach 2 services...it's so fun though!) Anyhow, if I can do the Monday through Friday or Saturday thing, I think I will feel pretty consistent and like I am making progress. It wouldn't hurt to move down the line in my closet too....I have my super-ultra-fat-clothes (the ones I am in now!), my super-fat-clothes (a little smaller, worn during the first part of my twin pregnancy and some of my single-baby pregnancy), my fat clothes (which I wore before having kids for a few years), my sorta bigger clothes (from when I used to think I was fat--but that I"d love to be down to now!), and my normal person clothes, which are the goal!!! I'd so love to be in the normal-size-person clothes and toss those other ones OUT! (of course, I'd give them to Salvation Army or something...but I'd love to first toss them in a trash can, sorta like they do on what not to wear!)
Anyhow....so, 4 days down. Not a bad first week....not too bad at all, I think! Thanks again for all the encouragement! Accountability is a good thing!

New shoes, one day down, and wooohooo!!

Well, as a followup to my last marathon (no pun intended!) note, I thought I'd catch up. First of all...thank you so much for all of the feedback and encouragement! I truly am blessed with some amazing peeps! I am so grateful for my friends...old friends that go all the way back to Marble Falls, and new ones in Lake Jackson--ya'll are such gifts, and I appreciate you each one!So....I haven't had a new pair of running shoes since 2003, when I ran the San Diego Rock n' Roll marathon (and pre-kids). I think the last pair I got I used to train in for awhile and run the marathon itself in, and they have been used off and on since then on the rare occasions I actually made it out the door in the past 4 years! So, I decided it was time to invest in another pair of shoes. After all, these are the only legs I have, and they are carrying a whole lotta me on them! Back in the day, I went to Fleet Feet in Rice Village in Houston and learned I needed motion control shoes, and I ran in Saucony Grid Stabils for awhile and then discoved the Brooks Ariel, which is one beast of a shoe! (in fact, the man-version of it was called the "Beast"...don't know if it still is or not, but that is the lineage of the shoe...the Beast!). My Ariel's served me well, but since it had been so long ago that I'd had my gait looked at, I decided a trip to the Running Shoe store was in order, rather than just ordering willy nilly online (which probably would've saved a little money...but I needed the service this time). There is a great...I think fairly new...store in Pearland (and one in Clear Lake) called "On the Run" and that is where we went...by we, I mean myself, and my 3 sidekicks, who happen to be aged 4, 4, and 2. I had seen the Pearland store before, but couldn't remember exactly where it was, because Pearland is like...crazy built up these days! I remember way back in the day when Pearland was just podunkville out in the country south of Houston...no buddy, not anymore! It's a stinkin shopper paradise now! It pretty much runs into Houston and its hard to tell where one stops and the other begins. In the last 10 years since I've lived here, it's exploded like a seagull eatin' rice! Anyhow, we drove the about 40 minutes up to Pearland, and then drove around every little storefront place that looked like where I remembered seeing the store for about as long trying to find it! Finally, my synaptic misfire got straightened otu and I remembered where it was and we made it there. Of course, my sidekicks were MORE than happy to be out of the van by this time! So, I go in, walk around and try on lots of shoes....Sauconys, Mizunos, Addidas, Asics, not sure what all else, and then the Ariel...yep...they are still the one, baby! They felt so good on my feet, and I knew they would help motivate me to get to bed last night and up and at em in the morning. And I have to remember its an investment, because it takes me about a half shift of med teching to earn the 100 or so bucks to buy them....It's hard to spend the money, but I'd rather spend it on shoes to get me running and take care of my body than to spend it later on medical bills because I'm a big fat unhealthy slug. Anyhow....so I get my Ariel's and I'm so excited! Of course, by this time I had to reassmeble a few things at the store due to my kiddos and deal with the carnage, but overall it was a successful trip. And the kids were excited to eat at Chick-Fil-A while we were out and about. So......last night, I was actually ready to sleep at 10:30ish, which is amazingly early for me! My alarm went off at 4:45 this morning, and I snoozed only once to get me to 4:50, and I was up and at em! Brushed my teeth, got dressed, got the shoes on, and I was out the door....whoohoo! It felt great! And though I'm not breakin any speed records, I was able to run a little more than I was the other day..probably mostly due to the shoe situation. It felt so good...I was a sweaty mess when I got home, and it RAWKED! Of course, I was getting a little stressed about 5:50 or so when I realized it would be shortly after 6 that I got home. Craig was waiting on the driveway, but he was nice to me, so that was a nice surprise...I thought for sure I'd be in trouble for being late. (it was a fw minutes after 6 I got home). So, he left for work, I got to take a shower I felt like I actually "earned" and had about an hour before the kids woke up to spend time with my Lord....does it get better than that? Naw....not really, at least not for now. I'll take it....it's been a good day!Anyhow....lets see if I can do it again. Get to bed early, get up early, butt out of bed, go Stacy go...one foot in front of the other....repeat! We shall see!! I think I can, I think I can!!!

