2010 in Review

I have no reason to include this photo in this particular post other than his awesomeness.

2010 was a year of change for me, and some of it has been really, really good.

We got our butts moving and made the change to a more healthy lifestyle, including a gradual switch to using more organic products than not.  We’ve been really successful with this one.  I’ve managed to lose and maintain the loss of 5o pounds, and I’m currently training for a triathlon.  I now swim, bike, and run at least 5 days of every week.  More importantly, we feel a lot better.  After detoxing our bodies from so many of the chemicals and preservatives, we really notice the difference if we try to go back to some of those foods.  I am so much stronger physically, and more emotionally even and balanced, than I was at this time last year.

We’ve started to make a financial paradigm shift in our household and so far it’s been reasonably successful.  We’ve cut out things like cable and a land line telephone that we don’t need and hardly used anyway.  Making the shift to organic foods and household products is definitely more expensive for us, but we have also worked to reduce waste.  We use up leftovers as much as possible, and try to buy only the produce we think we’ll use because that’s the biggest waste offender in our house.  It spoils so fast!  The other counterpoint to the cost of organic eating is the savings we make because we are less willing to eat out since we’re now at the point where we notice that the difference in how we feel is directly linked to how we eat.

While I didn’t stick with my Project 365 because I just couldn’t do that and the new fitness program, I do think I’ve made some improvements in my photography skills.  I still have a long way to go, but it’s something I really enjoy and I don’t mind putting in the work.

I had to have my knee fixed after I tore it trying to be all Billy Blanks with the kickboxing.  It’s all better now and I’ve learned that I have to keep it moving and stretched a lot or it starts to get angry again.  Who knew I’d have a Jillian Michaels knee that screamed at me every time I blew off exercise after knee surgery?  If you did know and didn’t tell me, you’re dead to me for FIVE WHOLE MINUTES!

We had a “homemade” Christmas this year with my family, and it was a lot of fun.  It will be even better next year because we didn’t give ourselves much of a head start this year.  Overall it was a great experience and one I hope we continue.  I love the idea of putting thought and effort into something that you make with your hands to give to those you love.  More on this later, including pictures.

There have been friends who have chosen to exit my life this year, and new friends that have warmed my heart with their generosity of love.  It’s always sad when people decide to distance themselves from you, even moreso when you don’t know why, but I do feel incredibly blessed in the friends that I have.  I am not someone who makes friends easily because I find it really difficult to open up to people, so I am especially grateful to have such great girlfriends who have really been there for me in some of my darkest times this year.  The magic of the internet has introduced me to so many wonderful people that I can’t name you all, but I hope you know who you are and how much you are loved.

What’s in Store for 2011?

I don’t do resolutions, I just set goals.  To me that seems different somehow and less destined for failure.

We will continue on our healthy path.  I’d like to lose another 50 lbs, but more importantly I want to feel like an athlete.  I want to finish a triathlon.  I want it so much I don’t think I can explain it, or even why except that I like to challenge myself with things that are hard and, for me, a sprint distance triathlon is hard.  I will move onward and upward from there.  I’d also like to participate in some road races this year – definitely a few 5K races but I want to move on up to 10K pretty soon.  It will take work, but I think I can do it as long as my  crankenknee holds out.

I’m also going to continue to work on my photography skills.  I really love it, and it suits me more than other modes of artistic expression I’ve taken on in the past.  It fits into my lifestyle better.  Cakes take over my whole world – figuratively and literally – when I work on them, so while I love making them for people I love they are a huge undertaking when you are working on them from a very small home kitchen.

I’m attending BlogHer ’11!  I am stepping way outside my comfort zone but I feel pretty good about it, especially since I get to spend time with my childhood best friend.  Neither one of us is going to tell you how long ago that was.  If you’re going I hope you don’t mind if I attach myself to your leg so I’m not awkwardly trying to look all nonchalant.  Because I totally will not be.  Nonchalant, that is.

I will do more sewing this year.  I enjoyed using my sewing machine to make gifts this year and I want to use it more.  I need to be comfortable enough that the enjoyment starts to outweigh the frustration, because right now it’s too far in the opposite direction.

This space is going to get a total makeover, maybe even including an new URL (don’t worry I will notify you well in advance!) because I have completely outgrown the floatingprincess/princess buttercream persona and I’m ready for some change.  I just have no idea what that is yet, so stay tuned.

