Three Things Thursday: [Chuckles]

Most of the time, when Jerry and I watch TV, we turn on the captions. When I was a kid, I always hated when adults would have the captions on--and now I'm one of those people. Anyway, we always laugh when we see the caption [chuckles] so it's kind of become a thing between us.

The only reason I named this [Chuckles] is because it gave me some laughs as I went through ideas of what to post here. I am working on a Mother's Day project for my kids (yes, I'm making them something for Mother's Day). I'm putting together a simple photo album of pictures of me with each of them (they will each have their own book, filled with pictures of the two of us).

Included in the book, I'm going to write out some fun stories about them from when they were younger. So, I thought for Three Things Thursday, I'd share three stories about each of the kids that made me chuckle.

(Now that I think of it, I could've sworn I did a post about this before--and after a search, I realize I did! I'm kind of bummed; but I'll choose stories that I didn't share before. In case you're interested, though, here is the link to that post: Kids Say The Darndest Things.

(I'm going to write these as I wrote them at the time--most of them were Facebook posts.)

Noah

1. As you may know, I've been working my ass off since August to give our home a makeover. I can't even describe the difference, and will post pictures when we do the finishing touches (hopefully next week). 

Anyway, I came across this list that Noah wrote when he was about seven years old. He was on an HGTV kick, and was constantly telling us how "dated" our kitchen was--he kept insisting on "granite countertops" and and "darker cupboards". These were the updates he wanted us to make:

paint rooms; new carpet; update kitchen; new toilet; new couch; new chairs; new doors; new bathroom floor; paint cupboards; new knobs on cupboards

2. [In 2013; Noah was nine years old at the time]

I was out driving with the kids this morning, when I saw a sign for a "Poker Run" and party. 

Noah: "Mama, do you know what a poker run is?"
Me: "No, but I'm curious if it's an actual RUN or if it's something to do with Poker."
Noah: "It's when a bunch of motorcyclists go from one bar to another, collecting a card from each bar; then at the last one, they have enough for a hand of poker, and they play."

Well, it's official--my kids are grown. Might as well retire!

3. [In 2008; Noah was four years old]

Noah is SUPER into anatomy. He even has a realistic skeleton and a torso with removable parts--you can ask him any of the bones or organs and he knows them well! Today, he tattled on Eli:

"Mama, I think Eli just broke my sternum AND my clavicle!"

Eli

1. [In 2009; Eli was three years old]

Today I told Eli that if he vacuumed his bedroom, I'd give him a sucker. Ten minutes later he told me he was done vacuuming, "but don't go see it". I said, "Well, when can I go see it?" His reply; "After you give me a sucker"

This was from years later; apparently I don't have many pics of him with a sucker!

2. [In 2011; Eli was five years old]

My kids were watching Gremlins, and one of the gremlins had 3 cigarettes in his mouth at once. Noah said, "Eli, look--that gremlin is smoking three cigarettes at one time!" And Eli responded, "You mean he's WASTING two cigarettes?!"  (For the record, neither Jerry or I smoke--I'm not sure why he responded that way! haha)

3. Eli asked me if I wanted to go for a walk today, so of course I said sure. The two of us were walking around the block, and I told him that if he could sing the entire alphabet to me, I would buy him a pack of Pokémon cards... and if he could identify all the letters of the alphabet, he could earn a whole tin of Pokémon cards. He didn't like this idea because it takes too long, so he said, "I'm just going to save up my money instead."

I know for a fact that he only has a couple of dollars, so I explained that he'll need to earn more money by doing his chores. Of course he didn't want to do chores either, so he had another solution.

"I'm just going to earn my money from Aunt Jeanie. I'll just have her do a scavenger hunt with all the money at the end for me."

