I Did It !!

I did it !  I ran the 15km race yesterday morning - in 2:10.  I think I would have finished closer to 2hrs if my right foot had played along - but it didn't - it mis-behaved - so I am going back to the podiatrist on Wednesday after work to see if he can sort it out.

I was up at 4am and ready to leave by 4.30.  A said he would come with me despite me telling him to rather wait at home instead of hanging around for too many hours waiting for me to finish.  But, being my biggest supporter, he was not about to stay at home.  So he came with.  And followed me along the route there and back - not in a creepy way - just driving ahead and waiting on the side of the road to check I was OK and encourage me along.  At one point he had a bottle of water for me which was great because although the water tables were supposed to be every 2.5km - they weren't actually that well spaced.  The next time I saw him I gave him the bottle back because it was awkward running while holding a bottle and it had got me through a dry patch so that was great. 

I caught up with Kate and Rachel from Operation Move.  Zoey had left by the time I got to the start - she ran the 50km in an amazing 5:50.  Kate ran the 15km in 1:29 and Rachel finished about 2mins ahead of me.  It was lovely to meet these amazing ladies in person.

I figure that if I can run 15km, I can run a half marathon so, I am now looking at entering some more races - an 11km race in January from Riverstage called the Resolution Run, the Convicts and Wenches half marathon at the end of January and then a half marathon at the Twilight Festival around UQ in March - but this all depends on what my coach says she thinks is reasonable for me to achieve.  I was telling a friend about the races I want to enter and she has said she would like to run with me so that is great - the parts of the race that I ran with Rachel on Sunday were really good.

Some other great news is I booked our tickets to go and visit K next year.  When we facetimed her to tell her, I thought her face was going to split in half her smile was so big !!! Then the tears came in her eyes and I asked if she was sad about us coming over - she laughed and said "No Mom, they are tears of joy." (I think she is pleased she is going to see us and not have to wait until she gets home again !!!)

I don't think I will be posting again before the new year. I am so looking forward to the break over Christmas - a break from the day to day grind of going to work - a chance to sleep in - run when I want - potter around the house - work in the garden - spend time with A and my folks.  Dad has been diagnosed with cancer for the third time - so far he has managed to fight it successfully twice.  Tomorrow he is going for another PET scan and then has an appointment with the surgeon so hopefully we will have some more answers by the end of the day.

For those with great plans for Christmas - I hope that they come off for you and that you have a wonderful time.  For anyone like us, with no children at home, and no plans for Christmas - enjoy your day whatever you may land up doing - I know that we are looking forward to a really quiet day at home.

And, because it is Tuesday, it's time to join in with Jess from Essentially Jess for #IBOT.

What are your plans for Christmas ?

Do you like having big plans ?

Would you rather have a quiet day at home ?

 

 TFTD : Accept this moment, without judgement or needless worry.  Remind yourself that all is well, and that you can handle whatever comes along.

 

I Can See The Improvement

This coming Sunday at 5.30am I am going to be down at Kurrawa waiting to run 15km - yes, you read that right, 15km !!!  I hadn't realised that when I signed up that I wasn't going to get in the amount of training that I would need to be able to run 15km but I'm going to give it a try anyway.  I certainly will be walking some of the way but I have learned that there is no shame in walking - in fact, there are times when, although I have included some walking, I have actually landed up doing a faster time than when I ran the whole way.

I can see the improvements in my 5km and 7km times which is certainly encouraging.  Like Zoey says - I can't compare one run to the next because there are so many factors that will change how I run and the pace that I run but, over a period of time, I can look back and see the improvements that I've made which is what really counts (so long as I don't look all the way back to 2009 when I was running heaps faster than I am now !!)  At some point I will get back there - I'm just not there right now.

I have changed a few things - I got new running orthotics, I got new running shoes, I started using bodyglide on my feet, I got toe socks and I started to strap my knee - OK, so I changed more than a few things but at my age, I need all the help I can get when it comes to exercise !!!!  The main thing is that whatever it was that needed to be changed, has been changed and is working.

I want to thank A for his support and encouragement - there is no time that is not a good time for me to run according to him !!!  Whenever I say "I need to go for a run" - the answer is always - "Have fun" - to him, running is about having fun.  I am not quite of the same belief, I run because I like how it makes me feel, I run because I know it's good for me to exercise, I run because I want to get healthy but, at the moment, I don't run because it's fun.

I also want to thank my village - the amazing ladies at Operation Move - who are there, every step with me - who help to hold me accountable on the days I think I will get home and try to get out of running.  When I'm home from running, I go on FaceBook and let everyone know that I didn't dip out of running in favour of sitting on the couch / deck crocheting - the support and encouragement from them is just great and it certainly helps to keep me going some nights when I am plodding along the road.

