Life

Why does life never happen as planned? ;) I have been AWOL from blog land (and many other places) for the last month because I took a swan dive off the bridge of life and have been trying to figure out if I was going to hit pavement or water. Luckily, I hit water, but I am still making my way up to the surface. Yes, if you can’t tell I am feeling a little poetic today. Really, making light of the whole thing has helped keep me sane over the last few weeks.

 

So in the sake of covering a lot of info in a post I am resorting to bullets. I will start with Band and Running updates:

• I am still losing weight, but slowly
• I have officially lost 85 pounds and am in the 180’s for the first time since my freshman year of high school.
• I am 9.5 pounds away from my doctor’s goal and 14.5 pounds away from my goal.
• I know I need to lose more than 14.5 pounds, but I will be happy if my body does stop there.
• I haven’t been as disciplined over the last month as I was so I am ok with the small loses I had – a half a pound a week.
• I still haven’t changed my diet much, but I was able to lose 2 pounds last week and a pound so far this week. It is amazing how small changes add up.
•  It feels great to live life (no matter how crazy), and not have to worry about every detail about food – and still lose something.
• I have very little restriction, and since the reflux has gone away I am going to get a fill this month.
• I am very happy to be losing even though I have only been at my sweet spot for a couple weeks over the last 9 months. Hopefully, getting the next fill will give me the little push I need to hit goal. 
• I am still running and still injury free.
• The marathon training is going well – at least the running.
• I have completed a 8.5 mile run a couple weeks ago and am doing 10 miles this week.
• I have a 10 mile race in 11 days. I know I can do it, but the question is can I do it fast enough.
• I am slow and end up running by myself (and a trainer) because the rest of my group doesn’t show.
• The director of the program tries to push me into harder intervals so I can run with a group which slows me down even more.
• I don’t think she believes that the shorter intervals keep me faster (even though that is what our training methodology states). And they didn’t even tell me they upped the intervals until we were almost done and my time was over 3 minutes slower a mile! So it can't be just in my mind.
• It is not my fault everyone in my group dropped out. I paid my money to get help. Don’t tell me week 10 that maybe I should move into the 5k program. Especially when to date you have told me how good I am doing and I asked you in the beginning if I was overreaching.
• I am slow and I know it, but I don’t need the director of the program talking about me behind my back and mocking me (or so it appeared).
• She knows she was caught because I turned my car around and confronted her.
• I think she knows she did wrong and feels bad, but it changed my experience and I hate that.
• After feeling like the slowest runner on the planet I found out that the main training program (we are a branch) has many groups for my speed or slower. 
• The director of the program is going to find me a group to run the 10 mile race with – a group that runs at my pace. Why she didn’t say something to me when I said something about running alone last week I am not sure. But at least it ended well. 
• Oh and I broke my personal best and did 2 miles at a 13:10 pace. My best pace so far. Granted I almost killed myself to do it, but it was done. I may not be able to 10 or 13.1 miles at that pace this year, but I am getting better and next year it might be doable.

 And now for the life updates. Kind of hard to put a month of craziness into a “short” update, but here is my best try:

• I am moving and I feel like it is really “I have to move”
• My condo is worth diddly squat and is expected to continue to fall for at least 3 more years and may not be worth what I paid even in another 10 years (maybe much much longer).
• My condo is literally falling apart due to the association deferring maintenance for far too long.
• They say they will have to double to get out us of our issues – that will be more than some people pay in rent.
• I would literally pay more in association dues in the next 5 years than some people bought their condo for this year.
• Crime is starting to go up. My neighbor was home when someone tried to break in and I was accosted at the gas station down the road the other day. Luckily I was in my car by then, but it is not going the way I thought it would due to a HUGE cut in spending in the area.
•  I am so sad. I feel like a failure. But I am getting over it.
• It will be expensive.
• Best case scenario I will pay out a crap load of money to get out of my house. Worst case scenario two crap loads of money. Either way I will be better off leaving now.
• For the next 3-5 years I will probably be paying off a house I don’t own, but it is no worse than buying a car (which you typically use for a short time even though you pay a lot for them).
• I am buying a new house.
• Back in my home town. A small town in northern Michigan. Closer to my family. 
• What I have always wanted, but wasn’t able to do a few years ago due to my job.  
• I am buying my childhood home – my parent’s current home.
• It will almost cost me a little more than what my association dues were going to be.
• It is a little smaller than my current condo, but has so much more.
• Problem is my parents haven’t moved out yet (as planned).
• They are buying a house that my grandmother can live in too.
• Their short list of homes just went to zero (one sold, one needs too much work, and one is WAY too close to a dairy farm – the smell was the worst they have ever noticed and my mom lived on a farm
• Very few houses are on the market and it may be early spring before they get another short list although we are still hoping to be in our new houses by Christmas
• If my house sells before they move I may have to live with them or my grandmother.
• They both have really small houses and this could get interesting.
• But it already feels like my home - I can’t wait til they get out :)
• The puppy loves the fenced in back yard.
• I love the pool.
• My dad calls it my house – which is good and bad. Bad when he wants me to mow. Good when he asks how I want the plants.
• I have a brand new silver maple in the front yard.
• I love the front and back decks and the patio that will be perfect for a table and chairs.
• I won’t have a spare room, but I will have an awesome office. Upstairs and not in the windowless basement.

Just in case you noticed, I haven't been commenting on your blogs.  Mostly because I am able to read only a few a day using Google reader.  I have no idea what is going on out there, but I hope to catch up soon.  I hope you all are doing great!