This wasn't one of her scavenger hunts (she did many!) but rather a game that they had to play "hot potato" with a gift and had to try to open it before passing it on--while wearing gloves to make it harder. Basically, Aunt Jeanie=gifts ;)

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 102

This picture is just from the day of Noah's graduation--I felt like wearing a dress for the first time in God only knows how long--so I figured I'd take my weekly weigh-in selfie while I was dressed up :)

Like I mentioned yesterday, Eli chose to go to his baseball game rather than get an x-ray of his finger because his finger was feeling better and the swelling was going down. The doctor had sent in an order for an x-ray, but she said it was more for peace of mind; rather than continuing to worry about it, we could just get the x-ray if we wanted. He kept the splint on it and kept icing it.

Today, he wanted to go play in his game. I told him no way--as long as it was swollen and bruised, I didn't want him messing it up. He agreed to get the x-ray (thinking that if it was negative, he'd be able to play), so I took him to the hospital right after school. He was in and out of radiology in literally less than four minutes. And the results were already in his chart by the time we got home!

Well, it turns out he has a fracture after all. I feel like the worst mom ever for not taking him right away (even though he wouldn't have been able to see the orthopedist until Friday, regardless). Someone even commented on my blog that I shouldn't wait! (Thank you for your opinion, and I really wish I'd have taken your advice.)

So, Eli is likely out for the rest of the baseball season. I feel terrible for him--he's had a super rough year and baseball was like his therapy. I'm hoping that the orthopedist will tell us that he won't need surgery and that splinting it will be enough; even so, it'll take weeks, if not months, to heal.

Anyway, on to my weigh-in...

I was at 138.0 today, so I lost the little I'd gained last week. I'm actually kind of surprised because I haven't been eating very regularly again. Either I don't eat all day and then eat a lot at night (not purposely, but just when I have a lot going on during the day); or I eat frequent, random things throughout the day without real "meals".

I was feeling my best and I was regularly losing the weight when I was eating regularly--breakfast, lunch, dinner--so I want to get back to doing that this week. It's going to be a stressful week, considering Eli's appointment and whatever the treatment may be.

Well, I'm going to cut this short because I have a to-do list with about 18 million things on it that I have to get done soon. I'm trying not to get too overwhelmed (yet again) so I'm going to focus on one item at a time, starting with the easy stuff.

I don't mean for this to sound like a downer of a post. I just feel like crap about not taking Eli to get the x-ray sooner (among several other things). But right now--I need to clean out the fridge and freezer! Seeing a clean fridge always puts me in a better mood, as weird as that sounds ;)

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Deep Thoughts With Jerry #15

Even though I've decided to cut back on blogging, I'm still going to continue the "Deep Thoughts With Jerry" posts--he really loves writing them!

What is your favorite scent?

My favorite scent? I think of this in a couple of different ways. There's smell, which comes from something natural like newly cut grass or freshly ground coffee. Then there's scents like cologne or perfume. By far, my favorite SCENT is Love Spell from Victoria's Secret. Katie wears it sometimes and it takes me back to the beginning of our marriage and floods me with all sorts of great memories. It drives me crazy, but in a good way.

If you could learn one professional skill what would it be?

Ha! As I'm typing this I realize how bad I am at typing. Really bad. I'm using each of my pointer fingers and my right thumb for the space bar. Furthermore, it drives Katie crazy.

Katie took this picture of me right now while she oh so patiently waits for me to write this post. 

What did you name your first car?

I've had a couple of (old, very used) cars given to me, so I won't count those. The first car that I bought was a 1993 Ford Probe. I was young and naïve when I bought the car. When I went to the used car lot to look at it there were two black Probes, both 1994. One was a GT and the other was just the SE.

I bought the GT--or so I thought. The owner of the lot said that it would be a couple days to get it because he had to take it to the mechanic to replace the O2 sensor. He stated that the car wouldn't stay running when it was just idling and he was told that was the fix.

When the car was ready to be picked up I went to the dealership to pick it up and saw that it was the SE! The paperwork that I had stated that I bought the GT, but in the meantime, he'd sold that by mistake. I was left with the SE. Because they were the same price I agreed to take the SE and the paperwork was changed. I settled for what I didn't really want.