A is away this week.  He has changed the division he is working in and will, in all likelihood, be spending more time away from home BUT that is OK.  I am getting used to spending time by myself - it's a pity that the time difference with K isn't more favourable because I could probably spend a lot of time chatting to her !!!  She is doing so well and is having such a great time over there.  She is certainly getting out and about and seeing the country.  I think Christmas will be a little difficult not having her around but, as parents, we have to let our children go and if it means that they live in a different country - so be it.  I think the fact that she is doing well is a testament to how we brought her up - and I will be taking some of the credit for that !!!! LOL

It's Tuesday which means it's #IBOT time with Jess at EssentiallyJess - I know that I haven't been linking in every week but sometimes life becomes more important than blogging.

Have the best day !!!

TFTD :  Your problems, weaknesses, setbacks, regrets and mistakes will teach you if you're willing to learn.  Or, they will punish you if you're not.

Finally

We have building approval - YAY !!!!!

Now to get final quotes from the builders, make a decision and LET THE BUILDING BEGIN !!!

Have the best day !

Another Week

This was another busy week for us starting with a meeting with one of the builders on Monday night which went really well.  All four of us liked him and he had some great suggestions for us on where we could save some money without putting up some cr*ppy little place for the old people.  We are waiting for his final quote after we made a few changes on the night.

What didn't go so well was the phone call from Council advising that, despite a meeting with them and a few phone calls to confirm overlay maps etc, the application that we submitted would result in us having to pay $19k in infrastructure charges.  This all despite the fact that we had been advised to get the size of the house/garage under 100m2 to avoid infrastructure charges !!!  This meant that we had to redo the whole application - a trying task that we finished at 11.45pm that night - and, we went to the bottom of the pile again.  That was the worst thing about it because basically now we are 12 days behind where we were and, given we are trying to get the retainer wall at the back of the house and the retainer wall for the slab built before the Christmas break, we are cutting it really fine now.  But, I'm of the opinion that things will get built when they get built and stressing about it isn't going to make them get done any quicker.

Yesterday after work I went to see my podiatrist to see if he could help with the pains I am getting in the balls of my feet when I run.  The body glide has definitely helped HEAPS with the burning but the pain has still been there.

He has recommended I get a different pair of orthotics for running because there is not enough cushioning in my current pair which are fine for every day wear (although I only really wear them in winter when I wear shoes - in summer I spend most days in thongs or barefoot in the office).  He said that I am suffering from capsulitis where the nerves and tendons on the bones of the balls of my feet are inflammed from the added pressure of running on them. I said that I knew that my weight was not helping but, at the moment, there wasn't anything that I did that was moving it so I am trying to increase my exercise to burn more calories in the hope of creating a calorie deficit which would have to result in some weight loss at some point in time.

He also said that he wouldn't recommend the running shoes that I am using as they are over correcting my problem.  I have run about 850kms in them and they will be fine for walking in - just not to run in.  He gave me the names of two pairs of shoes so I am going to see how much they cost and look into buying one of those pairs.  Hopefully I will be able to sell the second pair that I have at home (same as the original pair I bought) that I have run exactly 2km in !!!!  He also adapted my current orthotics to spread the load under the balls of my feet better so, hopefully, that will help until I get my running orthotics.

Her back yard

We got some photos this morning from K showing the first snow fall in the garden.  They did have some snow on Halloween but it melted as soon as it landed on the ground.  When I FaceTimed a little while later she had to keep changing her hand holding the phone as she doesn't have gloves and it was too cold to keep one hand out her jacket longer than about 25-30 seconds !  She said that getting gloves was the last thing she needed and then she should be set for winter.  When the wind doesn't blow she said it's amazing but when the wind blows - it goes right through you if you don't have the right clothes.

Another view

This weekend we are expecting temps in the mid to high 30s so I think we are going to spend lots of time inside with the aircon on as I doubt there will be much in the way of breezes around.  Plus, they started digging for the deck on the little veranda on Wednesday so there is sand e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e - the dogs haven't been allowed inside because they are just covered in dust and think it's great to be able to run up and down these huge sand banks.  I do hope that all that they have dug out will be used to support the floor when they do eventually throw the slab otherwise we are going to have a continual layer of dust over everything in the house which will drive me to drink quicker than you can say Jack Flash !  They are supposed to be pouring the concrete today for the foundations and the footings.  Then they have to build the supporting walls and then they can throw the slab - the quicker the better is all I can say !!

I have a 9km run planned for tonight - I hope that it will have cooled down a little by the time I leave work this afternoon !!!!

