It was a rough week last week around here. Especially for my son. He came home almost in tears the beginning of the week because he got pushed on the bus and whacked his elbow pretty hard on something metal in the bus. He was hurting so bad, I decided to take him to the Urgent Care. Luckily it wasn't broken, just a bad bruise.
A couple days later I got a call from the school nurse at work. He was running between classes and tripped over something. He did a face plant in the dirt. I wasn't able to leave work early so he hung out in the nurse's office until I got there. He had a scraped up nose and knee, fat lip and broke one of his front teeth. Poor kid. I felt so bad for him.
We went immediately to the dentist to make sure nothing major was damaged. Again, thankfully, nothing too serious. No nerve damage. We had to wait a few days to get his tooth fixed. The dentist wanted to wait until the swelling in his lip and nose goes down. Tomorrow he gets his tooth fixed and he is very excited about that!
My boy never walks anywhere, he always runs. I'm really surprised this hasn't happened sooner!
The week got better on Sunday though. He got 7 merit badges for scouts! Woohoo! I'm so proud of him! Now, if I could just get him to stop arguing and start listening, life would be so much easier around here!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Veterans
Sunday was Veteran's Day. It's nice that we have a day set aside to honor those that serve and protect us, who sacrifice so much and sometimes sacrifice their lives. Their families sacrifice too. However, every day should be Veteran's Day. We should be thanking them every single day. We are able to worship as we choose, vote, speak out and say what we think and feel and we are only able to do this because of our Vets.
I have many, many friends who are veterans. They have made those sacrifices to protect our freedoms that we so often take advantage of. They served their country and protected us. I have a lot of family that are also veterans and I am so proud of them and grateful for their service. Some carry around the physical scars of war. I have a friend who is a double amputee. They also carry around the scars we can't see...emotional scars. They can suffer from PTSD, TBI, nightmares, insomnia, alcoholism, drug addiction and difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
I am learning a lot about vets and what it's like to come home after being in an extremely structured environment or after being in a combat zone. It's not easy for them to make the adjustment. They are going from having someone telling you what to do on a regular basis to having to make those decisions on your own. Sometimes the simple act of driving is difficult for them. They CAN'T obey traffic laws in a war zone. It is too dangerous. They have to do whatever they can just to keep moving. It is a big adjustment for them to come home and have to follow the laws of the road. One vet I talked to said, sometimes seeing a piece of debris or another car parked on the side of the rd will send him into automatic defensive driving and he will swerve to avoid a possible roadside bomb. They are hypervigilant in a combat zone and then have to come home and try to adjust to not having to be looking over their shoulder all the time.
I have had the pleasure of meeting my new neighbor and getting to know him. He is young, mid 20's. He has been home from the middle east for less than 2 months. The first time I met him I knew he was having some struggles, but he has a leg up...he has a job already and is trying to get back into the civilian life as quickly and painlessly as possible. It isn't easy for him though. He lost some good friends right in front of him and his father took his own life. My kids wrote a letter to him on Veteran's Day thanking him for his service. He wasn't able to read it in front of us because it was just too much. It took him 3 days to get the courage to come over and thank us for the letter and he had tears in his eyes. Every time I talk to him he shares a little more of what he's going through. I am grateful to have the opportunity to get to know this young soldier and I am grateful for the sacrifices he and so many others make.
My husband was not a casualty of combat, but he was a casualty of war. Suicide among active and non active military personnel is on the rise. There are statistics showing more are dying by suicide than in combat. That is a terrible and sad trend and our military is scrambling trying to figure out what to do and how to stop this trend. There are resources for help. I have them. Please don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it!
I will never stop being grateful for these men and women and I will never stop saying it. THANK YOU!