Furthermore, the issue with the idling wasn't fixed. The only way I could keep it running at stop lights was to throw it in neutral and keep my foot on the gas. I dealt with this for a couple of months until I went to Katie's one day and I noticed a high pitched hissing sound coming from under the hood. It was faint but it was there. I asked Katie's dad, who is an auto mechanic, for help locating the sound and we found that there was a vacuum leak and the repair would only be a couple of bucks and a couple hours' time.

When that was complete the idling problem was magically fixed and I seemingly had a normal car! After the work was done, Katie's dad stated that Probes were terrible cars to work on and always had problems. In fact, he'd warned me against buying the Probe before I actually bought it, but I wanted a "cool" car. So anyway, that's when I started calling it the 'Probelem'.

What was your least favorite food as a kid? Do you still hate it or love it now?

Vegetables. When I was a kid I hated vegetables. I hated the crunch of them and I hated the popping feeling you would get biting into peas or corn. When I met Katie I still felt that way. We went out to Red Lobster for dinner one time and she was talking up the caesar salad--she has never liked salad, but a caesar salad was the exception.

I was not a fan of salad, ever. I wanted to impress her so I just got it like it was no big deal. I LOVED IT! So good. The crunch didn't bother me at all and the flavor was excellent. That broke the seal on my veggie eating. I've been eating them ever since. There are some that I still just don't like but most of them I don't mind and there are a couple that are just great. Sautéed onions on anything is awesome! Peppers on pizzas or fajitas are the best! 

Lettuce? Check. Onions? Check. Pickles? Check. Potatoes? Check. All good.

Which decade or era do you like the most and why?

Easy--the 90's, no question. If you just consider music alone, it was the best and so evolutionary. The movies were also great. But, as an adult, I want the 90's back because it was before social media.

The time just before social media seemed so much more peaceful. You were allowed to have an opinion and belief without having to constantly defend it with arguments rather than constructive in-person conversations. You could be an individual and not be forced into a box and define it. People didn't get offended by every little thing.

When you voted politically, you kept it to yourself. It was America just before so many people became hateful and cold behind a keyboard. It was America before so many people felt like it was their right to judge everybody publicly. When people took care of each other and wasn't divided by the media or government. The 90's was the best because that was the last time America seemed "normal". 

What is one thing people don't know about me?

I am a hopeless romantic. I love the cheese and corniness of everything. I used to do really corny things for Katie--really cheesy stuff. The gifts were a little out of control. I've grown out of it for the most part, but I still like to do things now and then without going totally overboard. I don't know how or why, but the boys have seemingly picked up where I left off.

Katie has given them some sort of direction when it comes to stating that girls nowadays would probably prefer the cheese and corniness of something handmade or thoughtful as opposed to the expense of something meaningless just for the sake of spending money. She loves thoughtful notes or something as simple as when I make her tea in the morning.

Katie used to eat a Dove chocolate every night, so one time I wrote little notes and tied one to each chocolate and put them in a jar. You can notice that the sixth one down on the left just says "LOVE SPELL!" The ones that look blank are just turned over because Katie wanted to keep the picture PG.

Popcorn or M&Ms?

M&Ms for sure. I have to be in the mood for popcorn, and when I am I always regret it. I end up with the kernel skins between my teeth or in my gums. M&Ms are always delicious. There are so many flavors but my favorite is peanut butter. And if you freeze them they are the best. I love M&Ms so much that when we were dating Katie's nickname was M&M.

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Weekend Happenings

Gosh, not writing a blog post yesterday felt so odd! My day felt so much longer, and it was really nice. I took some time to go out in the garage and work on stuff that I'd been waiting for the time to do--tuning up my planer and jointer, working on a nightstand for Eli, and even making a cool cat bed. (Yes, my cats are totally spoiled.)

The weather was so nice and I spent literally all day out there--no rushing to get things done! I listened to some podcasts that I'd gotten far behind on. While I was out there, I kept finding honey bees inside the garage. I have no idea how or why they were there; I just carefully trapped each of them in a jar and brought them to my Asian pear tree (fingers crossed that I actually get fruit this year!). The tree that I planted in the fall is blossoming nicely, and the one in my front yard is now HUGE--I just haven't gotten fruit from it. I'm hoping that the two can cross pollinate now.

