Settling In - Finally Relaxing

After my trip home early March where I was actually here for a week, I knew the day before I headed back to Nebraska that it was time.  There would be no waiting any longer than I had to.  That day was the hardest.  Having to say goodbye to my new little great-nephew was just awful and I was ugly crying.

I was going to start the process of finding a job etc. so that I could be back home.  I figured it might take a while you know??  Besides my 2 years wouldnt be up until July...

 

Little did I know that within 2 weeks of THAT I would actually have a job and planning VERY quickly how to wrap up things in NE, make the cross country drive, move into a new place AND start a new job all in a matter of what would end up being 2 weeks (thanks to the movers moving my date up a week)..in the end it worked out WAY better.  But oy the stress of it all!

 

Having accepted the job (which by the way was all handled via Skype; isn't technology great!?), I had to give my resignation to CAB, give notice to utilities, FIND A PLACE to live ... thank God for my niece being in the general area of where my new job is and where I would need to live (never having lived in Katy, I knew NOTHING about the area), finish selling stuff out of my house in NE, thankfully I had begun to do that weeks before, schedule movers, pack everything up and figure out my route back to Texas.  Those 2 weeks were the most stressful, but then the actual driving back was stress, moving into a new place was stress, unpacking was stress...oh so much stress!

 

I cannot believe its actually been a month since I got in my car and 10 miles later I had Nebraska in my rearview. 

 

I am not going to go into how much NE took from me, I wrote about a lot of it back around Christmas time with my ghosts of past, present and future, so if you need to, you can go and read that.  Funny that I read those this morning and man...I actually had forgotton how dark those days were around that time just a few short months ago.

 

So anyway, yes back to now.  I am settling in nicely; I immediately started back to Kenyan Way, but only on Saturdays.  I've met up with a few friends a time or two to run in the old 'hood, and I have been exploring all the wonderful places here in my new neighborhood to run as well.  I thought I was going to maybe not like it out here but WOW!  Its actually fabulous!  My first love with running routes will always be inside the loop but I sure cant complain out here.  Cinco Ranch is awesome!

 

I've got some work to do to get my speed and endurance back up but that shouldnt be a problem given that my mojo is back.  It was incredibly brutal on me up in NE with little to NO motivation, not to mention no one to give me the push I needed.  Since being back at KW, I've been pushed and while I hate it at the time and I feel like I want to die, I'm a lot stronger than I ever give myself credit for; but thats not unusual.

 

I've got the NE weight to lose, plus a few extra that are just me wanting them gone.  Probably about 10 lbs I want gone and its already making an exit.  Being back here, I am active all the time whether I want to be or not :O)   No more being cooped up inside, plus the depression (another post, another day) and its already making a difference without even trying it seems like.  All I want is to go go go and do do do!  I cannot wait to be outside in the hot air and sunshine.  I tell people all the time now that I am pretty darn sure I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER go anywhere that its cold EVER EVER EVER again. 

 

I'm still doing weights, just not as much, but need to change that...and I am trying new boot camps, not to mention my bike is all brand new again since I put it in the shop as soon as I got back to have it road ready.  I'm also swimming some...I just have to get my body as happy as my heart and soul are now that I've come home!  Its also nice to have so many options for various running clubs and running stores having free group runs and boot camps periodically as well.  Meet new people!!

All in all its just been a crazy past few weeks, but I am loving every crazy stressful minute of it!

Some times I let myself think about the last 2 years..and how miserable I was and what effect it all had on me, but then sometimes its like it never happened.  In that I mean its like I cant remember any of it.  And you know why?  BECAUSE THERE WAS NOTHING MEMORABLE about it!!!  And then I wonder did I just waste 2 years of my life??  I try not to think of it that way; that every thing, every decision, every experience is MEANT for something whether we ever figure out WHAT.  LOL.
 

 And then I just try to not think about it at all and just be in the moment.  In this great time in my life where everything seems to be perfect.  I give everything that is wonderful in my life up to the grace of God. 

 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 



Here We Go Again :O)

 

Yesterday I was adding up my Houstons and I have done 4 full Chevron Houston marathons and 3 Aramco Half Marathons.

 

I need one more full and 2 more half's before I can just register every year without having to have a HARRA guaranteed spot (or via lottery as I did last year from Nebraska).  They now have the legacy for the half marathoners which is kinda cool.

 

I still don't know if I am actually going to do the full in January...or drop to the half.  I have some time to ponder it.  I meant what I said when I said no more fulls but after that Chicago fiasco last October AND the fact that I am now back in Houston where training is so much more enjoyable ... I dont know.

 

I also registered for the 5K the day before.  I sure liked getting the 3 medals especially the HUUUUUUUUUUUGE one for doing the double this past January.

 

*********************************

 

I have SO much to write, so many topics I honestly don't know where to start.  I'll figure it out though...and Melissa thanks for waiting around for me to start back up ;o)

Home Sweet Texas Home

 

Now that I am back home FOREVER AND EVER AMEN, I am thinking of starting to blog again...

 

Stay tuned.  If anyone will even ever see this.  I am sure I am off everyones radar at this point.

 

Oh wellz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's No Place Like Home. There's No Place Like Home.

Soon.

Very. Soon.

 

And now...my friends; those that still read...the time has come to end this little place on the internet webz.

 

I am on Facebook and Instagram, and that's quite enough.

 

The majority of my life will just have to be a mystery.

 

Au revoir mon cheri.