Have the best weekend !

TFTD :  Love and kindness can move mountains.  Learn to give without any reason.  Today, be someone who helps someone else look forward to tomorrow.

Things I Know

It's Friday, my favourite day of the working week and time to link in with Ann from Help I'm Stuck with the easiest linky of all because we all know 'stuff' !!!

Yesterday I finally lodged the building application - and within a couple of hours had two phone calls about things that we had answered in the wrong places !!!!  When the lady told me she was from GCCC I just started to laugh and there was just silence from the other side of the phone - I explained to her that I had called my husband once I had lodged the paperwork (all done online) and said that I was sure I was going to get more than a few calls about the application.  She just laughed and said that it was fine and she would help me through what she could.  About 5 mins later she called back to tell me about something else that I needed to change, so went back, changed that, PDF'd the files and then sent them through to her again.  I haven't heard back from her since then so I'm going with the fact that they are processing the application and they haven't just thrown it away !!!

It was my Mom's birthday yesterday and we had arranged to take my folks out for dinner but my Mom got ill earlier on in the week with chest pains and the shakes.  Apparently her kidneys are not behaving and giving her some trouble.  So we decided to take dinner around to their house to save her having to go out.  I am worried about her - especially because she tends to say "I'm fine" when she isn't.  I suppose at least my Dad is there to keep an eye on her.  The sooner we get them close to us the better.

Tomorrow night will see A and I at a hotel (not sure of it's name or exactly where it is but it's somewhere on the coast).  K won it as one of her prizes when she kicked 4/4 at the pre-game entertainment when the Suns played Collingwood earlier this year.  Unfortunately she wasn't able to use it before she left so A and I will be using it tomorrow night - it's one nights accommodation and buffet breakfast the next morning !!!

We will be skyping K tonight.  We didn't get to talk on Monday night (our normally weekly skype session) as she was having the best time in Washington DC.  She certainly has been out and about since she got over there.  Nine weeks into her stay she had been to eight states !!!!

I'm off to the knee guy after work today and then have a 5km run planned this evening.  Last run I didn't do any hills and managed so much better so I've made the decision to concede the hills ....... for now.  They will not beat me totally but I will just give them a miss until I am fitter and more able to tackle them.

Have the best weekend that you can !!

What do you know this week ?

Have you linked in ?

If you have, I'll be around to see

what you know this week.

TFTD : Go as far as you can see and you will see further.

Need To Change My Head Space

I have signed up for Far & Fast with Operation Move and got my training plan on the weekend.  I know that it is doable and I love that I am now being held accountable because, for me, accountability is what counts.  Accountability is what gets me out the door - especially in the early stages where I am trying to fake it until I make it in terms of loving what I'm doing.  Don't get me wrong - there are some days I can't wait to get home, pull on my runners and get out there but there are still too many days when I get home and force myself to get out there BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S WHAT I NEED TO DO not because I want to.

But, having been down this path before, I know that there will come a point in time when I run because I want to - as well as because I need to !!  I just need to keep going until that switch is flicked.  Once it's flicked, that's me - I'm on my way to a half marathon (well that's my goal at the moment - I'll have to wait and see how it goes)

I am used to running on the flat.  I have times in my head of how fast I ran - on the flat.  Now I am running some flat but some hills as well and I can't get my head around how slow I am.  Yes, I know I've only just started running again but I still feel that by now I should be running faster than I am.

Last night I ran - in tears - because I was just too slow.  Too slow for what - I have no idea - just too slow.  I spoke to A about it and he suggested *shock horror* running without technology - just running and either having a good run, a not so good run or even possibly a bad run.  I told him I didn't think I could do that because I use the technology to spur me on to the next km or for the next minute.  There was a post recently by the amazing Zoey about taking some ego out of your running and I think that is what I need to do - I need to get my head around the fact that I am not the same person I was when I used to run.  I am me now and I am different and I have other issues to deal with that I didn't have back then.  And that it's OK - so long as I am moving, I am making a difference to my body.

As we all know - sometimes our hearts over-rule our heads - and I really need to have my head over-rule my heart on this one.  I accept that I will never win a race - I've never expected to so that isn't a shock.  I accept that I may never run a marathon - I can't say I've ever thought I would, so that isn't a shock either.  But I won't accept that I may never run a 10km or a half marathon race - because those are my goals and, if I can get my head to over-rule my heart, I may just achieve them !!!!

Have the best day that you can !

Does your head or your heart rule you ?

What have you done to change 

which one rules ?

TFTD : Focus your conscious mind on things you desire not things you fear.  Doing so brings dreams to life.

