Milestones of Hamstring Recovery

Identifying and meeting milestones has not been a significant part of my thought process. Now that I think about it, I don't seem to be a person who does a lot of goal setting. I remember doing a goal setting exercise when I worked at a church in Phoenix. I hated doing it. I wonder if that is the symptom of some underlying neuroses. ;) Flashback to potty training days, I am certain there was milestone planning, I just don't remember. In the last year, without realizing it I have become much more focused on reaching milestones. Some of these milestones have been suggested by medical professionals and some by me (the patient).

The purpose of milestone-based thinking is to help choose the right goals. It is counter-productive to be laying on the couch 2 weeks after hamstring surgery thinking only of running a marathon. At 2 weeks PO (post op) I was elated to be able to put a little weight on my right leg and began to focus on my next milestone of bending at the hip. Today, I am nearly 6 mo PO and my next milestone is running. Excitement builds these last eleven days until I can put a big checkmark in the "running again" box.

Yesterday I spent an extended amount of time searching and planning my running milestones of 2018.

• February 11 begin running
• April 21 local 5K race
• April 22 sign up for a 1/2 marathon
• Summer 10K race
• October 21 Des Moines, IA 1/2 marathon

What I went through was rough but conquerable.  If you want to understand my injury and surgery better you can read about it by clicking here. Instead of feeling sorry for my aging self I decided to beat the odds and come back better than before. I share these goals so you can become part of my road to recovery. I am a bit frightened to run again and have no idea if I will be able to run 3.1 miles in April much less 13.1 in October. Posting this is my way of asking for your support, prayer and encouragement, not just in running these physical races but in walking along side me in my life journey. 

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.  Phillipians 3:14

Rocking College Life

One semester down...seven to go. I'm not surprised at all but that doesn't change the fact that I'm thrilled to see Emma do so well in the transition to college.  When an 18 year old heads off to college they have no idea what they will experience in that dorm room, on campus or even in those classrooms. For sure it is different from home, their ability to adapt is amazing. Emma loves every single aspect of her college experience so far. Maybe it has helped her learn to appreciate her family a little more and they way she was raised.

-She has learned to live with a stranger

-She has learned how and where to study

-She has formed some amazing relationships

-She has experienced very different morals, values and cultures

-She has found a job

-She has learned that eating too much junk has consequences

-She has found a group to help her grow spiritually

-She calls her mom :)

-She loves coming home (and going back to school).

I am so proud of her!

Shortly after second semester started we received a certificate of academic excellence.

Great job Em. Always work hard to be the best you can be.

Last week this picture came across my instagram feed. My heart nearly exploded with joy. Remember June of 2017 when Emma dramatically injured her middle finger on her left hand leaving her unable to play the cello? Well, she is back at it. Not only is she playing again but she auditioned for the University orchestra and made it! Congrats babe!! I miss the beautiful cello music she created while living at home. It will be such a joy to hear her perform again.

We have always felt like it is our job to help our children grow wings and then celebrate when they leave the nest and learn to soar on their own. Our first baby girl is doing just that!

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men 

stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD 

will renew their strength. They will soar on 

wings like eagles; they will run and not grow 

weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Scrappin' Christmas

I'm not ditching the holiday, I'm back to scrapbooking and oh does it feel so good. Many years ago I decided to do a book of our annual Christmas cards and letters. I sort of scrapped 2000 and 2001. They were both ugly to say the least. Since then I just stuck the card and letter in the book. My plan was to get back to it when I had time. Apparently last night was when I finally had time. I creatively documented 11 years of our family cards and letters. It's not surprising but certainly is disappointing that I am missing several years of cards. So if you happen to be a person who keeps Christmas cards and would like to scan my old cards/letters from 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015 I would love to have a copy. In the meantime I have a couple places to dig through.

People like FlyLady warn again the dangers of keeping junk, so many of us suffer from some form of hoarding.  However, I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to have these pictures and letters from the past. The quotes we included both make me laugh and cry. 