I tried to find the picture of when this was literally just a stick in the ground, but I can't find it. Anyway, it's huge now!

This is my new one:

We had Noah's graduation on Friday night, which I already posted pictures of. However, while we were waiting for the ceremony to start, I got a phone call from Eli. He was at his baseball games (a double header) and I felt really bad that none of us were there to watch him (Jerry, my parents, and Jerry's mom were at Noah's graduation).

Eli was really upset on the phone and said that he thought he broke the pointer finger on his right hand. Someone had hit a foul ball straight up, and as at came down, he used two hands to catch it. The ball jammed his finger hard--he wasn't able to play after that. I didn't want to leave Noah's ceremony, but I wanted to be there for Eli. Eli insisted that I stay, though, and he splinted his finger.

When I got home, I saw that it was pretty bad. I don't have a picture from Friday, but this is what it looked like this morning:

His left finger is there for comparison, obviously.

He's been icing it, wearing a splint, and taking ibuprofen. I sent the picture to his doctor who sent in an order for an x-ray if we want to get one. If it's not better by tomorrow, I'll take him for the x-ray. He really didn't want to go today because he wants to go to his game. He's not playing, but he wants to be there to support his team. He is SO disappointed that he can't play.

So, that was a bummer. I feel really bad for him--of all of this fingers, it had to be his right index! And we don't know how long it will be until he can play again.

On Saturday, Jerry and I went to Dave and Renee's house to catch up and to play Euchre. It's been a while since we got together, and it was fun! Dave and I were partners in Euchre and we won both games. I happened to get lucky by being dealt some really great hands through both games. The last time we played, I don't think I had a single good hand the whole time--Euchre isn't any fun when you get crappy cards.

Renee and I haven't yet talked about coaching cross country this fall. I really don't think I'm going to do it. I had a hard time enjoying it last year because I was SO overwhelmed with everything else I had going on and since I am still feeling very overwhelmed, I don't know if I want to take that on.

It's usually this time of year that we decide what we're going to do as far as coaching, because she sends home a flyer from school for kids to sign up. I may tell her that I can just help out once in a while--I won't be "officially" coaching, but I can go to a few practices and meets if I am feeling up to it.

Anyway, thank you for understanding about my decision to cut back on blogging! I feel less pressure to come up with content to write about. I may even go back to my former blogging pattern, which was to more or less just write about my day in general. That was when I was running frequently, though, so who knows...? Haha.

I still haven't been running, but I want to WANT to--if that makes sense. I'm hoping that the true desire will come soon, especially since it's going to start warming up a little outside. I was thinking of just starting with a mile at a time--there is no rule that says I have to run 3+ miles each time I go. For some reason, I've always had it in my head that my runs have to be 3+ miles to "count". I've also been considering doing the Galloway method (a walk-run ratio) because that would make me more inclined to want to do it.

Well, now I'm rambling. I'm going to try to finish up this cat bed tonight--if it works out, it'll look pretty cool!

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Breaking the Blogging Streak

On January 1, 2020, I made a New Year's resolution to blog every single day--whether it was a long, well-thought out post or just a few words or a picture. And I haven't missed a single day in 1,221 days. (Fun fact: If you google "how many days since xx/xx/xx" it will tell you in an instant.)

I started writing Runs for Cookies on April 3, 2011. Since then, I've written 3,511 posts! Can you even imagine that in book form?

My knee injury in 2012

My blog has evolved so much:

• from weight maintenance, to weight loss, to weight gain, and repeat x100
• documenting my skin removal surgery
• from running, to not running, to running, to not running
• from racing everything from 5Ks to three full marathons
• budgeting and paying off $14,000 of credit card debt
• learning all sorts of DIY things
• remodeling my house and garage
• seeing my kids grow from ages five and seven to seventeen and eighteen
• celebrating years seven through nineteen of my marriage (going on twenty in August)
• being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and writing about mental health
• traveling for pleasure or blog reasons
• meeting up with readers from all over the country
• making the most amazing friends through my blog
• sharing success stories from readers
• sharing all about Mark's cancer diagnosis and getting SO MUCH LOVE from my readers
• sharing my family's heritage recipes
• becoming vegan for ethical reasons and trying out new vegan recipes and "weird" ingredients
• forming Ragnar Relay teams with strangers
• being on The Dr. Oz Show, The Today Show, numerous podcasts, and even a feature-length film "From Fat to Finish Line".