Things I Know

I'll have to check if Ann of Help ! I'm Stuck fame is still hosting the Things I Know linky - if not, then this is just a post about things I know - otherwise I'll be linking in with her.

This week :

- I know that I am enjoying my running

- I know that while I'm not running as far or as fast as I would like, I'm slowly getting there (and I'm sure that if it wasn't for the hills I would be a lot closer !!!)

- I know that falling asleep at 7pm in front of the TV is not something that usually happens to me

- I know that getting up, showering and going to bed after above sleep, has left me feeling drugged the next morning - in fact, if I didn't know better, I would think that I had been drugged

- I know that I am SO happy it's Friday

- I know that I am so happy that the carpeting is finally finished and that it is only one set of shutters and changing the security screens that still has to happen

- I know that the council was put here to take my hard earned money and make me miserable

- I know that if you have a driveway on a plan in order to get into a property, you have to pay another $298 in order to get a licence to build the driveway

- I know that this p*sses me off because how else would you get onto the property ?

What do you know today ?

Have you linked in yet ?

Have the best weekend possible !!

TFTD :  No amount of money will make you happy if you aren't happy with yourself.

Back Running .............. Sort Of

Thank you to everyone for the condolence messages you sent.  I really appreciate them.  I am really happy that I could make my aunt's funeral and even more so that I managed to get up and speak - until the last two sentences when I sort of lost it a little and had to take a little longer than a moment to regroup and get those last two sentences out - but I did it and, for me, given how much I hate public speaking - or any speaking involving more than a group of about 5 or 6 people, I was very happy - or at least as happy as you can be at the funeral of a favourite aunt !

Going back to South Africa was an eye-opener for me as well as confirmation that, when we made the decision and left nearly 15 years ago, it was the right decision for our family.  I phoned A when we had got to where we were staying and said "If there had ever been any teeny tiny inclination about whether we made the right decision to leave - we did."  Not that there has been ANY moments when we questioned our decision but it was good to know that we had made the right decision.

I was going to post about my 4 days in SA but, out of respect for the people who still live there, I'm not.  While I loved the country when I lived there, for me, my 4 day trip was 3 days too long.  And, as much as I LOVED catching up with my 'adopted' sister and seeing friends and neighbours I haven't seen for 15-20 years, I couldn't wait to get home.  Australia is definitely my home and to those people who don't like it here, there are plenty of airports - go somewhere else - and, once you are there, maybe you will appreciate just how good we have it here.

But, back to my running.  It starts.  And stops.  And starts again.  And stops again.  And this is doing my head in.  I am a few weeks behind other ladies in our LTR group but I'm not the only one who isn't keeping up (pun intended) with everyone else.  Between the trip to SA where I thought I would go for at least 1 or 2 runs and didn't go for any, and head colds and coughs, it's not going as well as I want it to but I am committed to keep on with what I can do.  I had thought I would enter a 5km run this Sunday but, having woken up with another head cold on Saturday and, despite stuffing armmo force and cold and flu tablets down my throat, I'm still feeling yucky, I may save my $35 and enter another one after I have actually managed to keep going for 5km !!!!!!

I am loving my Garmin 220 for keeping track of what I am doing - although it would be heaps better if I could figure out exactly how it works before I start my intervals so that they are all recorded instead of only part of them being recorded !!!!  Last night I read that it could sync it to my phone so I am going to try to do that tonight - even if I don't manage to get out and run myself given I am barking worse than all the dogs in our neighbourhood put together and my chest is soooooooo sore.

I have another appointment with my hormone fairy later this week so that will be good because (a) my toche taking has been iffy at best which is probably the reason I am suffering with hot flushes, the itches and sleeping badly although, to be fair to menopause, I probably can't blame the poor sleep on it, I have been a bad sleeper for a lot longer than I have been going through menopause and (b) I have run out of medication so even on the nights I did remember to take it, I didn't have any to take.

Thankfully the renovation of the bathroom and WIR are FINISHED !!!!!  The only thing left to do in the house is - carpets in the other rooms bar the study and security screens if we decide to change those.  There is heaps that A wants to do outside but it will all depend on how much money we have available.  We think we are getting closer to finalising a builder and getting council approval for 'the little house' - I just wish there was a step by step guide somewhere about how to go about building a granny flat so we would know that before we go to council we have to get the waster management system guy in or the soil tests done etc etc.  The delays in moving forward because 'Oh, have you got XYZ or have you done ABC - no ? - oh well you need to do this or that before you come to us' is doing my head in !!!!

On that note - I am off to read other blogs joining in with Jess for #IBOT.

Have a fantastic week !

TFTD : Nobody who ever gave their very best regretted it.

