3 Months in Six Paragraphs

Didn't I just pack up my Christmas tree and put away all of the decorations yesterday? I am pretty sure I remember telling myself after I did that, I would post a recent blog about this past Christmas with Alex, our visit with relatives, funny stories...etc. Well, one slight career change, a new car, and 3 months of training for the Gate River Run later - here's my post! Grudgingly, I am embracing that my life's motto might unfortunately be "better late than never" --although not in ALL aspects.

So, in a nutshell - Christmas was great. We got to celebrate with my parents before AND after Christmas on their way up to - and back from North Carolina. In between that, Nate and I were both able to take some time away from work to visit with his family. It was nice to have everyone together- and Heabie home from seminary. We played the usual games and drank the famous "sludge' made by my sister-in-law, Liz, every year. It was also such a neat experience to see our baby Alex be the "big kid" as he played and shared toys with his baby cousin, Ocean. We look forward to watching our families grow with each passing Christmas we share together. It's strange to think that this was his 2nd Christmas and that he is fast-approaching his 2nd birthday.

Next, the "new car" I mentioned above... okay so not necessarily NEW, but close. Somehow we went from having both cars paid off to having two car payments again - ARRG! Adulthood!! We made a move to a family vehicle (no, not a mini van - yet) to a Chevy Equinox... which we LOVE. However, we bought it in July brand new not expecting to have to buy another car just 7 short months later. My oh-so-trusty (that didn't sound sarcastic, did it?) Pontiac Grand Am overheated on my way to our Christmas Eve service which sparked a downward spiral to the eventual death of my car. (When you are told you need a new engine, that's pretty much the death of a car - especially when not a single part of it has been reliable since I bought it). I thought THE HECK WITH THIS THING! I'm not throwing pearls to swine... so Nate and I talked and debated and I went on the hunt for a used car. WOW! This was my first experience walking on to the lot of car dealerships and, um, 'haggling'. We typically use a dealership that my parents have bought cars from for 20 years. I decided to do it on my own this time. I found my new car love and am now a proud owner of a 2007 burgundy, tinted, Honda Accord with a sunroof. No, I am not speeding - it just looks fast. Okay - sometimes I might speed. I think somewhere deep down, my car has a hidden desire to be Lightning McQueen. "I am faster than fast. I am Lightning McQueen" KER-CHOW!! So, despite the two car payments, I am really happy.

Let's see - what's the next thing...? Oh yeah! My "new" job. I am still with the same company - but after 5 years working with families that have children (birth to age three) with developmental delays, I am finally able to work with them in a new capacity. After about a year and a half of trying to pursue this position, God is good - and effective Dec. 15th, I became an official Infant/Toddler Developmental Specialist. I am so excited about this new role and have been really enjoying working with the families and children in this way. For a couple of months, I was in dual roles... but as of this month, I have fully and completely transitioned!! Yay!

Finally - the Gate River Run! What on earth possessed me to train for this thing? I'm not so sure that I can answer that. I don't know the exact moment I committed to running 9.3 miles at one time... but I said it outloud at work during lunch one day, so I knew I had to get serious about it. I've been training on my own and with my good friend Jamie. We have had pretty regular Sunday date nights with our families. Matt and Jamie bring over their precious baby Walker and all of the boys (Matt, Nate, Alex and Walker) do whatever it is guys do - I think they are teaching the babies poker - while Jamie and I run our tushies off (literally - well, um hopefully literally). We have pushed ourselves each weekend we ran and even braved running two of the bridges downtown (a first for me) a couple of weeks ago. Well - that brings me to this week. While I am excited about how far I have been able to run during training - I had a moment today where I realized I may not be able to run it - okay, so I had a few moments... maybe I whined... perhaps complained - maybe tantrumed? Here's why - with the help of Google, I have diagnosed myself with a stress fracture in my foot. In all seriousness, after my longest run yet on Monday (practically 7 miles) I started experiencing pain along the outside of my foot. Today has been the worst yet! I am new at this 'training for long distance runs' stuff - so decided to read up on what causes a stress fracture, what the symptoms are...etc. I tell you - it's like all of the articles I read said "Jill O'Brien, you have a stress fracture!" I tried to get in to see an orthopedist before Saturday - but no such luck. I can have high hopes, right? So... since I got home this afternoon I have been icing it and trying to ignore that it is even a problem. I am pretty hard-headed and as of right now I still plan on running and just dealing with the consequences. We'll see what tomorrow brings though. I think I am hoping for a 1-day miracle where the pain disappears. I'll be so disappointed if I am unable to run it... I guess I'll just have to hang on to the fact that I made it to 7 miles during my training. Who knows, maybe it's God's way of helping me avoid a really embarrassing picture that could end up on the front page of the paper. Oh, and another disappointing thought if I don't run it - I'm out 35 bucks!

Of course, I can't end this post without bragging about my 23-month-old pride a joy. Alex is becoming quite the independent, out-spoken boy... using all of his 90 words to make demands, boss around the dogs, and to be my little backseat driver. Despite having to practically restrain him during haircuts, and through all of the tantrums, he continues to add so much to our lives. He brings indescribable joy as he continues to open our eyes to see life through his.