MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I'll be working ALOT the next several days, therefore may not get anything posted. I'll update with some pics from our Holiday parties when I can, otherwise it will be probably after the weekend. Hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Becca

Good start!

Well, Jim had his first round of chemo yesterday. I was able to go and hang with him for an hour and a half before work and then ended up going back after I (surprisingly) got off early for the last hour of his session. Everything went well! Today he was able to go back to work and, so far, he has had no issues. Keep sending him positive vibes that this chemo won't wear on him like it can.

This morning began with a stitch and bitch session with my sister. I was stitching and we were both bitching. Well, not really. We were doing some catching up while i worked on the second of 4 scarves I was knitting this week. I had the one done for my white elephant gift exchange with my family and was working one of two for a couple of girlfriends (I now have them both done). All I have left is, well make that 5 scarves this week cuz i have to make one for my sisters friend too but I could always take that with me when I make a very quick like trip to DSM in the very near future...

We went to the YMCA today, my sis and I. She had a run and a swim to do and I had a run. It was hot but overall the run was good! I really struggled with keeping my HR down because I was so hot and I felt bad because my coach specifically put in the instructions "CONTROL HR". I did the best I could under the circumstances. I need to work on hydration during my runs, big time!

After the Y we ran to the other side of town. Since Jim will likely lose his hair, mom wanted us to find a stocking cap that was soft on the inside that he could wear all day long (not just outside). We went to Dick's Sporting Goods and ended up not only getting him a hat, but some nice comfy warm UA pants, a UA skull cap that he can wear if he isn't particularly warm or if he wants to wear it under another hat, a LIVESTRONG fleece stocking cap (to support the cancer cause) and another hat that will be really warm for outside. It's funny because he now has his chemo outfit all ready to go! He even modeled the pants for us tonight and they looked very nice! Quick trip to Pancheros and Starbucks and Sweetopia and we were on our way.

Ok, now the big news...I'm done with the vegetarian thing. It's been a few years now and I must admit that I have felt very good not eating meat full of antibiotics and hormones and whatever else, but the whole reason I ate this way was because it made me feel good. Well, running makes me feel good but the fact that I'm not physically seeing the results I think I should does not make me feel good. After some long thought, I decided that in order for me to be the best runner I can be (and afford it) I will need to start eating real protein again (other than beans and tofu). SO, my inaugural meaty meal? Black pepper chicken and Garlic Chicken from Hy-Vee Chinese! What a better way to reinstate myself as a carnivore than with greasy chinese food? All I can say is that it was delicious and I feel like I have a whole new world of eating in front of me and I can't wait to explore!

Well, time to get started on scarf number 4 (this one for my sister). I can't believe it will be Wednesday already!!! Goodnight!

Blown away in the windy city!

So, my trip to the windy city is coming to a close. I was supposed to head back home early tomorrow morning but was able to get someone to cover the first part of my shift so I can hang out for a bit tomorrow and don't have to rush out.

When I first got into town yesterday, I immediately went for my appointment to get more done on my arm. I have one more sitting left and my half sleeve will be complete!! She has two more flowers to do and the rest of the greenery and I'm done! This time, she just added a bunch of leaves to my flowers to bring the whole piece together. It is amazing how such a simple addition totally changes the look of the piece. I love how it is coming together and can't wait to get it done.

Today was a busy one, lots of running around (literally). After a busy morning (explain later) I went for a chilly run down the streets of Chi town. It was a nice change of scenery, but very cold. The temps were no colder than what I've been running in back home, but it seemed so much colder here...came back and cleaned up. After that I decided I would update the software on my bb since it had been popping up with some errors every now and then. In the midst of this update my computer decided to freeze up on me and this left my phone...well...dead.

not working...shit...shit shit shit...

I'm here at my cousins house, my phone doesn't work, they don't have a land line, no one else is home and I have no way to contact anyone...I. am. stranded.

Wait...I could IM my mom on gtalk...and so I did.

She called the verizon customer service and played middle man in the very short conversation that ended up with me being told my phone was dead and not fixable...ugh!

I'm supposed to make a four hour drive home tomorrow with no phone? Not gonna happen. After freaking out for a brief moment, my cousin came home and we discussed the game plan. Long story short, this evening was spent at the Verizon Wireless store where a lovely man went out of his way to help me get a new phone...not just any new phone...but the NEW bb curve. They didn't have a replacement phone for my curve anywhere in the city, so they were able to do an emergency upgrade (I guess this is very hard to get done) and I was able to walk out with a phone...of course this did cost me a bit of money I wasn't prepared to spend but it was totally worth it to have the peace of mind of having contact with the rest of society!

So, tonight I have been sitting on the couch re-loading all the software I had on my old phone, getting my calendar and contacts synced and changing all my settings. The night has flown and now I should get to bed...it was an early morning! At least I don't have to rush out in the morning and can sleep in for a bit! See you at home!

Yesterday was my first sub zero run outside...-9 windchill to be exact. I had on two pairs of socks, two pairs of underwear, my Nike DriFit winter running pants and two long sleeve shirts...It was just enough clothing.