Quick Post

To all those amazing people who left comments on my last post - THANK YOU !!!!!  I will try to get to answer your questions as soon as I can.

Life has got in the way of blogging and, unfortunately, after this post, life is going to get in the way again causing another lack of posts.

This evening my folks and I are flying to South Africa as my aunt died on Sunday.  While she was incredibly sick 6 years ago and spent 9 months in intensive care, she pulled through and has been doing really well.

She was admitted to hospital on Saturday with a blood infection and died early on Sunday morning.  I feel really sorry for my folks, they already had their tickets booked to go there to visit next month.  On Saturday after we got the news she had been admitted to hospital, I asked if they were going to see if they could change their tickets (without having to pay a fortune to do so) and they said they would see how she progressed.  We certainly never expected to hear that she had passed away the next day - she wasn't that sick !!!!  (or maybe that is just my brain that doesn't want to accept that she isn't here anymore.)

I am flying home on Wednesday night and my folks arrive about 10 days later.

The stresses this week of trying to get a passport renewed in quicksmart time all the while waiting to hear about funeral arrangements to ensure we get flights booked that see us arriving before the funeral has been awful.  I do want to give a whole hand of high fives to DFAT - 90mins after dropping my renewal form with them, my passport was ready.  The only thing that would have improved the service is if they had told me there was a person at the back, anxiously waiting for my paperwork to cross their desk.  Had I known that someone would pounce on my renewal and get it processed that quickly, I would have taken my folks to lunch, picked up my passport and driven back down to the coast !!

And riddle me this - why, oh why, are passport photos so awful ????????????????????????

On to happier news - my interval running is going really well.  On Tuesday night I was doing a 5min warm up, 5 x 3 min run 90 sec walk, 5 min warm down.  During the run intervals of 2, 3 and 4 - I felt like I could run forever - it was amazing.  And then I started the 5th interval and I realised that, while I would love to run forever, I still need to work a little bit harder on that.

I have packed two sets of running clothes, my runners and my Garmin because I would hate to want to run and not be able to because I don't have the right equipment !!!!  A suggested taking the charger etc for my Garmin because if my 'sister' doesn't have a 'running' watch, I could leave that with her and buy another one when I get home.  I will see what she has and whether or not she likes it.

I caught up with some beautiful people at the QT Hotel on Sunday - it was so good to meet fellow bloggers for real.  It sounds like most people had a great time at ProBlogger and certainly a lot was learned by those who attended if the tweets and FB posts are anything to go by.

I promise to be back as soon as I can !

Have the best day everyone !!

Learning to Run again

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know that I used to run.  I used to run in 10km races.  I used to run 20km training runs - just to make sure that I could run a 10km race !!!  Mind you, I was never very quick but I got out and plodded along the streets.  It got to the point where I HAD to run - if we were going out in the evening, I would speed home from work, get changed, go for a run, go home, get showered and changed and then go out.

And then menopause hit.  My hormones were all out of whack and and I felt like cr*p.  My doctor (who is no longer my doctor) basically told me to suck it up and deal with it.  I spent many weeks wondering what was wrong with me and why I felt so awful.  Then someone recommended seeing a doctor who specialises in women's hormones.  I made an appointment with her and I have never looked back.

Sad to say, in the meantime, my running had come to a grinding halt - mainly because it was too much like hard work but also because I had put on so much weight.  After cutting out sugar, dairy and wheat - I put on weight - go figure !!!

While I am over due for a visit to Maura, I have changed my eating by doing the I Quit Sugar program. I feel so much healthier since I cut out sugar and have become so much more aware of just how many products on the shelves have sugar in them.  It's just shocking.  As well as changing my eating habits - I've also committed myself to exercising more.  I signed up for the Learn To Run program organised by Operation Move which started at the beginning of August and runs for 12 weeks.  When I was running previously, I pretty much started out walking and one day thought "I wonder if I can run to that lamp post ?" and my running 10kms evolved from there.  At the time we lived in Runaway Bay and there were lots of flat roads around us.  Now we have moved and we are surrounded by hills and I knew that if it was left up to me, I would rather sit at home in front of some sport, crocheting blankets for babies instead of getting out there and moving so I knew I had to commit to something to make it happen.

Monday night was my first interval session - and it was FANTASTIC !!!!  I walked my rest periods and plodded my runs, and it felt so good.  A said he would come with me and we would take the dogs for a walk.  I explained to him what I was doing and then he suggested I take the dogs in turn.  I then had to explain to him that I was doing this for me - not for him, not for the dogs, not for K, not for anyone else except ME and that if I wanted to do it properly, being pulled along by a dog was not going to cut it.  Nor would having to go off to mark every tree on the side of the road work.  So, if he wanted to come with he was welcome too but he had to keep Alfie as I was happy to run with Rosie only.