There are more changes coming our way this year, because what is life without change?  I’d much rather slap 2011 on the ass on 12/31 and say what a great ride it was than float along the status quo.

Have a happy New Year everyone!

This has been a year of changes. Some of it has been really hard, but all of it has made me thankful for what I have. My life is pretty darn good, and I have a lot to be thankful for.

I am thankful for the love in my life.  I am so lucky to have found the one person in the world that totally gets me. He supports every single harebrained scheme I cook up, he’s not afraid to do the hard things, and he’s there for me no. matter. what.  There have been some bumps in the road, especially in the beginning trying to work out that blended family thing, but he’s willing to put in the work that makes us stronger every year.

I am thankful for my son. He’s grown into an intelligent, open-minded, caring adult who judges people not by the labels they wear, the color of their skin, or whom they choose to love, but by character alone. I am exceedingly proud of him.

I am thankful for my family.  We are few, and we are spread far between across the country, but we are family. I love you all.

I am thankful that I have my home, and that it’s warm and dry. I may be horrifyingly upside down right now because Nevada was hit especially hard when the housing bubble burst, but those are the risks you take when you buy a house. It won’t be this way forever.

I am thankful for my job. Nevada has 14.2% unemployment, but the construction industry that I work in has a much higher rate. All year long I’ve watched businesses close and friends lose their jobs. Each time it breaks my heart because jobs for these people are very few and far between. I feel incredibly lucky to be where I am, and to work with the amazing group of people I that I do.

I am especially thankful for my friends. You are all so incredibly special to me and I feel very lucky.  I have the kind of friends that cheer my successes, give me the butt kicking I need, and hold my head when I cry.  You are spread out in different parts of this country and in Canada, and yet I feel like you’re right here with me all the time. Thank you for blessing me with your love.

I never said I was a patient person.

Ok, this recovery thing is bullshit. I’m just going to put that out there.  Bullshit.

I went back to running.  The doctor said to ease into running.  Like walk some, run some, walk more than you run, use a treadmill to be safer.

So I started the Couch to 10K program.

At week four.

Which, in case you were wondering, happens to fit the criteria of walking some/running some, and walking more than running.  It just also happens to last 62 minutes and have 11 intervals of running.

My knee swelled up like a balloon.  And made crunchy/poppy noises.

Oops.

I know I said I had lost my need to be competitive.

That was a lie.  Only, to be fair, I didn’t realize it was a lie at the time.  I really thought I’d had a personal growth moment.

It turns out it’s a lot easier to be all personally grown and mature when you’re not actually being tested with things that make your competitive crazy switch flip into overdrive.  Who knew.

See, here’s what happened.  Some of us at work committed to do the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey.  There are those of us on the team who already are runners, and a few who aren’t.  One of my co-workers is starting from scratch and I suggested the Couch to 5K program for her.  She went online and found the Couch to 10K and, thinking more is always better, she got started.  Yay!  Right?

Except she got started before I was released to run and the whole time she’s been training the devil in my head is screaming SHE’S GETTING AHEAD OF YOU!!

Which is why it seemed perfectly rational that starting at week 4 of the C210K wouldn’t be a bad idea.  I am, after all, an experienced runner.  Who had knee surgery six weeks ago.

And you want to know the bad part?  The this is where I might need therapy part?

Even after my body’s response to doing stupid shit kicked in and gave me pain so I wouldn’t forget next time, I am having a really hard time backing off the training BECAUSE SHE’S GOING TO GET AHEAD OF ME.

I don’t think you understand the level of crazy here.

Never mind that she wasn’t a runner before so she doesn’t have old injuries and new injuries to deal with.

Never mind that she’s cough10cough years younger than I am.

None of that matters.  Running is my thing.  It’s what I love.  I can accept that there are people who are a lot better at it than I am.  My husband can run uphill for days with a 50 lb weight vest strapped to his chest while eating a sandwich and I accepted that.  Ok, I accepted it as long as he never runs with me again, but I accepted it.

I don’t know where this need to compete comes from but I appear to be completely incapable of accepting my limitations and taking it easy.  Does it matter in the grand scheme of things if she ends up finishing a 10K before me?  No.