Whew. That barely even touches the surface of the things I've written about.

Being filmed for From Fat to Finish Line

And now, Friends? I feel like I've said it all. I've been feeling so much stress and pressure to come up with things to write about on a daily basis and I just need a break. The number of readers I have is steadily declining--which is fine, because I write more for myself than for anyone else--so I feel like I've just become rather uninteresting (I'm not disagreeing!).

Writing one of my very first blog posts

Lately, I have had so many personal things on my mind that I can't write about and they are really affecting my mental health. The punches just keep coming and some days, I just need to not think about my blog at all. I need to focus on myself and my loved ones.

Recovering from my skin removal surgery--I wasn't allowed to sit up!

Anyway, I am not writing this to say good-bye--although it does kind of sound like it. Instead, I'm going to just cut back on the blogging and start taking the weekends off from writing. Over time, I may continue cutting back until I decide that the day comes when I am ready to quit altogether.

It's going to feel weird not writing a post on Saturdays and Sundays. If I have something I really want to write, then I will--but I haven't had much that I can write about lately.

When I was not at all happy about having to transfer things from my old computer to my new one.

So, I'm going to try out writing just Monday through Friday and see how it goes. I'm kind of sad to bread my writing streak, but I am doing what I think it best. Thank you for reading, and I'll be back on Monday! :)

My best friend and editor

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Friday Night Photos: Graduation!

This is going to be a little different than the usual Friday Night Photos. Noah graduated today! He got his high school diploma, and he's also earned 60 credit hours for college. Needless to say, we are SUPER proud of him. So I'll just share a few photos from this evening...

I wish he would show off his smile, but you know how much he loves posed photos ;)

This one made him smile for real:

Me, just being a mom--I wish I was as fun as Jerry! (I did, however, wear a dress and make-up for the first time in God only knows how long.)

And just for fun, I had to do a couple of comparison photos from his preschool graduation and now...

Noah has always been so good about doing his work without us having to push him to do it. And he's gotten all A's all through school! He had started the nursing program but changed his mind to auto tech. And then changed his mind again to cyber security--and that's his plan now. He's going to continue with that in the fall.

Can you believe he's 18 years old and graduated now?! I cannot. I'm so proud to be his mom <3

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Three Things Thursday: Alterations

Like I mentioned before, I've been doing a lot of sewing in my spare time recently. It's one of my favorite hobbies and rather than make clothes and things from patterns, I like to buy clothes from thrift stores or garage sales and alter them in some way.

Sometimes they turn out really great, and other times they are hideous. The beauty of thrift shopping, though, is that making a mistake isn't the end of the world. I get brave sometimes and do drastic things. Other times I just alter them for practical reasons (mainly so that they fit better).

I am 5'4", and without many curves. I have pretty much no butt or boobs to speak of (and I actually rather like my body that way!). I have loose skin on my arms and thighs from the weight loss, and I choose not to wear shorts or skirts that go above the knee.  In my upper body, I have loose skin around where my bra band sits (I need a bra that covers a large area under my armpits). 

I say all of this not to rag on myself about my body, but rather to explain that it's hard to find clothes that fit! I usually have to take in the waist of jeans and hem pants a couple of inches shorter. And when I have the patience, I like to turn a boot cut or straight cut pair of pants into a flare cut. (The flare just looks better on me.)

Anyway, for Three Things Thursday, I thought I'd share three of my most favorite alterations!

1. I don't have a "before" picture of these jeans, unfortunately. But, if you just picture them to be completely plain--no patches, no rips, no drawstring--that's what they looked liked. I was terrified to cut them up because I *really* loved the jeans, but I had fabric that I thought would look good for patches. So I added patches here and there, and I got very brave and cut a large hole in one knee (leaving the strings across) and then put a patch underneath to peak through.