Last night we just went for a walk - no intervals or anything - just a walk with the dogs and chatting.

Tonight I have another interval session booked in my diary and tomorrow night I have my third interval session for the week booked in.  I will probably walk at least another once or twice during the week while waiting for next weeks plan.

I have a great motivating factor to getting healthy and fit - I want to surprise K with how I look when we go to visit her next year.  For too many years she has heard me say "I need to lose weight", "I have to get rid of these excess kilos", "Why can't I just say no to the tempting foods ?"  and I would love to surprise her with the healthiest version of me that I can be.  I have realised why I couldn't say no to the tempting foods - because sugar is addictive.  Once you have a taste of it, it leaves you wanting more.  Borne out by the fact that on Monday afternoon I had a piece of 70% chocolate at work in the afternoon - not because I needed it but because I thought it would be nice to have.  It certainly is a lot sweeter than the 85% chocolate I have in the fridge at home, but hey, it's only one piece.  What I didn't count on was where it would lead me when I got home.  Standing at the kitchen counter talking to A about the taps/basins/toilet etc for the bathroom and I opened the fridge and reached for the block of 85% chocolate and had a piece.  Then I went back and had another piece.  Then I found some anzac biscuits left over from the house warming / farewell and I had one of those.  Then I went back and had another one.  The worst part was that I didn't even really want any of that - I realised, too late, that I was just eating mindlessly while I worried about exactly what was happening to K on the other side of the world.  Half an hour later I felt so sick - it was just awful.  I have learned my lesson about sugar - no matter how nice something may taste now, it never compares to how cr*p I am going to feel in half an hours time !

If you are considering exercising and would like to run, why not think about joining the Operation Move program that begins in spring.  I know that, for me, it's providing the guidance, motivation and inspiration that I needed to get moving again.

Have the BEST day !

TFTD :  We should review our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.

And Just Like That

my heart is on the other side of the world.

BUT, I am looking at the positives :

- it will be a great big adventure for her
- she will be seeing a different way of life
- she will mature as she learns to do more for herself
- she will have memories to last her a life time
- I will get out and exercise more as I try to take my mind off missing her
- I will get fit and healthy by doing this
- I will no longer have the excuse that K would like these biscuits/cake/lollies/chips when I am buying groceries (and then eating the bulk of what I bought for her myself because, in all honesty, she didn't even want them in the first place)
- I will get fit and healthy because of the above
- we have a holiday to plan and organise and book
- setting up Skype so we can stay in contact along with FB, e-mail and whatsapp
- not listening to her and A 'banter' in a way that drives me nuts
- not having to nag her to do her chores - I'll just have to do them myself !!!!!

So, when you think about it, there are heaps of positives to her being away provided I don't think abut the tears I've shed (and probably still will shed), how much I miss having her ask me how to do things, whether an outfit works or not, an exercise partner, a The Good Wife and Grey's 'watcher with me' and just being a sounding board for her.  Although I am certain that some of those things will still happen long distance - it won't be quite the same as having her here with me.

Joining in with Jess from EssentiallyJess for #IBOT - have you joined in today ?

Have the best week !

TFTD : Sometimes you need those bad days to help you appreciate the good ones.

A House Warming and A Farewell

This past weekend saw us have a combined house warming (for our 'new' home) and a farewell for K.

I was planning on having the house warming once we had done what we wanted around the house and garden and then I realised that it's probably inappropriate to have a house warming 10 years after you have actually moved into the house so, with that in mind, once the roof was on the deck (luckily we had it after the roof went on because it did rain during the night and we all stayed lovely and dry given the size of the roof) we tidied up around the house and garden and invited everyone over.

We saw friends we haven't seen in forever and neighbours we haven't seen since we left Wewak Ave.  It was great.  We saw photos of what has been done to our old home - good for them for making it their home.  They aren't changes I would have made but hey, it's not my house any longer.

We chatted and laughed. We drank and ate.  And ate some more.  There was so much food I landed up sending some home with people as they were leaving.  We had cake.  There was so much cake, some of that went home with people as well.  And we still have left overs at home.  Thankfully lasagna freezes so well although there is a limit to how much lasagna two people can eat !!!!

There were tears.  Tears from my baby as she said goodbye to friends - realising that she wouldn't be seeing them for a while - unless they Skype her, in which case she will see them quite regularly.  But I don't think that part of her brain was engaged.  There was sobbing about not seeing the old people and requests for them to go and visit her - I'd like to say that will happen but my folks aren't getting any younger and I'm not sure that they are up to a trip to the USA to see their grand-daughter for a few weeks but we will wait and see what happens.

