Appreciation

No new medical issues to report (knock on wood).

I must say a three day week this week was nice. I normally work 4 ten hour days with Friday off, but three days is even better. Thursday afternoon I got a dose of appreciation for my "chaotic" life. A couple of the guys from my unit and I were helping to investigate a burglary of some guns. Without getting into too many details, the suspect's home was absolutely deplorable. I cannot believe people live in those conditions. The only bright spot was that no children were in the house. Besides being a complete mess, the plumbing did not work. They had buckets in every room for that, the bath tub and even the back yard. GROOOSSSS! I feel blessed to have never lived in those conditions and had parents that worked so I would never have to live in those conditions. Sometimes I get frustrated with life, but I have a family and a home to live in. I literally bleached the bottoms of my shoes when I got home. Sad to say, I've seen such things before. If you ever need to feel good about your life, ride with a patrol officer for a night. What you may see will make you appreciate your situation and maybe even your problems.

An Apple a Day...Not

Thank God for Walk in Clinic's. Is it a bad thing when they know your name at the Walk-In Clinic? About two days ago I noticed a small spot on my lower right abdomen area. The next day there were a few more spots. I thought maybe I was having an allergic reaction to my anti-inflammatory medication. The same doctor who gave me the good news about tendonitis stated..."Shingles!" "What? I'm only 38 years old." Yep, it is more common in those over fifty (maybe my Wii age is right). So along with my anti-inflammatory drugs, I'm now on anti-viral medication (3 horse pills a day) for the next week. So far, 2009 has been an awesome!

RUN DON'T JUMP!

So, last December 21st, Mike and I ran our first (and most likely last) 1/2 Marathon in Jacksonville. The weather was ideal, not too hot and not too cold. My mom and dad had the boys for the weekend and I had been training for ten weeks. I was running 4 to 5 times a week. I was feeling pretty good about myself. The day of the race, we got there at 6am (race started at 7am) and we had plenty of time to prepare. You have to get there early because the lines for the restroom are ridiculous. Something about running makes people have to pee or poo apparently. The race went fairly well. I did find it interesting to see all these men run to various bushes along the way to pee. We are in a neighborhood people!! Anyway after mile 10 I was quickly running out of steam and interest. I swear someone kept moving the finish line. Mike took this picture of me (he finished about 25 minutes before me) crossing the finishing line and yes, the girl behind me is much younger! I had her by a good two steps, although she was wearing some silly Christmas socks.

Fast forward to the first weekend in January. I admit I took some time off from all exercise after this race. I was burnt out. It's Saturday, I'm trying out the Wii Fit ski jump. I crouch down and stand up quickly for the jump. "Hmmm, that kind of hurt my hip". I ignored the pain until this past Tuesday when I could hardly walk. By Wednesday, I was miserable and left work to hobble into a walk in clinic. "Tendonitis". I received a huge shot of steroids in the booty and I'm now on steroids for the next six days to be followed by a month of anti-inflammatory drugs. I thought maybe it was a result from the running, but the Doc said you can get it from one sudden movement. Run, don't jump.

The Shack

This is an amazing book. It was written by WM. Paul Young. I just finished it last night and I find myself thinking about it a lot. The book is fiction, but very thought provoking. In substance, this is what the book is about:

A grieving father receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him to meet in the Oregon wilderness where his daughter has been abducted and murdered. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant "The Shack" wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?"

I felt this was a perfect time to recommend this book as I recently learned that a friend of a friend, who I have had the pleasure of meeting, passed away Wednesday at age 36 leaving behind two young sons and a husband. The only answer that makes sense to me is that it is not for us to understand, but to have faith in God and know he is always with us. We just need to call to him and listen.

Vacation End Blues

Yes, the days of sleeping late and seeing where the day takes us is coming to a quick end. I'm actually ready to just get this first week behind us.

Yesterday, we went to the Museum of Science and History with some neighbors. After that we enjoyed lunch on the river in downtown Jacksonville. It was a beautiful day.

In the evening we set the kids up in our room for some T.V. and Mike and I watched "Wedding Crashers" in the family room. Man, that movie is funny.

I was going to attached a video of Nick doing the hula hoop game on the Wii Fit, but I filmed the video vertical and I can't seem to edit it. I figure I would save you from having to turn your head to the right to watch it. Note to self, don't film vertical.

Happy 2009!

We had a good time last night at a neighbor's Luau. The pool was heated, but not enough for me or my kids. We lasted until around 11:00 (I was impressed) when Nick fell asleep in their living room and all of Sean's buddies were asleep. We came home, tucked the kids in bed and watched the ball drop in New York City and went to sleep. Perfect!

Today we are baby sitting my neighbor's four year old daughter while they watch Clemson in the Gator Bowl downtown. She's making a train track beside me while I type. So cute.

I attached a video of the game Rock Band at our house. The singer in Zach, another neighbor's son. He sounds just like Weezer! ;-) We really are enjoying our Wii. We have the Wii Fit and I'm in a normal weight with a Wii Age of 55! I didn't understand the balance instructions people!! Mike on the other hand is a Wii age of 33...BUT he is considered overweight. Obviously they don't take into account bone structure. More Later...Michelle

Thanks to my friend Meredith, I have been inspired to start my own blog. I make no promises, but it seems like a good way for family and friends to keep up with my family.

Last weekend we went camping in Orlando. We love Fort Wilderness, but it was full. We tried out Tropical Palms. Not the best, but it got the job done. Our trip centered around the Florida State Seminoles playing in the Champs Bowl against Wisconsin. What happened to the days of the Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl? The good 'ol days.

Sean and Mike had great seats and Sean was awarded a set of drum sticks from the Marching Chiefs. As you can see, he was excited.

On Sunday, we went to The Magic Kingdom. This was Nick's first trip. A good time was had by all.

Yes, Nick is getting way to big too carry around like that. We thought we were past the stroller stage.

Tonight will be the first time in probably ten years that we have plans for New Years Eve. We have some neighbors who are having a party kids are invited. I don't think Nick will be able to stay awake until midnight, but we will see. More later..... Michelle