It doesn’t.

It really doesn’t.

But don’t talk to me about her doing it faster than me.  We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

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Pee Ess: Tonight I backed way off, all the way back to the Couch to 5K program, and while it wasn’t perfect it was better. I’m really not crazy or self-destructive, so please don’t think I’m going to be reckless just because I’m impatient.

Winter is not a good time for me.  I can feel it coming and the urge to crawl in my cave is almost overwhelming.  It seems like I withdraw from everything as soon as the weather turns cooler, just hunker down and wait for the warmth to come again.  Maybe I should just move somewhere warmer, but I have moved so many times in my life that I just don’t want to do that anymore.

This winter I have a lot to do, so I’m hoping it goes by faster.  First, I have triathlon training to get on with.  If you’ve known me for any length of time whatsoever you know that I can be a bit obsessive about things, and this triathlon path I’m on is no different.  I have to be obsessive about it this time though, because the training is kind of a big deal and I’m a little intimidated, I’m not gonna lie.  I haven’t actually registered for a race yet, but I have my eye on one in Sacramento in June.  It just depends because there is this other thing…

A couple of people at work got this harebrained idea to get a team together for the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey.  Now before a couple of you start thinking I might be the harebrained one this was not my idea.  I am smart enough to have a healthy amount of fear when you’re talking about a 178-mile long relay race with an almost 2,500 foot altitude climb and descent over an 18 to 40 hour period of time and only 12 team members to complete it.  I am not smart enough, it turns out, to say no when asked to be one of the 12 runners trekking from Reno to Tahoe to Carson and Virginia City and back to Reno.  Since each runner has to run three legs each, and each leg is a minimum of 3 miles (and a max of 8), I need to be able to run at least 6 miles at a go to feel anywhere near comfortable that I will be able to complete my end of this lunacy.  Guess who is going to be running all winter long?

So I haven’t committed to a triathlon date because the Odyssey is June 3-4, and I’m not sure how big of a space I should have between events.  Any advice?

The other thing we have going this winter is Christmas.  Every year Christmas seems like a mad consumerist scramble to fill out everyone’s list.  Except if you’re like me, you only made the list because other people made you make it so they would have an idea of what to give you, even though you would be happy with just the family getting together to be merry and all that.  This year my husband had the idea to have a Little House on the Prairie style Christmas where the gifts have to be hand-made.  Hand-made by us, more specifically.  No craft fairs allowed.  I’m really excited about this because I love making things, and I love giving things I’ve made to other people.  It seems so much more personal.  I do wish we had come up with this idea earlier, but it’s still going to be a lot of fun.

Hopefully all of these grand plans get me at least most of the way through winter without becoming a cranky despondent hermit (yes it really is that bad).  What about you?  Does winter turn your crank or make you cranky?  What do you do to get yourself through the long, cold darkness?

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Totally only Somewhat Related Aside:  My WordPress for iPhone app shit the bed so responding to comments is a little more difficult right now until I get it fixed or find an alternative.  I may only open my laptop once or twice a week lately, so please don’t think I don’t love you if I take too long to respond.  Spanks for understanding.

I’m over here today! Come see my funky shoes!

Yesterday I was at No More Muffintop talking crazy talk about Triathlons.

I wrote a post trying to be all metaphoric and still tell you everything going on in my life without actually telling you because most of the things going on in and around my life aren’t mine to tell, but then it was a worthless pile of flowery crap in which I was the sun and everyone else was a planet revolving around me (because obviously) and I pitched it.  You’re welcome.

Let’s just say that no corner of my life seems to be sacred lately, except work which is swimming along just fine thankfully.

Instead?  Snippets!

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I’m having knee surgery next Wednesday, which is the same day my first post at Buy-Her goes live.  Since I will be unconscious please to take yourselves over there and check it out.  I plan on being high all day, so I’m hoping to get links tweeted but who knows – I could be sending you to Timbuktu depending on the quality of my drugs.

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How bad is it that I’ve waited until after my knee surgery to cancel the cable?  I know I could use Hulu and all of the other online viewing options and it would be fine.  I’m pretty sure I’m using my upcoming couch time as a delaying tactic, which is dumb because I’m the one that wanted to do this in the first place.

