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!