Top Pot 5K Run

Top Pot 5K
Wowie Zowie! I got my best girls to run with me in the Top Pot 5K Run! Chellsea and her boyfriend are both running and Mia is running in the Kids Dash. I’m sure Mia will be the winner of the Kids Dash because she was born with the heart of a wolf and what’s faster than a wolf with sneakers on? Run little Mia RUN! I can see her hair flyin back and those wonderful teeth hanging out front. Of course she’s the fastest wolf girl on earth! Maybe Chellsea will get a taste of the running bug and start taking it up. I’d love to see her get excited about exercise. I’m going to up my pace and see if I cant get a better time on this race. Its going to be around Green Lake which is a really pretty run. Were picking up our shirts and shoe chips early on Saturday and I think its going to be a great opportunity to spend some time with my peeps. Maybe some lunch on the lake in Seattle and I’m thinking about takin them to the Imax to see Born to be Wild or maybe Gasworks park? Hmmm.

2011 Whidbey Island Marathon

Me and my friend Deb stayed the night in Whidbey Island so we could get up early and prepare for the Whidbey Island Marathon. It was supposed to rain that day but we lucked out with NO rain. Renee and Stacey Lane met us that morning for the run. Sorry you couldnt run cause of your hip Phylangy :( but you got some really great pictures of the run! As usual the first mile was hard. Mile 2-7 werent too bad but when I hit mile 8 I really started feeling it in my legs. I kept telling myself that if I just could get to mile 10 the rest would blow by real quick. I always think of "she who shall not be named" when I run. I cant help it. It just kind of creeps up into my head. I run without seeing anything around me. Sometimes I just run and follow the white line on the side of the road and I think. I wonder how did I get where I am and I think of the things I should have done differently in my life. Then I think...what good is it to look back and try to figure out what you did wrong when you cant pass that information on to anyone cause they wont take your advice and you cant go back an change anything. It is what it is but still I think about these things.
When I get to the 10th mile my legs are really hurting. My left knee is hurting with every step and my right leg muscle above my knee is tighting up every time my legs hits pavement. I change my pace. Longer steps. Feels alittle better, not much. Im not going to walk. Im not gonna do it. I'm running this race to the finishline and I make it! Done deal. I did it! Whens the next run?!

Mazatlan!

What a wonderfully beautiful Wednesday morning her in sunny Mazatlan, Mexico! We made the transfer from Phoenix to Mexico without a hitch even though we only had 40 minutes in between flights. US Airways is actually a very nice airlines. Maybe they just seem pretty nice cause all I’ve been riding is crappy American Airlines for so long that anything would be an upgrade!
So we were super scared coming down to land in Mexico because everyone had told us all their “Tales of Mexico” and we watched the news with all the cancelled cruise ship news and Pirates killing American hostages. But we ended up meeting two other people. Edie from Africa and Mickey from…hmm I think she said she was from Europe? Anywhooo, they babied us through all the airport stuff which wasn’t bad at all. There was a super nice guy and a woman named Fabiola who picked us up from the airport and answered all our questions on the ride to the El Cid Resort. We even asked her about the cancelled cruise ship line and she told us that officials were actually meeting that day to discuss starting them up again. That would explain the extra police everywhere. There was even a police checkpoint to get into and out of the city. The coppers had on thick uniforms, probably had armor on and stocking masks over their faces too.
So we asked Fabiola about the Pronotour Company, which handles most the tours in the area, because we had read bad reviews. She whipped out a form and started filling in a free Stone Island Tour, Mexican Fiesta, and Old Town Tour. Then she added a bottle of Tequila and some free dinner to Senior Frogs! Of course we had to sit through a 90-minute speal about El Cid Membership, but it wasn’t bad at all and they were really nice even though we said no at the end.
So when we checked in we told them this was our first time to Mazatlan and they upgraded us for free to a one bedroom, 2 baths, suite with a freakin awesome view! We could see the ocean from one side and the pool area and entire town from the other!
The staffs here have been beyond nice. They almost follow you around waiting for you to need something!
We grocery shopped at the Mega Mart and took an Aurega (little red truck) to the store with Edie and Micky and one of their friends named Dottie. Its so funny cause the grocery store is actually on the second floor and theirs an escalator that takes you AND your cart up and then down when your finished shopping. I wondered how in the world did they keep their carts from rolling down to the bottom of the escalator but when we jumped on we soon found that the wheels where made to slip into groves on the escalator. I felt like someone here did not work smart but worked hard on that escalator idea.
I gotta say I know what it feels like now to be a minority again because when I was looking for vanilla some store worker boy came almost running over when I stuck my hand in my pocket for my iPod and some dud ran up and stood RIGHT next to me like I was gonna pocket the damned vanilla. It was really embarrassing.
The people on the street are pushing time-shares pretty aggressively and the people driving the carts and small vehicles are always honking trying to get your attention.
Today we are scheduled to take a boat out to see the sea lions and them to Stone Island where we will be snorkeling and horseback riding. When we get back we will be watching the Mexican Fiesta.
Oh I forgot, We went to a small dance presentation and won the exact silver earring that I had been looking for and a $100 gift certificate. I found a great deal on a leather purse and we picked up a dress for Mia and a toy for Bubba.
Theres a great restaurant her at the hotel and you can eat out by the beach and while your eating there are Iguanas running in between your feet and you can watch the band on the beach playing. We took a look at a sand vendors silver and I wanted a pair of these silver and mother of pearl earrings but the guy wanted $45 dollars for them so I said no and “tried” to walk away. They guy kept going “ok you give me $35 dollars”. I said no thank you. He says “how much you give me then?” I say$20. NO NONO he says. I walk away and take pictures of the sunset. He says “You give me something over $20” I say-$25. It now belongs to me J
We just got back from our Stone Island tour and It was so much fun. Edie was dancing with her new friend Rudolpho and the captain of the boat was calling it their Honeymoon today. We met so many new friends today and a great couple from Chicago. Everyone was dancing on the boat on the way home and we spent most of the day on the island doing Kayak rides and wagons rides through the town. We saw papaya trees and mango trees, iguanas. When we first got off the boat these three amigos ran up to me and started throwing Iguanas and snakes on me so we took a bunch of pictures. OMG it was gross and funny at the same time. The snake was a baby python. Eeeewwww.
Poor poor Edie, why would you shot so much Tequila?! I was doing great with the margaritas and tequila sunrise. No no no shots please! But I gotta say you we cracking us up dancing with your “honeymoon” man! I sure hope our friends from Chicago hook up with us at least for dinner before we go home. Maybe we can all hit Valentino’s for some dancing?! Wouldn’t THAT be fun?!
And we are fixin to take off to the Mexican fiesta in just a couple minutes!