The only downside to these jeans is that they are hard to find a top to match! So I don't wear them very often; when I do, though, I love them!

2. This was a totally crazy "fuck it" moment I had when I altered this dress. I bought it ages ago because I LOVED it--but it was too short for me to wear. It went down to about mid-thigh. Also, the off-the-shoulder look hasn't really been in style for a while (or maybe I'm wrong--I don't follow fashion trends, if it's not obvious, haha). I didn't want to get rid of the dress, though, because I really loved all of the black lace.

I knew I was never going to wear it as-was, so I decided to see if I could attach the shoulders to the straps. That was a huge pain--much more difficult than I thought! I liked the square neckline that I created. It didn't solve the problem with the length, however, so I decided to turn it into a shirt. I kept the length, but I gathered the hem and attached elastic to it so that it sits like a shirt would.

I love how it turned out! It was one of the more drastic alterations I've done. I don't wear it much because it's not really a "wear around the house" type top, but I'm holding onto it for when the occasion rises.

3. I saved my most favorite for last. I bought these jeans at a garage sale or a thrift store, I can't remember which. I thought they were unique because they had lace patches inside of the holes. 

They are good quality jeans--Silver brand--and the only thing I didn't love was that they were straight leg. This is what they looked like when I bought them:

They were also low-rise jeans, and I don't do well with low-rise. Without having any curves, it's hard to keep them up over my butt! Finally, they were a little short on me.

First, I added fabric to the sides to make them flare rather than have the straight leg cut. Because they were a little too short, I added the same fabric all around the bottom cuff to make it look more intentional.

And just recently, I added a second waistband in that same color. I attached the second band just on top of the first--it added height to the top, making it a mid-rise jean instead of low-rise. And now they stay up over my hips! I LOVE LOVE LOVE these jeans!

And then when you put it all together, I have this pair of very tailored jeans:

I have a couple more alterations lined up and I'm excited to work on them! :)

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Wednesday Weigh-In: Week 101

Duck was so insistent that he be included in my picture. He was being super cuddly...

I'm having a really bad day today. I just feel "off"--mentally drained, anxious, in a funk in general. I'm sure it will pass quickly, but it just plain sucks feeling like this. This morning, right when I woke up, I just felt like I had to get out of the house. I have so much on my mind and I just wanted to get away.

Since no businesses are open that early in the morning, I drove around a bit and then I had the idea to call my brother, Brian. I don't think I've ever called him out of the blue like that. I actually asked him if I could come over, but he said he thinks he might have COVID (he sounded terrible on the phone). We chatted for a little while and I felt a bit better after that. Maybe I'll go over when he's feeling better and I can catch up with him.

When I went back home, I just started cleaning. I don't know where I got the burst of energy from, but I was cleaning non-stop all morning and most of the afternoon. I have about an hour to rest (and write) and then I have to go to Eli's baseball game.

I'm so tired of Michigan weather! Maybe that's contributing to my mood. It has been SO cold and rainy. Yesterday, Eli's game was moved to a different city because the fields at his school were too flooded. It rained the whole time we were there. Today, it's been raining all day as well, so it's going to be another wet game. I'm surprised they haven't canceled or rescheduled it--I can't imagine that the fields are any better than yesterday.

It's kind of funny--I have a duffel bag in my car packed with things for all sorts of weather. Winter hats, mittens, gloves, a coat, extra shirts, extra pants, a balaclava, a blanket, and extra socks. I also have things for warm weather: t-shirts, light weight capris, a ball cap, sunglasses, and water. And, of course, umbrellas!

Anyway, onto this week's weigh-in. I didn't have a good week at all, as far as my eating goes. Jerry was off work for several days (I think four out of seven) and it's really hard not to snack at night when he's off work. We usually end up watching a show and Jerry will get chips or something--and when I see them, it's hard for me to NOT eat them. It's something I really need to work on--keeping my routine even when he's off work.