Aramco Houston Half Marathon - January 19, 2014

I'm such a bad, lazy blogger.  :O)

 

I know my readership has gone WAY down and I'm OK with that, but sometimes when I think I just want to make this little space on the internet, go dark, I think, well I do like keeping track of certain things in my life, just not as much as I use to ;o)

 

And clearly I don't really think I'm lazy, just lazy about blogging.  I mean why blog when there are so many other things better to be doing; and at the end of the day, something gets written, just not always in a timely fashion.

 

So let's back up a bit...

I arrived in Houston Friday around noon, got my rent car, found a BofA to get money for free for a change ;o), then made my way downtown to meet up with a few at the Expo.

 

Got there, got my packets for both races, walked around with C, saw some friends...then I realized, hmpft I havent eaten anything but a banana since getting up at 5am in Denver.  Nice.

 

So I grab a sandwich, eat the insides before heading to LaPorte.  Felt a bit better but clearly fueling and resting were not only going to be important on Friday, they wouldn't be important on Saturday either ;o)

 

N and I did go have a nice dinner, where I did eat some bread, shared crabcakes for an appetizer then had shrimp and grits as an entree.

 

It was delicious.

 

 

After the 5K on Saturday, after a couple of hours I did eat 2 breakfast tacos.

Then the next thing I know, its almost 6pm and I havent eaten anything BUT those 2 tacos.  ALL. DAY. 

 

I had driven out to BFE to see my nieces new house, Lord its massive and absolutely stunning.  I mean, Jesus I was in total shock.  But she works hard for all that damn money, and you can't take it with you.  :O)

 

So needless to say, after getting back to LaPorte late, we just grilled, I ate a small piece of chicken and some grilled veggies, and 1/2 a cupcake.

 

Awesome.

 

And while I made myself go to bed somewhat early to be up at 4am, I didnt sleep much because I kept waking up every hour .. totally normal for me night before a race.  Plus in a not my house etc, I dont always sleep well so again, I'm sorta use to it when I travel.

 

Off I went, stopped for coffee from a gross 7-11 (blech!), went N instead of W on 610 which freaked me out but was only a bit longer of a drive.  Made my way downtown and found a $10 lot just a few blocks away.  AND brand new clean porta potties (this was all right next to Minute Maid)

 

Got inside, found some folks, including a coworker here from Sidney.  Amazing considering his phone he forgot in his room.  He is trying to 1/2 marathon in all States.

 

Weather was just about perfect.  45ish?  Can't remember.  I do remember how INCREDIBLY FOGGY and muggy it seemed, but by the time it was race start it had burned off and we had nice clear blue skies.

 

I found it HYSTERICAL at everyone around me in tights, long sleeves etc...I was in my shorts and no sleeves.  Lovely, just lovely!!

 

BTW, I'm gonna get a bit quick here just so I can finish this out.

I'm kinda over detailing it all out at this point :)

 

• GREAT GREAT GREAT NEW COURSE!  I just absolutely LOVED IT!!!
• For the half route, I would say that 90% of it is in the shade; only do I remember the sun baking me in the short distance between Waugh and DT as you come up Allen Parkway.  Had I been faster, it wouldnt have mattered much even
• Saw some great and familiar friends spread out along the route, including in the corral I was in (some KW friends) which just was that much greater!
• Family and friends around mile 10
• Just took my time, enjoying being in Houston again!  Running in Houston again!  Running with myself, but yet seeing people I knew was so much fun!
• Garmin time: 2:24:xx

I absolutely loved doing the double and will continue to do so!  Might try and do them a bit differently next year, not sure though. It was fun just running, and not being competitive except I do always have my 'not go over this #' goal(s).

 

I doubt I ever return to that runner girl that felt the pressure to get faster, and be deflated when I dont perform up to the standards I use to put on myself, which were really what I thought would make someone else proud of me.

 

Gah.  So glad killed and buried that old June.

Do You Believe in Love After Love?

I know.  I know.

 

I don't know how many people actually still read this over and above those that find their way here via search engine...

 

But I will say that I DO HAVE at least half of my 2nd half of my Houston marathon/half marathon/5K weekend blog post thingee written...I'll finish it, I promise!

 

Honestly the blog and how I approach it are how I approach most of lifes events now...with the fact that life is AMAZING...and God how boring was I when all I had to write about was running?  Or that I thought running was everything? (not that I'm not still running because...duh!)

 

I do remember why actually...what a sad time in my life then.  When I finally peeled back the layers of why I did so many things that I did and thought I had to do...Sad indeed.  And I am so thankful for realizing, even if it was after a couple years of unhappiness, that my life was worth more than the disrespect of someone I held dear for whatever reason.

 

Anyway as I was saying....life is so unpredictable...explosions of happiness abound these days I tell ya.  My heart explodes every single day at the joy that a baby can bring!  The feelings are so overwhelming I feel like I'm going to burst sometimes.

 

Not only do we have a bundle of joy in our lives now, but there is just so, so, so much more.

 

I'm excited to document it, its just going to take some time. 

 

Even after the bundle of joy came on February 11th, life didnt stop there at being surprising.

 

Now I am in a state of wonder...that things that were meant to be, actually might be meant to be!!!

 

We'll just hashtag this 'SecondChances'

Or 'LoveTheSecondTimeAround' #QuestionMark  #GetMeHomeToTexas  ;o)

Today in My Little Town. :)

Up to my knees :)