Another Hard Day

Slowly, slowly, oh so slowly, our family is starting to heal. Its time. Time helps. The less you think about the source of the hurt, the less it hurts. At first it hurts all the time because you think about it all the time. You wake up with fresh dreams. You start out on a bad foot but if you keep yourself busy you find that you think about it less and less and the next day is better. Take down all the things that remind you. Cut out all the people who ask questions. Drive down different roads. Dont talk about it. MAKE yourself think of different things.
Finally when you hardly even realize it, its been almost a year and when you DO think about it you find it doesnt hurt so much. I think I'd like to forget all together for awhile. It hurts me to see my children hurt. How can I help them forget. Should they forget. How would it help for my children to continually bring it up, to talk about it, to wish for things that will not happen. I see no benifit for them to want for something they cant never again have. So things will stay in storage, pictures off the walls, we will not talk about, and until our hearts are stronger we will continue with what we know, whether it is right or wrong. Its all we know to do and anything else is still too hard.

Looking forward to a really nice and quiet Christmas this year. It will be the first Christmas in over 10 years that I’ve got to spend with my three children. No flying for me-YEAH! Mutti is already here wrapping up gifts and I’m on a mission to get good things at the grocery store for our Christmas dinner. Looks like we might even have a surprise guest this year. OOOoooOOOOoo. Who could it be? Miss Terry Maybe? So no surprises, no drama, no heart aches, we wont have any of that! I’m really looking forward to just settling down under the tree Christmas morning with my fuzzy slippers and my babies and watching them enjoy the girfts. This is the best year for Bubba. He has really just discovered who Santa is and he is just itchin to get up under that tree and see whats in them boxes. He says, " I Nee Nat Present". I knitted each baby something super special and I’m super excited to see Chellsea’s reaction to her gift. (its not a hat!) Well….its a hat AND something else super cool. Even Brad’s got somethin under there (probably a hat). Sugars Goodness has a wonderful new sweater waiting for her and a matching scarf. Miss Mia Mack’s got some wonderful had made gifts also. Wonder if they have wolves on them? Derrrr 
Its good to have the family together. I think on Christmas eve were gonna drink hot cocoa and frost the gozillian sugar cookies that Chellsea made. Merry Christmas!