I have many, many friends who are veterans. They have made those sacrifices to protect our freedoms that we so often take advantage of. They served their country and protected us. I have a lot of family that are also veterans and I am so proud of them and grateful for their service. Some carry around the physical scars of war. I have a friend who is a double amputee. They also carry around the scars we can't see...emotional scars. They can suffer from PTSD, TBI, nightmares, insomnia, alcoholism, drug addiction and difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
I am learning a lot about vets and what it's like to come home after being in an extremely structured environment or after being in a combat zone. It's not easy for them to make the adjustment. They are going from having someone telling you what to do on a regular basis to having to make those decisions on your own. Sometimes the simple act of driving is difficult for them. They CAN'T obey traffic laws in a war zone. It is too dangerous. They have to do whatever they can just to keep moving. It is a big adjustment for them to come home and have to follow the laws of the road. One vet I talked to said, sometimes seeing a piece of debris or another car parked on the side of the rd will send him into automatic defensive driving and he will swerve to avoid a possible roadside bomb. They are hypervigilant in a combat zone and then have to come home and try to adjust to not having to be looking over their shoulder all the time.
I have had the pleasure of meeting my new neighbor and getting to know him. He is young, mid 20's. He has been home from the middle east for less than 2 months. The first time I met him I knew he was having some struggles, but he has a leg up...he has a job already and is trying to get back into the civilian life as quickly and painlessly as possible. It isn't easy for him though. He lost some good friends right in front of him and his father took his own life. My kids wrote a letter to him on Veteran's Day thanking him for his service. He wasn't able to read it in front of us because it was just too much. It took him 3 days to get the courage to come over and thank us for the letter and he had tears in his eyes. Every time I talk to him he shares a little more of what he's going through. I am grateful to have the opportunity to get to know this young soldier and I am grateful for the sacrifices he and so many others make.
My husband was not a casualty of combat, but he was a casualty of war. Suicide among active and non active military personnel is on the rise. There are statistics showing more are dying by suicide than in combat. That is a terrible and sad trend and our military is scrambling trying to figure out what to do and how to stop this trend. There are resources for help. I have them. Please don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it!
I will never stop being grateful for these men and women and I will never stop saying it. THANK YOU!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
I Did It!
Sunday I did my first half marathon! I can't say I ran it, because I actually walked A LOT! It was a beautiful day, Sunny and actually a little too warm. I was so nervous. I have done the 3 day walk twice, but you don't really have a time limit on that. The half, you have 4 hrs. If you can't make it in 4 hrs you get picked up. I wasn't too worried about not making it in time, I was worried about if I could finish and keep the pace.
I started out good. I kept pace for 8 miles. I was actually on pace to be about 2 minutes faster than my normal, but that was good because I knew there were hills so I figured that would put me right where I usually am. After mile 8 headed into mile 9 I started having severe pain in the soles of my feet. I was wearing new shoes. I probably should have worn the old ones, but that would have resulted in different pain. Anyway, every step I took, I could feel my feet move inside my shoes. If I would have tightened the laces, my feet would have gone numb...and that is not a good thing! So, needless to say, I walked the last 5 miles. I would try to run and it would hurt so bad! So what started out as possibly beating my time, ended up being about 15 minutes slower. But, I finished it and I wasn't last! :)
My mom made sure to be there with my kids. That was so awesome to have them all there to cheer me on at the finish line. A couple of my friends who did the half too stayed until I crossed the finish. It was so awesome to have the support of friends by text and on facebook as well!
Today, 3 days later, my right foot is still hurting on the side like it's bruised. Other than that, I have no other pain. I am ready to get back out there and start training for the Rock n Roll half in January. Hopefully I can afford to sign up. :)
I started out good. I kept pace for 8 miles. I was actually on pace to be about 2 minutes faster than my normal, but that was good because I knew there were hills so I figured that would put me right where I usually am. After mile 8 headed into mile 9 I started having severe pain in the soles of my feet. I was wearing new shoes. I probably should have worn the old ones, but that would have resulted in different pain. Anyway, every step I took, I could feel my feet move inside my shoes. If I would have tightened the laces, my feet would have gone numb...and that is not a good thing! So, needless to say, I walked the last 5 miles. I would try to run and it would hurt so bad! So what started out as possibly beating my time, ended up being about 15 minutes slower. But, I finished it and I wasn't last! :)
My mom made sure to be there with my kids. That was so awesome to have them all there to cheer me on at the finish line. A couple of my friends who did the half too stayed until I crossed the finish. It was so awesome to have the support of friends by text and on facebook as well!