I tell you what, buying those Yaktrax was one of the best purchases I have made. I haven't felt unsteady on my feet once when wearing those outside in this snow! I even did form drills (high knees, butt kicks, and skips) and did fall! If you don't have them I highly suggest it!

I hadn't taken any pics of the snow storm yet, so here are a few from the back of our house showing how much snow we got...I think we ended up with about 10.5"- yuck!

Feeling good after my run! (Notice the frost on my forehead!)

My sis emailed this to me this morning...I love it!

This is exactly the setup I hope to have some day. I will absolutely have a chihuahua (still) but have always wanted a Dane too. I think this pic is adorable!!

Today I need to run out to the craft store and get some yarn. I am knitting a scarf again this year for our White Elephant gift exchange the family does, and I want to knit my dad one too as well as a new one for myself. Here is the one I made myself last January...I wear it all the time and LOVE it...need something that's more like a black or grey this year.

I made this one for my mom...It's so fluffy and she looks so cozy when she wears it. Her coat is tan so it matches perfectly!

And this one I made for my sister. She wanted something to wear with all of her coats so I incorporated both grayish/black with a white to cover all the bases.

It's been a while since I knitted (almost a year) so it will take me a bit longer to get started again but it's kind of like riding a bike. You never really forget, just get kind of rusty! I'll post a pic of how it turns out!

Cancer Sucks

So, very recently our family was hit with some upsetting news. My dad has been suffering with hip pain over the last 6-7 months and after lots of treatment (medications, physical therapy, x-rays, etc) he was finally referred to an Orthopedic Specialist who sent him for an MRI...bad news. A large mass was found in his pelvic bone and was shortly thereafter biopsied to reveal cancer. Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkins Lyphoma, to be exact. After getting over the initial shock of the news, I immediately started thinking about what I could do to help. It's a given that I will support him through this with my positivity, my knowledge of medicine and by just physically being here for him, but I wanted to do more. SO, I visited the American Cancer Society website and found the DetermiNation program. I am already registered for the Madison 1/2 Marathon in May 2010 and decided to use this as a vehicle to raise money and awareness for the fight against cancer, and it will be done in my dad's name. You can visit my personal page to donate or to just find out more about cancer and the research being done. I'll be updating both that page and my blog with my training progress as well as my fundraising efforts.

Speaking of training, I must go run now. The temp outside is -2 with -20 degree wind chills...bundle up!!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

First off, I have to (again) talk about my sister's recent completion of IM Cozumel. She did such a great job and persevered through some not so fun conditions...here is the pic of her crossing the finish line...

I tried to get this shot as I was standing behind the gate that was to her left, however I was not at a good angle to catch this shot. As soon as she came through she came over and gave me a big, sweaty hug and I had to fight back tears. As I was standing there waiting for her and watching other people come through the finish line, I was on the verge of tears the whole time. There was just something that was overwhelming about that experience, even just as a spectator. Here is her official finishers photo

Monday I took my only final for the semester. It was tough and we were all so glad to be done. The semester brought a wealth of emotions and we all toughed it out together. With that being said, we all celebrated together as well. Margaritas were had to toast the end of the semester and the fact that we only have one left!!! Here is the crew at Hacienda...

I was enjoying my margarita a little too much! I opted for the jumbo size as I was trying to be cost efficient...

After coming home from the celebration, I had some work to get done that had been severely neglected. I had previously posted something regarding a venture that I am working on. Not time to tell you yet, but I am about done with the groundwork and come next week, I'll be at a point where I just wait to hear. I'll let you know soon!!

Later in the evening, I was invited to join my girls for an evening of making homemade caramels. Boy was this an experience! The first two batches were a bust, however we finally got the method down and the caramels were delicious! While Jen, Rhonda and I made the caramels, Amy kept the kids busy in the other room...

This was our first batch that was botched...it was so hard we couldn't even cut it so we just busted it out of the pan and chewed off pieces! It tasted good but wasn't something we could give to anyone. We ended up putting it back outside and letting it completely freeze then we were able to bust it up like toffee/peanut brittle...that will be one to just keep at home.

Above is Amy, Jen and I trying to chew on the rock hard caramel...below is Rhonda, Jen and I cheezing it up during the candy making! I love these girls!

Tuesday began a snowstorm that was to eventually turn into a blizzard. I had to work last night and I knew it would either be absolutely nuts or absolutely dead...the latter was true. It was nice to know that people were listening to the authorities as to stay home and not drive. The roads were bad and in an ER, that can make for an interesting night! My parents wouldn't let me drive home last night so they came to get me after work and their big truck got through the snow fine (my car would have been stuck pretty quickly). This is what I woke up to this morning...

I have to work tonight again, we are officially under a blizzard warning until midnight because the winds are supposed to pick up to like 35-50 mph..brrrrr! Hopefully people will again, just stay home so we don't have to deal with a bunch of car accidents. Hear that people?...STAY HOME!!