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I have another backjack.  I swear, all I was doing was sitting on my bed and whammo, it felt like I got hit with a 2×4.  It’s not a bad one, but I didn’t need this right now.  Of course who wakes up in the morning and says, “You know what would make this day perfect?  A backjack.” but four days before something else is going to hurt also is less than ideal.   The funny part?  Jason was doing yoga on the floor in front of me and his back popped loudly and I almost threw a pillow at him for showing off.  I was so jealous of that pop!  It will take mine several days to calm down enough that I can pop it back into place, but at least I’ve reached the point in this ongoing back saga that I can usually get it to go back by myself.

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Since I was actually told to keep my activities low-impact until after the fixing and the PT, I decided to try water aerobics.  I didn’t know I was signing up for such an adventure!  First there was the joy of finding a swimming suit, which is never fun no matter what size you are.  I didn’t make a very good choice, but I didn’t really understand that at the time. The suit that fit me the best was a little low in the front, which would have been fine for regular splashing around at the beach or trying to get some sun.  However, water aerobics often requires you to shoot straight out of the water with a bit of force, which, when you’ve made an unfortunate swimming suit choice and you’re large in the top department, can induce near-miss wardrobe malfunctions.  The girls were scared that they were going to be all out in public.

Also, I didn’t realize that my feet were such delicate princesses but after two classes I’m sporting band-aids on my big toes because they’ve been exfoliated down to maybe having one layer of skin left.  They look like they’ve been chewed on by puppies.

The class itself was fun, although not nearly as strenuous as I would have liked.  I had a hard time staying away from one girl who didn’t really know where her personal space was in relation to those around her, so I spent a lot of time just avoiding her.  Still, I love being in the water and it’s a good option for now.  I just have to go shopping again for a more appropriate suit and some water shoes.  This is way more complicated than I thought.

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That’s all folks!  What’s new with you?

So today was the Big Day.

Despite my fears, the actual procedure was a walk in the park – I have vague recollections of something, but nothing clear, and already even the vague thought has faded. Prior to the main event they had me all hooked up to monitors and IV’s, and I could literally watch my blood pressure rise by the minute I was so nervous, but it ended up being a nice nap after being up most of the night before with operation Flush the System and I woke up in recovery when it was all done.

The day before though? I’d love to erase that from my memory.

Let’s just say that I’m very glad I won’t be doing that again anytime soon and it has nothing to do with my fear of fasting. The potion they make you drink that will clean you out like Liquid Plumber has been sent directly from the bowels (haha) of hell. I fired up the Googler to find ways to make it go down easier because there’s a gallon of the devil liquid and it doesn’t like to go quietly.

Colonoscopy Tip #1: Get the Elixir of Evil as cold as humanly possible without actually freezing it and chug it. A little brain freeze is better than instant bodily rejection. Also? Mary Poppins was right – A spoonful of sugar, or in this case Crystal Light, really does help make the medicine go down.

I did learn, during my hours of quality bathroom time, that if there is nothing for it to mix with except clear liquids, green Jello comes out the very same color it goes in. This was knowledge I did not have before my grand adventure with alien probes, so I’m chalking the whole thing up as a learning experience.

Colonoscopy Tip #2: when they tell you no red or purple liquids, take my advice and avoid green as well. The shock just isn’t worth it.

Oh, and you totally know I weighed myself this morning because I wanted to know just how full of it I usually am, and it turns out exactly two pounds worth.

And thus ends the TMI section of our program.

Note: I wrote this yesterday but hesitated to publish because of the yuck factor. Who really wants to hear about my experience with the colonoscopy? But then I realized that it’s because no one initiates these conversations that we’re afraid of this kind of thing. The more we bring the scarier but necessary parts of life into the open, the less we fear them. At some point everyone goes through this, and if I can reassure one person that the actual doing of the thing isn’t nearly as bad as they were thinking I’m ok with a little ewwwieness here.

Tuesday I have to have a colonoscopy.

This post could end right there and I think you would still understand exactly how I feel about that. I don’t know of a single person that says “Colonoscopy! Wooo!” The colonoscopy cringe factor is pretty universal.

Before you ask, I am perfectly 100% healthy, I just have a very slight issue. An issue that, in my book, doesn’t warrant a colonoscopy because in MY book, the book of everything reasonable and sane, nothing short of a kidney falling out of your ass warrants anyone putting anything…there.