Today, 3 days later, my right foot is still hurting on the side like it's bruised. Other than that, I have no other pain. I am ready to get back out there and start training for the Rock n Roll half in January. Hopefully I can afford to sign up. :)
Friday, November 2, 2012
Attitude of Gratitude
My favorite holiday used to be Christmas. I used to be the one that would start listening to Christmas music in September, want to put up the decorations before Thanksgiving and I was annoying with my Christmas cheer. Now, it takes everything I have to want to put up the tree, get shopping done and gifts made and people bug the crap out of me. Don't get me wrong, I still love the twinkle of Christmas lights, the smells of Christmas, family time and of course, the true reason for celebrating. I just don't like Christmas anymore...it's depressing. I try hard for my kids though.
Now Thanksgiving is well on the way. That is my new favorite holiday. I think I started loving it before Tom died. His family always had the big family dinners. I grew up in a very small family and I always wanted the big family dinners with lots of people and lots of laughter. Even though I didn't always get along with Tom's family, Thanksgiving dinner was always a good time. After Tom died was when I really started hating Christmas and loving Thanksgiving even more.
I love the feeling of gratitude surrounding the holiday. There is no commercial hype and no one being grumpy. A lot of people on facebook have started on November 1st posting everyday something they are grateful for. Even though admittedly it is cheesy, I also like the idea. It forces us to see all that is good in our lives and not dwell on the things that aren't so good. Dwelling on the bad is human nature so it can be hard, especially in difficult times, to find the things to be grateful for.
So, here is my challenge. Find something everyday for the month of November to be grateful for. It doesn't even matter what it is. It can even be something as simple as grateful for chocolate! (I mean really, who isn't grateful for chocolate?) Write it down. You don't have to post it on facebook if you don't want to. You can write it in a journal. A few years ago for my birthday, some friends made me this thing called the gratitude book. Everyday I was challenged to write down 3 things I was grateful for that day. I loved it!! It was just a notebook that they made a cover for out of cardstock and scrapbook paper. The purpose of writing it down is to get it out of your head and onto either paper or virtual paper. It also gives you the opportunity in those times when you need it, to go back and look at what you wrote to remind you of all the wonderful things in your life. Let's do it together! You can even share here if you want. Let's have an attitude of gratitude together!
Now Thanksgiving is well on the way. That is my new favorite holiday. I think I started loving it before Tom died. His family always had the big family dinners. I grew up in a very small family and I always wanted the big family dinners with lots of people and lots of laughter. Even though I didn't always get along with Tom's family, Thanksgiving dinner was always a good time. After Tom died was when I really started hating Christmas and loving Thanksgiving even more.
I love the feeling of gratitude surrounding the holiday. There is no commercial hype and no one being grumpy. A lot of people on facebook have started on November 1st posting everyday something they are grateful for. Even though admittedly it is cheesy, I also like the idea. It forces us to see all that is good in our lives and not dwell on the things that aren't so good. Dwelling on the bad is human nature so it can be hard, especially in difficult times, to find the things to be grateful for.
So, here is my challenge. Find something everyday for the month of November to be grateful for. It doesn't even matter what it is. It can even be something as simple as grateful for chocolate! (I mean really, who isn't grateful for chocolate?) Write it down. You don't have to post it on facebook if you don't want to. You can write it in a journal. A few years ago for my birthday, some friends made me this thing called the gratitude book. Everyday I was challenged to write down 3 things I was grateful for that day. I loved it!! It was just a notebook that they made a cover for out of cardstock and scrapbook paper. The purpose of writing it down is to get it out of your head and onto either paper or virtual paper. It also gives you the opportunity in those times when you need it, to go back and look at what you wrote to remind you of all the wonderful things in your life. Let's do it together! You can even share here if you want. Let's have an attitude of gratitude together!
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