Stay warm and happy hump-day! Starting tomorrow I'm going to be running wild through the weekend and into next week. I'll try to update but can't promise anything!

I'm sore!

As mentioned previously, my sis surprised me with an early Christmas present which was training by her coach for my 1/2 marathon I'm doing in the spring...my first week is down (one run yet today) and I'm sore!!! It's not a bad sore though, it's good. I miss feeling like this from my old bodybuilding days. Every day you're working a different group of muscles so on any given day you are sore...feels good!

Next week I have one final and then I'll be DONE with school until FEBRUARY!! I'm so excited to have some time off! When I go back it will only be 4 months until I graduate...can you believe it??!!

Well, I better get out for my run before the day slips away! Will get back to posting more next week...this week has been nuts!

Cozumel in a nutshell...

In no particular order...here is a photo story of my trip, starting with race day. Chelle did AMAZING and completed the race in 13 hours and 35 minutes. We went scuba diving and snorkeling, sat by the pool/beach a lot, drank a lot, saw lots of iguanas and other lizards/creatures, met some other Iowa folks (who weren't there for IM), and had an all around great time. Enjoy!

Chelle and Coach Liz (fellow blogger friend)

Mass chaos at Chankanaab water park where the swim was

Chelle heading out for the swim start

Leaving T1 heading out for the bike...2.4 miles down, 138.2 to go!

Kristen (Chelle's friend) and I took the scooter to the other side of the island to cheer on the athletes where there would likely be no fans...

Chelle on the bike course looking strong!

Leaving T2, heading out for the run! (Only) a marathon left to go!!

She always had a smile on her face!

This guy was an inspiration...Ironman on a prosthetic leg.

Kristen and I finally had our first beer of the day around 7 PM

Chelle conquered the island! She is all done and STILL smiling!

Rachelle, you are an IRONMAN!!!

This is a HUGE angel fish we saw on our dive...I think it looks fake!

Kristen and I posing at 40 ft below the water!

I love scuba!

Kristen and I with Andrey, our scuba instructor

Kristen and I (far right) with our Iowa friends

Chelle and I

Huge ass iguana we saw after our dive

Me encanta Mexico!

Update soon

I know, i kind of dropped the ball with updating while on our little vacation. I must say it got the best of me and by days end, I was crawling into bed around 8:30 PM or so. That fresh air and sun (and alcohol) really takes it out of you! Anyways, I'll update soon with lots of pics and a full race day report from this Ironman Spectathlete...

Check out my sis' blog to see her updates (she did a much better job than I did!)

Greetings from Cozumel!

Day one is coming to a close. We started in Moline at 0400 and made it to Cozumel around 1400. It is beautiful here! Apparently there was a bit of a rain storm prior to our arrival...when we got to the cozumel airport (see pic below) the customs terminal was in the process of being squeegied out...it was full of water at one point. We made it to the hotel, checked in and killed some time before dinner, which was amazing by the way! We ate italian and Tribeaner and I found our margarita spot!! We took some pics on the beach and are currently sitting in the lobby (which is open air) and happens to be the only place where the wi-fi works. So, I'll try to get an update at the end of each day. I'll finish with some pics from the day...tomorrow is scuba diving!!!

Mom and Jim at QC Airport

QC Airport

Beautiful sunrise view from the airplane

Ready to head to Cozumel!!

Mom getting a strawberry daquiri

One of the many views of the ocean

Jim and I on the beach

Me on the beach

beautiful skies

Mom, sis and tribeaner

mom and jim

Margarita Time!!!

This is their way of honoring our Thanksgiving holiday...live turkeys in the lobby!!

Cozumel here we come!!!

I am updating from the airport in the Quad Cities. Next stop is Dallas then Cozumel!! Check back for pictures and updates from the trip!

Travel Plans

As I plan for my quickly approaching trip south, I can't help but have a million things running through my mind. What about all of these regulations with what you can and can't carry on the plane? What about phone service? What should I bring to wear? Do I bring my fun summery girlie stuff or my "I'm a runner" stuff so I fit in with all the other athletes around? I'm thinking a nice mix of all of the above. On the days where I'm just hanging out, I wanna enjoy the heat and wear my dresses and skirts and shorts, but on the BIG DAY I plan to wear something comfy as I hear being a spectathlete is quite trying as well....

I need to make sure I have a game plan for that day. Nutrition and hydration are my key focus and I'll have to find a grocery store somewhere prior to the BIG DAY in order to ensure I have what I need. What about a cooler? Maybe I'll have to see if my soft cooler will fit in my luggage...I bet I can make it work.

I'm getting my hair done today (gotta look good!) and contemplating a mani/pedi at some point. My nails are AWFUL! Not sure if that will happen though. I just can't wait for this trip to come. It seems like not that long ago that my sis told us of her plan and the looooooooooong anticipation of the trip began. Now it's here, 5 days and I'll be soakin up the sun! I found out that my phone will still get text and data at no extra cost while I'm there so I'll do some brief posting of pics and stuff with a full report on my return. I'll be sure to include how my sis does as well! Swing by her place and wish her luck!