So, I wasn't surprised when my weight was up this week:

I was at 140.2. Last week, I was at 138.0, so it's quite a jump. I'm going to try to be extra diligent this week and refrain from snacking when Jerry has days off.

Another problem I've been having is chronic dehydration. I've never felt like this before! Ever since I started taking my new iron supplement that I wrote about last week, I haven't craved ice at all. And nothing else appeals to me. I drink a cup of tea in the mornings, and I force myself to have water here and there throughout the day, but I'm not having much at all.

I've been feeling bloated and just not good in general. I *know* it's from not getting enough water. This week, I'm going to make that my number one mission. I'm not even going to aim super high--I just want to drink enough to help out my digestive system. I never realized just what a big part chewing the ice played in hydrating me; I still felt thirsty, even though I was consuming the equivalent of a gallon of water every day in ice alone.

Speaking of the iron, I have noticed this week that I'm not as cold as I used to be (aside from being outside at Eli's games--but everybody who is there is freezing cold, not just me. At home, I used to always have a blanket on me; summer or winter, a blanket was a necessity. And I would sleep in a long sleeved shirt and/or hoodie and long pants.

I have actually been able to sit on the couch or on my bed without needing a blanket. I sleep in a t-shirt or I'm too hot. I still sleep in long pants, but that's because I feel hot and sticky when my bare legs press together. I used to wear a heavy sweatshirt OVER my hoodie while at home, and now I'm good with just wearing the hoodie. These are positive signs that the iron supplement is working! I could not be more excited. I just hope that it's not too good to be true. 

I told Jerry today that we get our physicals done in three months and I want to be as healthy as I can before then. I want my lab work to be even better than last year. So, I'm going to start focusing more on nutrition, like I used to last year. I always tried to get the best bang for my calorie buck with the sole purpose of making my lipid profile as healthy as possible. And this year, I'm hoping that my ferritin and Vitamin D will be better! I haven't been great about taking Vitamin D, so I am going to do my best to start taking that regularly as well. I just can take it with iron--it's hard to remember when to take them.

Anyway, I have to get ready to go to Eli's game. Hopefully it will cheer up my mood. I'm also very tired today, so it would be great if I could get a good night's sleep!

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Deep Thoughts With Jerry #14

Jerry is answering some more ice breaker questions...

What is your favorite app on your phone?

As a dad I'm inclined to say the Accuweather app. I'm always looking for weather updates and trying to stay on top of any coming storms. I actually think it really annoys Katie that I am always telling her about how much snow we are supposed to get coming up or these thunderstorms that are coming. As much as it sounds like a dad thing, though, Katie is always asking me how cold it is outside or how the weather is supposed to be for Eli's baseball games so she can layer up. "It's 45 out now with a real feel of 30. The wind gusts are up to 20. It's gonna be a cold one, Boo!"

In addition to this app, I am usually playing a mindless game just to pass the time. Currently that's WWE Supercard. It's a card collecting game based on wrestling and you just play some random people online in an overcomplicated game of "whose card is highest?".

What are your favorite social media accounts to follow?

I follow a lot of accounts that are light hearted and just good in nature. I belong to a couple of Ghostbusters fan groups on FB as well as some wrestling ones. I try to stay away from the toxic fandom groups. Star Wars groups were especially toxic after the latest movies came out. It's hard to not get sucked into an argument where you have to defend why you like what you like. Personally, if I'm going to have a debate with someone I would prefer to do it face to face and respectfully. Social media makes it too easy for users to tear each other down and make people feel small because they don't subscribe to the same hate that everyone else does. 

If you could effortlessly pick up one skill what would it be?

Learning new languages. It's intimidating learning new languages because it seems so far away from what you know. As a child you spend years learning new words and meanings, including slang. It's effortless because you're surrounded by it. Everyone around you is speaking the words you're trying to learn and you pick up on everything.

As a 42 year old American in Michigan I'm trying out Russian on Duolingo and while it seems like I'm doing good I still struggle with retaining what I've learned. Maybe I'll have to start watching movies in Russian. Just a thought that literally came to me just now. I know Friends and Ghostbusters inside and out--maybe I can watch those in Russian and go from there! 