But if I were being completely honest, while the idea of the whole procedure doesn’t make me do backflips, it’s the prep I’m dreading the most.

I have to essentially fast for 24 hours.

Anyone who knows me knows I have food issues. The idea of only having clear liquids for an entire day does weird things to my head. It’s not that I think it’s going to be that terrible, it’s just, you know – I can’t even describe it.

I’ve joked with my husband that I must have starved to death in a previous life because the thought of no food freaks me out so much. I can’t stand it when the fridge starts looking too bare. He can, and does, fast for days at a time. I can’t even wrap my mind around that, which I guess is entirely the point of that kind of fast – wrapping your mind around it.

So Monday I will be wrapping my mind around it. There will be Jello and clear liquids and I don’t know how this is going to go, but we’re going to find out.

We’re not going to talk about Tuesday just yet. Just be glad they’re going to sedate me or I’d live-tweet the whole thing. I’m not even kidding.

Hey I’m over here today talking about kicking butts.  Come check it out!

I’m on vacation, bitches!

It’s been a long time since I took more than a long weekend for vacation that didn’t involve knocking me out and crutches, so this week I said screw it I’m taking some time for me.  Hubs is working out of town and the boy is hardly ever home anymore now that he has wheels and a debit card.  It was the perfect time for some real alone time, which for me never happens.  Like in 20 years, it’s never happened.

I had all these grandiose plans of things I could do like a really thorough spring cleaning, painting the hallway and living room because I’m tired of the color, or a lot of yard cleanup that needs to happen.

Who was I kidding?  This is me we’re talking about.  While my house is not cluttered or dirty (dusty does NOT count as dirty), it’s not a candidate for the white glove treatment either.  I am not June Cleaver, and no amount of free time is going to turn me into her.  It’s just not a priority for me, and I can think of 1.000 things that would be better uses of my time.

What did I do instead?

Ok, I cleaned a little.  But only my drawers and a little of the closet. Things were getting entirely out of hand in there and I needed to cull the herd of holey underwear.

I bought a bike.

I’ve been running, but my knees reminded me that while I’ve lost some weight, it’s not nearly enough for them to be happy with being the bearer of high-impact me.  I remembered that I weighed about 20 – 25 lbs less than I do now when I started running the last time, so I need to be patient and wait.

A friend let me borrow his wife’s bike and we went on a ride together to see what I thought, and I loved it.  My hooch didn’t love it, it was angry for days and normally I wouldn’t be ok with that.  But riding that bike was fun.  And it got me moving outside, which is really important to me.  I am a summer girl and the thought of spending my summer fitness time in the garage on my elliptical just about made me cry.  I need to be outside because I don’t know if you noticed, but that winter lasted forever.

So I researched and shopped and sat on bikes and I finally picked one I liked and I brought her home and called her George.  Well not George, she doesn’t really have a name yet except Bike.  Bike and I have had two rides now, and I can tell you we are officially an item.

I discovered the Runmeter app for iPhone, and Bike and I have used it to track our rides.  I didn’t know when I first used it that you can set it for different activities, so the results say “run” when they should have said “cycle.”  But you get the idea.  I am in love with this app!  No more need to covet a chunky Garmin wrist GPS for running, I can just use the app.  It stores all of your past runs/rides so you can compare notes on past rides.  I haven’t tried it, but you’re also supposed to be able to run the iPod at the same time this runs in the background.

Yesterday I took a drive up to Tahoe.  My original intent was to spend the day photographing the lake, but it was kind of cold and windy up there and I found I was just really enjoying the drive.  I never get to drive up there because it’s pretty twisty and hubs gets sick if he doesn’t drive.

It was a beautiful day, if you were inside a warm car.  I drove for hours and just listened to music and chilled.  I love a good drive.  I did discover that you can get from the top of Spooner Summit to the bottom in just about the time it takes for Iron Man to play if you aren’t afraid of going fast on the curves and you have to pee really, really bad.  Thankfully the highway patrol was busy with someone else when I blew past him.

I still have tomorrow by myself and then it’s a regular weekend.  This time has been good.  I really needed it and even though I haven’t done anything really exciting, I’ve done exactly what I wanted to do at the time.  That’s pretty awesome by itself.