I know that this is going to be a great experience for her - she will grow up and she will mature and she will come home a different person - and hopefully a better person - although given she is going to be an au pair to one child, the family she is going to be living with obviously has money - I hope she doesn't come home expecting us to keep her in the way to which she would have become accustomed !!!!!  Like white Christmases and 10 day cruises on the Caribbean - those we will not be providing on her return home.  What we will give her is lots of hugs and kisses and job applications to find a job so that she isn't financially dependent on us and wanting to lounge around watching day time TV when she could be out in the real world earning a living !!!

Photos were taken and will be downloaded and uploaded onto here for you to see at a later time.  Right now, we have to get our bedroom and WIR cleared and the bathroom gutted because I saw an e-mail yesterday morning that said "Sorry we can't make it on 28th at 7am - we'll be there on 30th at 7am" - apparently A forgot to mention that they had given him a start date for the renovations !!!!!!  So, now that it is the 30th I hope we managed to get it all done in time (given I am writing this on 29th !!!)

And, Thursday and Friday that we had taken to spend some time with K before she leaves, may actually be spent with K adding her 2c to our choice of tiles / basins / toilets / shower screens etc !!!

Have the best week !

TFTD : Knowledge is essential.  Your mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains it's original dimensions.

I Need My Sunnies

As I write, there are only 8 sleeps until my baby leaves.  7 mornings of waking up and going and looking at her sleeping because next Sunday I doubt she will be asleep when I get up - I doubt I'll get much sleep but hey, I'll have the whole day to sleep when we get home from dropping her at the airport.  She has to be there at 5.30am so we will probably have to leave home by about 4.10am.  There is a late GC Suns game on the night before so I imagine it will be close to midnight by the time we get to bed and then we will have to be up before 4am in order to get dressed, get the car packed and get going.

I know that I am thankful for my sunnies because they have already saved me some embarrassment when driving along while crying !  On my way to work the other morning, after I had heard when she was leaving, I was busy telling A and he said "Geez, it's getting close isn't it ?" and there was nothing I could say because I was already crying !!  And, I'm sure, that they will come in very handy over the next couple of weeks for the exact same reason.

I know that I am thankful for this fantastic opportunity that she has to live in another country and experience a way of life, and weather, completely different to anything she has ever experienced before.

I know that I am thankful that I will have the Learn To Run program to concentrate on which will help to take my mind off wondering what she is getting up to although I doubt there is anything that I can do that will stop me missing her.

A, later than I'd like, link up with Sarah from Creating Contentment for Thankful Thursday and Ann from Help! I'm Stuck for Thing I Know.

Have the best weekend and take care !

TFTD :  Sometimes people come into your life, not to love you, but to help you realise that you are worth loving.

My Dad Ran 160km in 18.5hrs

This weekend saw the Kokoda Challenge take place on our door step - well just about our door step.  A saw lots of participants when he went to Masters to get what he needed to finish the railing for the party on Saturday night.

While he was gone I was thinking about exercise and what I am currently doing (nothing now that I haven't been to PT for 2 weeks because of my back) and what I have signed up to do (Learn To Run with Operation Move) and what my Dad has done w.r.t. running in his life.

He has run 10 Comrades Marathons - this is not a 42.2km marathon - this is a 90km marathon that is run every year between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.  The run from Dbn -Pmb is an up run and the run from Pmb-Dbn is a down run based on the height above sea level that the two towns are.  Of the 10 races that he ran, I think it was 3 occasions he broke 7.5hrs and so won a silver medal.  The first 5 finishers get gold medals, anyone who finishes in under 7.5hrs get silver and anyone who finishes within the alloted 11hrs gets bronze.  Not only did he run this race which is not only an endurance race that puts considerable strain on your body but managed to stay mentally sane through all the races, but he also ran the 100 Miler.  Yes, 100 miles (160km) in about 18.5hrs.   This is a completely different race because it was run around an athletics track - so, for 18.5hrs, he basically ran in circles.  If nothing else, how he managed to stay on track mentally, I have no idea and I asked him about it after dinner last night but he didn't say too much.  He said that his brother was marking off the laps and would let him know when he had reached miles stones but clearly you have to be bloody strong mentally and extremely fit to be able to run for that length of time.

Now, I am not about to go out there and try to run the Comrades, nor am I going to attempt the 100 miler, but I am going to get out there and get working on my exercise so that eventually I can be running the 10km races that I ran a few years ago.  I am going to get myself healthy and fit for when I turn the Big 50 next year.   I don't want to be over-weight and unfit heading off to my 60's !!!!