The practice of sending out cards and letters is slowly going away. Chris would love for me to email the letter, I just can't! Life BC (before children) is not typically highlighted in year end letters. Oh how I would love to reminisce about what 23 year old Chris and Melanie thought and did BC. 

Too often I compare our family to others, we just never seem to measure up. Darn social media! What I realized while lovingly pouring over these pictures is that our family has a rich history. I love what Chris and I have created over the years. In a blink of an eye we have gone from one baby girl to three phenomenal daughters who are on the verge of becoming adults. For sure we have a blessed life. And just like the title of my blog...it all happens so fast.

Below are some pictures of the simple scrap projects I did last night. It felt so good to use up some unfavorable supplies. I like the way it turned out. Nothing is overly decorated, after all the picture and letter are the important aspects.

I know...ugly but paper from early 2000's

this page isn't really done

again, kind of ugly but happy I used
up a bunch of old supplies

Slique Challenge

Working out has always been something I love to do but for some reason over the last 19 years I have found reasons to not workout. It's the girls, the laundry, time constraints, pure exhaustion, family activities, surgery or whatever else popped up. I guess I forgot that it's of the utmost importance to take care of myself so I can take care of my family. Over the years I have slowly gained...well let's just say a lot of weight. The final blow was injuring my hamstring in July, surgery, 6 weeks on the couch and then a slow recovery. In December I started PT and walking on the treadmill but by the end of 2018 I want to say I have completed a half marathon. This is going to take a tremendous amount of work but who doesn't love a challenge?

This "condition" didn't happen over night or even over a couple of months so recovery will take many months as well. Competition drives me so I joined the Slique Challenge. This is a weight loss challenge and as much as I would love to win the grand prize 60 or 120 days from now I also will be a winner if I drop several pounds and re-enter the active life I use to have. My first goal is to shed 20 pounds.

I wasn't going to tell anyone about this challenge. To be honest, I'm afraid of failure and more afraid of anyone knowing about my failure. What a defeatist attitude! As soon as I click on "PUBLISH" to this post, it's out in the light for everyone to know, and I believe that is the first step towards success.

Instead of using my kids as an excuse I am using them as a reason! 

I took measurements and a horrifying picture of myself. One of the worst days of my life. UGH! When they say the truth sets you free, I literally almost ran away. The truth of that image and those numbers were staggering. Instead of posting that sports bra and shorts pic I am posting the picture that serves as my short term inspiration. The picture on the left is from May 2017 at Emma's graduation. The picture on the right is from November 2017. The face says it all!

Here's to Health in 2018!

This body is the temple of Christ and it's time to treat it as such!

Best Christmas Gift of 2017

Over the Christmas break our family had the wonderful opportunity to spend a morning with Dad. This February will mark the two year anniversary of Dad moving into the senior care center. It was most definitely a needed move but hard on all of us.
-Mom promised she would never put dad in such a facility but she also didn't know what life would be like as his health continued to decline. Being a caregiver is exhausting in every part of life. For mom's health, she needed this help.
-For the at least the first year, every time mom saw dad he asked her to take him home. These were the times I started to see mom really break. It was hard for her to say she couldn't take him home. Dad's hallucinations and confusion grew making it impossible for him to live at home. However, there were (and still are) times that dad thinks clearly. Knowing you are losing your ability to care for yourself must be tragic.
-For me, I felt like dad should have been moved into a nursing home months before mom finally caved to the facts. However, it was also so hard to see dad make that permanent transition. With the exception of this week's visit, every time I see dad he has declined from the previous visit. I miss dad so much!

Back to the blessing of seeing dad this week. The girls didn't love leaving the house at 6:45am, they usually have another 3 hours of slumber. However, the early departure allowed us to get to dad's place by 9:30am and have two quality hours together. I was pleasantly surprised to see dad wide awake watching Andy Griffith Show. And then came several beautiful moments, first dad knew me and knew the girls were his granddaughters and second during our conversation he laughed several times. Seeing his genuine smile was heartwarming. Most of our conversation was confusing but moments made sense. At one point Dad even asked me if I needed some money. So sweet!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!