Can I do it???

Okay....I have to admit it: I am crazy jealous (in a good way...not in a vicious evil sort of way!) of all my runner and athletic friends...skinny ones too, of course! I am jealous in an "I-am-inspired-and-encouraged-to-do-better" sort of a way, and I want to challenge myself.I had never been terribly athletic growing up. I mean, I played softball as a kid on a league and did pretty well and had fun with it, and I lived to jump rope and run around and ride my bike and that sort of a thing, but I was never like the super athlete, play on a team, crazy granola girl type. And I used to remark that the only time I'd run was when being chased...which was pretty much..uh...never...so, that was that for the whole running thing.Until later...like, oh, bout 1995ish or so. I was in medical technology school at Methodist Hospital in Houston, and my lab coat was rather...um...well, it was getting tough to button! You know when your scrubs start to stretch across your bootay, things are a little out of control! Too many Double Dave's pizza rolls at A&M, too long of having an apartment next to Shipley donuts in college, and too much studying and eating until all hours of the night in med tech school were catching up...not to mention that at the ripe old age of ...what was it then, like 22 or 23...my metabolism was at the slowest rate I'd seen to date. and thus, the weight wars began!!I started running when I was in med tech school, living in the medical center in Favrot Hell...um, Hall that is. There was a little workout room in the basement and I'd trek down the 11 floors down to there and walk on the treadmill, and then started running. I distinctly remember that was when I learned the lesson to not close your eyes on a treadmill, as I was "relaxing" (or some such attempt) and ended up on the floor behind the treadmill, which I'm sure was quite a sight! I worked myself up to being able to run a mile and a half on the treadmill and thought I was like a crazy running machine! For a fat girl who had never gone more than like 2 feet, that was pretty good! Then, my friend Scott Gogulski who lived down the hall from me, and about my only English-speaking friend in the dorm, who was an Aggie to boot, took me to Memorial Park to try to run there. I thought Scott was sorta cute too, which helped...and between that motivation and just being out in the fresh air with the wind on my face, I managed to run my first 3 miles without stopping to walk. I REALLY felt like a running machine then! I continued to run the rest of med tech school and then when I moved to Brenham, I ran some there as well, but never quite as regularly as I did during that year in Houston, when I'd go out pretty much every day after class and run the perimeter of Rice. Which, incidentally, was another place I landed flat on my face, after tripping on a big tree root at the corner of Greenbriar and University, I think it was. Of course, it was on a baseball game day with lots of traffic that saw me too....lovely! Yes, I am graceful!So, I ran off and on in my years in Brenham, and took it up pretty steadily to lose weight for my wedding in 1998. As in the past, the running began as a quest to lose weight, but ended up being something I did just because it felt so good and I enjoyed it so much. I took a little hiatus when I moved to Lake Jackson, adjusting to being married and new job, and all the changes in my life, and then took it back up again, of course to lose weight, which I did, but of course just started to enjoy it again. Feeling like a machine again, I decided I wanted to do a marathon. It would give me a goal to work toward and I just wanted to do it..sounded like fun!So, I trained and worked hard and was signed up for Austin, when my husband lost his job and our world fell apart for a little while. Too many hours of work for me and trying to hold things together meant no trip to Austin, where I was expecting to run in about 5-1/2 hours. I was in decent shape then, and LOVED the whole running thing, was addicted! I got up to a 23-mile long run before the trip got derailed and I began to get fat again. yeech.So life levels out, everyone is gainfully employed again, and I begin to work for Young Life...which has a lot of beautiful and athletic people...and a lot of good