Being able to communicate with everyone is important, at least that's how I feel. It's a start in relating to people. I'm not one of those people who feels that everyone should 'speak American'. In a lot of the world students are required to learn English in school as a second language. I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it might have something to do with business and travel. 

Katie took this picture of me doing Duolingo. She kept laughing at how excited I got when I got the questions right.

What is your morning routine like?

Well, working nights it's more of an afternoon routine. LOL

So, I wake up at 2:00pm everyday and start my coffee. During this time of year I'll turn on my MLB app on the Roku and watch condensed games from the previous night. If it's in the fall I'll put on ESPN and just follow the daily sports news.

Katie couldn't find a picture of me drinking coffee, so she made me pose for this one.

What is something you've been looking forward to doing but you haven't gotten around to it?

I have things planned out for the year that I look forward to. I have a trip up north planned with the family, a trip planned for Milwaukee to visit Rik, a trip with friends to do some disc golf on the other side of the state, and a friend's wedding in NYC. So, I have things to look forward to.

Something I haven't gotten to yet--that's a different story. Over the last year there has been some hype about this new Star Wars game, a sequel to a game I played a couple years back. I was super excited to play it recently because it just released on the 28th of April. Much to my surprise, I am unable to play it because my Xbox One is too old to play it. So, now I have to be patient and save the money to buy a whole new system. I was extremely disappointed and got stuck in my feelings for a minute. I knew this day would come because my console is almost 10 years old, I just didn't expect it now. So, I will just have to be patient, save the money, and then get it. I will have it one day, just not now. 

What is the craziest outfit you've ever worn?

I don't know why I did this but I thought it would be hilarious if I wore something outrageous for Katie's and my one year (dating) anniversary in 2000. I went to a costume shop and rented a pimp costume. Yes, you read that right. And not one of those flashy suits--it was a purple costume with a cape that was edged with white fur and black spots. Truly ridiculous and I can't believe she stayed with me after that. LOL

[Katie is trying very hard to find a picture of it.]

Is there anything you were working on that you would like to revisit?

 Yes. When I bought my Ghostbusters proton pack I found some groups on Facebook that were dedicated to modifying their pack and putting their own personal touches on it, whether it was painting it, getting the lights to work a certain way, or adding different things such as more lights and sound. In addition to this, I have the suit to go with it and I want to get back into getting that all together. Stuff like this isn't cheap, and some stuff is hard to find. But, again, as I said with the Xbox, I have to be patient and do a little at a time. It doesn't have to be all now or nothing at all. 

What was the last thing to pleasantly surprise you?

A couple weeks ago Katie bought me a surprise that she knew I would love. I enjoy all the pop culture stuff and I love that it's making somewhat of a comeback. All the stuff I had when I was a kid is now considered 'retro' or 'vintage', I don't think it's old enough to be a classic yet. Anyways, she bought me a coffee cup that I use every single day that is shaped like a green tube from Super Mario Bros. I love it!

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Jerry said that he's running out of ice breaker questions, and he thought it would be fun to answer any readers' questions that you may have. So, if you're curious about him, he said don't hold back--ask anything. He doesn't get embarrassed or offended at all! (I know it's hard to comment on my blog--sometimes I can't even do it myself!--so you can always email me: katie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com.)

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(Almost) Wordless

A packed day today--meal planning, cleaning the garage, and Eli's baseball game. Jerry and the kids are all off school/work tonight, so I'm hoping for a game or movie night.

I wrote a fun post yesterday, so I'm going to just make this an (almost) wordless post. I searched my photos for May 1st, and realized that it was exactly eight years ago that I met up with my Ragnar SoCal team in Indiana!

We ran the Ragnar in 2014, and then most of us met up a year later for a reunion at the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon. I would love to plan another reunion; seeing this picture makes me nostalgic. We had so much fun!

Bonnie, Thomas, Dean, Martha, Cat, Hilary, Paige, and me (missing Colleen, John, Tay, and Caitlin)

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