Ugh! Strep-

Just come back from vacation on Monday and back to work on Tuesday. About half way through the day My throat starts hurting. I'm thinking That’s its probably just the start of a cold cause it was pretty yucky on Tuesday. Rainy and cold. Plus I only brought a light jacket and had a short sleeve shirt on. So all day I eat cough drops. End of the day comes and it pouring down rain outside. I just have a light sleeveless dress and that stupid dress coat to keep me warm. By the time I get home my throat hurts so bad I don’t want to swallow. I’m shaking cause I’m so cold. I drop my clothes on the bedroom floor, crank my electric blanket on to high and grab a towel so I can spit into it instead of having to swallow. I feel like I’m swallowing glass. Now I know there’s something wrong with me but there’s nobody home but me. And I can move cause my entire body hurts. It hurts when I take breath because my lungs move my muscles. My back hurts extremely bad-probably the worst spot on me. My skin hurts. Now I’m sure got the full blown flu.
I’m under all those blankets with the electric blanket on high and I’m freaking freezing like someone is throwing ice cubes down my back. My husband comes home with all the babies and I’m bawling like a two-year-old baby. Feeling like stupid cause I know its probably just the flu.
I had an appointment already for the next day at 11:30 with my regular doctor but it was for a possible stomach ulcer but I’m thinking I’m hurting so bad that I decide I’m gonna ride it out and go to that appt and see if he can at least help me with my throat issues and maybe my muscles. So I swallowed a bunch of stuff to help me sleep and about 8 IB pro, a couple of Tylenol for the fever and made it somehow threw the night. The next day I drove myself to the doctor (hind site should not have done). I walked into his clinic and it was packed with people kids old people-Everyone. I could barely walk and I couldn’t see because my face was sweating so much I think my eyeballs were sweating too. So shuffled up to the front desk and put my purse on the counter and laid down on the floor. My temp was 102.
They got me right in at that point. I got two bags IV fluid right in the office and a nasty shot of antibiotics in my ass. They said my blood pressure was unbelievable and that my heart was beating 30 times faster than it should have been. I spend over 2 hours in the clinic on the table before they felt it would be ok for me to go home and then they wouldn’t let me drive. So they had closed down the clinic, cancelled the remaining appts and my doctor personally drove me home. Now THAT’S what I call personalized service. He is my newest BFF!
The Dr. said that if the antibiotics didn’t start kicking in soon or if for any reason it got any type of worse to go to the emergency room.
So all this happened while my husband was at work. He comes home and I still cant talk cause my throat is like broken glass, So he calls my dr office and gets filled in. Doctor tells him not to let me drive no more (der) and gives him the skinny on the strep and possibility of blood poison. He goes gets my RX’s for me and I spend another night rolling around in bed. Too hot one minute, too cold the next, spitting into towel cause I cant swallow. Finally I see my husband get up to go to work at 2:00-2:30ish and I say hospital cause the stuff is on the other side of my throat as well and my body is screaming. He was so good cause I couldn’t barely move he got me dressed and practically dragged me out to the car cause my legs hurt so bad. I kept telling him to hurry cause I thought “this is it-This is how I’m gonna die” I was so sure of it.
When we got inside the ER I heard this lady say “I’m getting a wheel chair” I said no no a gurney Cant sit. They kept trying to ask me questions and I could answer them cause it hurt so so bad to talk. Finally they figured out I wasn’t gonna be much help and they started asking Brad all the rest of the questions. Thank you again Brad-Thank you! They couldn’t do anything for the pain until they did a cat scan to see if the abscess had burst. FINALLY they come back and the abscess had not burst but (like I said) I had another. So they loaded me up with Two more bags of IV fluids and )Thank you baby Jesus they gave me a shot of morphine for my back and some thing else to help my muscles relax cause they were spasming. And the most wonderful thing of all-the ER had this neat little wand just like the ones at the dentists office that suck up all the extra spit so they cave me on of those to use and it was heaven on earth!
So now I am at home on bed rest for the rest of the week and Brad has been my knight in shinning armor. He has kept the babies out of the room. He has brought me whatever I needed, run picked up RX’s. Thank you Brad. And Missy Chellsea may-I know you were scared but you handled everything wonderfully. If there is ever and emergency I know I can count on you. Thank you my lovely family!

1995-2010

1995-I brought Krusty home as a puppy and nobody wanted him. But I did. He was so funny looking when he walked and even funnier when her rain. Fo r such a small dog he sure did think he was big stuff. Our first day of camping this year and we had just got eveything unpacked and set up when Chellsea called to tell us that Krusty was having trouble walking. Shortly after she called us again to tell us he was having seizures and trouble breathing. I jumped in the car right away and drove the 2 hours back to the house. Poor baby Krusty was hurting so bad. He was having seizures every 10 minutes and couldnt move. I made the decision to take him in to the vet and ahve him put to sleep. He was 15 years old. We wrapped him in a soft blanket and Chellsea held him all the way to the Pilchuck Veterinary Clinic. I held him as they gave him the shot and his poor little body just relaxed all the sudden and he let out a nice sigh. Then nothing. His body was so warm. I'm so glad he isnt hurting anymore. I held him for a little while and talked to him as he feel asleep. He was my best friend. He loved me always. Even when I wasnt good to him. He still loved me. He listened to me when my heart was hurting from my break up with Fallons Dad. He was always ready to go for a walk-even if it was raining and he really did not like the rain. He didnt mind that we moved all the way across the country. He was my friend. My very good friend. He was very familiar to me and I loved that he was always around. I took it for granted that he would be around for many more years. I dug a nice hole in the soft sand in out back yard. I wrapped him in his super soft blanket and laid him down on the sand. I told him I loved him and that I would think of him often. and I will because he was my friend.