food too! Not to mention the "hey, let me take you out for a milkshake" that I loved so much in contact work with kids. and I gain more weight.I still had the marathon bug and decided I wanted to for sure run one before I had kids.....fat me or no fat me! So, I sign up for the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon in 2003 and ran it and LOVED it. It took me 6-1/2 hours to do, but it was awesomely fun and I felt like I had accomplished so much by finishing it. I was then going to run the Disney marathon when we were in Florida in January of 2004, but found out I was pregnant right before we left on the trip....I decided not to run, seeing as how I had had pregnancy problems aplenty in the past, and it was totally worth it, of course.....little did I know, I was carrying not one but two babies, which turned out to be my Barrett and Silas, who are 4 now. (when did that happen....that so feels like yesterday!).So, fast forward (this is becoming quite a long note, huh...I guess I'm longwinded!) past 6 weeks of bedrest in the hospital having the boys in August of 2004, learning to be a parent with a litter of kids to start with, and then having Gabriella in September of 2006. Three babies in two years is hard on a body! It's really hard when you are trying to do so much by yourself and don't get out much, except to work. It's really tough on the body...hence, there aren't really any recent pictures of me up on here! A few years of stress eating and only getting to exercise every now and then has taken its toll, as most who know me up close and personal the last several years can probably see and attest to. So, here I am....I want to begin to get this body in some sort of working order again. I miss running and all the cool things that go with it! I know I'll never be fast, but it would be enough for me to feel that sense of accomplishment that comes when you hit your stride and it feels fun instead of painful! I love the sore you get after a good run....and feeling your blood pump...and also feeling like you are using the gift you have been given in this body to its fullest potential. The Lord, I believe, is honored when we take care of the Temple He's given us....and honestly, my Temple has looked abandoned for years now....like I'm thinking this Temple is in major disrepair....and it's time to do something about it!So, what is one to do when you are a mom to 3 kids under the age of 5 and pretty much the only time you are able to get out is when the kids are sleeping? How do you work 2 jobs and take care of a home, mostly on your own, and wear all the hats you have to wear to do it? Others do it....I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm ready to start trying something new...because what I'm trying for the last several years isn't working so well.I'm not an early-riser kind of a person....I may STAY UP til 4 am regularly, but rarely will I GET up at that time. But it seems to me, that many of the folks who juggle all these sorts of things do the get up early and get out there deal. Can I do it? I don't know...Craig leaves for work at 6 am now...If I can get this ample butt of mine out of bed and out the door by say 5, I could get in a decent run/walk/whatever it becomes and be home by 6 in time for him to leave. Can I do it? I don't know, but I want to try. So, why did I just put all this here? Well....it gives me some accountability, I suppose. If I can get to bed before say, 2 or 3 am, I bet I could do it. I bet I will feel better. I bet it will benefit me in more ways than I can list. I really, really want to try! I am just coming off of 3 night shifts now and working on maybe about 8 hours of sleep since last Thursday....so, its probably not going to start tomorrow. But, maybe, just maybe, it can start the next day. Big butt out of bed, big butt out the door....that's all it takes, and then one foot in front of the other. Can I do it? I don't know, but I'm going to try! All I can do is try!! I'll post back in a few days and keep my accountability going! Even if no one takes time to read this (and honestly, you probably have better things to spend your time on!) but, at least I put it out there for me to see...and to work toward...and to try. Can I do it??? I don't know, but I'm going to try.....we'll see!!!