Together with cutting out sugar and increasing my exercise, you would have to think that I will achieve my goal - time will tell !!!!

Linking in with Jess from Essentially Jess because it's been to long since #IBOT !!!!!

Have the best week !

TFTD : It's much easier to love yourself when you're being yourself.

Why I Blog

Firstly, I want to apologise to the lovely ladies who left comments on my last post (which was over 6 weeks ago - where does the time go to ???????????), who kept on coming back to check up on me and couldn't see their comments.  They hadn't been published because apparently there is a setting that says I need to publish them if they are over so many days since the blog post was published (need to change that quick smart !!)

Secondly, I was tagged by Lydia C Lee over at Where The Wild Things Were to write about'Why I Write' which I did change to 'Why I Blog' mainly because I don't really see myself as a writer - in fact I know that I have no imagination to write anything other than the truth !!!

Why Do I Write What I Write ?

I started blogging back in the day when blogs weren't even cool to have a blog in April 2005.  I 'met' some lovely ladies and we were, generally, all on a weight loss journey.  Then FB came along and some moved to FB, some stopped blogging and I had a break.

Then I started blogging again and, again, it was a weight loss blog.  Then it turned into a healthy living blog. Then it turned into a running blog.  Then it turned into a coping with menopause blog.  Of late it's been a very quiet blog.  I have signed up with Operation Move for their 'Learn to Run' program - not because I can't run because I used to run and run, a lot.  But I need the motivation to get running again.  For too long I have had a lot of excuses but August will see me say goodbye to my baby and I need something to take my mind off her leaving.

The MAIN reason that I write what I write is that I hope that I will be able to help others, even just one person, to know that they are not alone in whatever challenges they are facing.  I have faced weight challenges time after time - the ups and downs of losing and gaining weight.  I have faced running challenges.  I was absolutely ecstatic to read on FB that when I was running, I inspired someone else to run and she now runs marathons - that really blew my mind !  I have faced health challenges - and anyone who has been or is going through menopause - will know exactly what I am talking about - so if I can share my story and it helps someone else, my writing has accomplished what I set out to do.

How Does My Writing Differ From Others ?

Well, I definitely don't fall into the category of 'Mummy Bloggers' - and I loathe that term but don't know what else to call them.  I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay older than most of them.  I don't share recipes or any type of craft.  I guess this is more just a way for me to document what I have achieved - or not - depending on what stage I'm at.  I suppose there are a few of us 'oldies' (and I use that term in the nicest possible way now that I am getting up there !!!!) who really just blog about life.

What Am I Working On ?

Well, other than this particular post, nothing !!  I don't plan my blog posts.  Most times I have no idea what I am going to blog about - it's a case of, 'OK - I've got 20mins - what can I write about' - especially when I am not really focusing on anything in particular in my life.  Currently I am doing the I Quit Sugar program and feeling heaps better for it although I have had the odd slip up and haven't followed their menu plan exactly.  I have enjoyed some of the food I have tried but I haven't tried every single dish on the menu plan.  And, from August, I will be working on my exercise / running so hopefully I will get some posts out of that.

I am going to ask for a watch that will track my pace, distance etc for my birthday next week - not sure whether I will be asking too late because my birthday present may already have been bought.  Oh well, it will then be a case of driving around to work out distances.  The one challenging thing in this program is going to be the hills - where we used to live, it was flat - like absolutely no hills other than the little bridges over the canals flat - where we now live, it is hilly - like every where you turn, there's another hill.  Am I ready for that - I don't know - we'll see next month when I start !

And now, to pass this on to two other amazing bloggers - I nominate Jules from The Bumpiest Path.  I can't even remember how I 'met' Jules but she is one amazing lady who, not only looks after her own children, but fosters children and recently started to foster Baby Bella who was only 5 days old.  She is selfless in her actions and, you can see, that she would do anything for 'her' children.  They are truly blessed to have her looking after them.  I nominate Chris from Diet Coke Rocks who is in the same age category as me and blogs about her family and her sewing - she sews the most amazing quilts and blankets and pretty much anything that can be made with fabric and a sewing machine.

This is going to be a double link up post - with Sarah from Creating Contentment for Thankful Thursday and with Ann from Help ! I'm Stuck for Things I Know - basically because this post covers both !!!  I am thankful for being tagged by Lydia - it was the prod I needed to get blogging and it's what I know about why I blog !!!

Have the best weekend !!!  I have a weekend full of pulling weeks to look forward to - yay .............. not !!!

TFTD :  What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.  It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead - Nelson Mandela