I had my first appt by myself with Dr. Daugherty today. No kids crawling on me or being loud. It was quite nice. Today’s vials revealed a sensitivity to beer and American cheese. He did some traditional adjustments and some acupressure point shocks, too. It was all very relaxing.

I picked the boys up from my parents afterwards, which immediately tensed me back up. crap.

We headed over to Poor Richard’s to meet with Shanyn and her kids for lunch, and I was very happy to see that Candy & Misha were there, too. We had the place to ourselves for a good part of the meal, which was great. Then other families started to flood in, and all of a sudden felt overcrowded. I suggested that everyone come over for an impromptu playdate.

A quick stop in the Poor Richard’s Toy Store – where I’m sorry to say i won’t be able to buy any Rokenbok stuff from because it is all at FULL retail prices – and then we all headed over to our house.

We hung out for the afternoon, until the kids started to get ornery, and Shanyn mentioned that she was going to Par Avion to pick stuff up for their New Year’s Eve dinner. Candy said she was going there, too. They both looked at me. “Well, I want to go!, ” I said. So we did.

I don’t know WHAT we were thinking. The kids were already ornery and tired. It was all we could do to shop and keep track of them. But I did get 2 kinds of salami, a loaf of ciabatta, Fontina, a Spanish cheese (which I thought was Manchego but when I got home it was Iberico?), 2 KinderEier for the kids and some Stroopwaffel for me. YUM!

On the way home, I let the boys sample the Stroopwaffel. Zander’s reaction – “Whoa! This is so awesome.” LOL!

So now I’m boiling water for mac & cheese for their dinner – by request – and waiting for Doug to come home so we can eat our yummy food!

Well, that was a cozy, lazy day.

I started with a late morning easy 2 mi run on Mesa Road.

My sister and her family came down from Lakewood, and we met at my parents house for lunch, and to give Anderson the rest of his presents (that my parents forgot to bring on Christmas Eve).

We had take out from Yakitori and a Vietnamese restaurant. Candy came by and joined us for lunch and a visit.

I coddled and cuddled Anderson. Oh, he is SO dang cute! I just love that little guy!

After my sister and her family left, the boys and I hung out there the rest of the day.

I took Zevan down for a little rest. After a while, he said, “I’m done resting” and got up. I stayed, and fell asleep. For like an hour.

Around 5 PM, we left there, stopped at the grocery store, and then headed home for dinner.

The boys went to bed. Doug and I talked about the plans for Disney, and then had some alone time

Now I’m online researching the nearest grocery store and rental car rates… FUN!

Well, I survived – 3 layers of top, two on bottom, Thorlo socks and…  toe warmers.  Yes, you stick them to your socks, put on your shoes and they keep your toes warm.

I originally stuck them to the bottom of my feet and they got too warm, and potential blister creating (the friction, not heat kind).  So I stopped after 2.7 miles and move them to the top of my socks.  Voila!  Warm toes!  Seriously!  I have to buy more of these so I can use them for stuff like the Boo at the Zoo, Parade of Lights and Electric Safari (although it’s looking doubtful that we’ll make it this year).  I got them at REI, with the GC that Megan C gave me  I also bought Body Glide with SPF, 3 packs of Clif Blok Shots, Recovery drink and bar – and a bar of Dark Chocolate Toblerone as a treat.

I was actually quite warm.  On my head, a hat with built in balaclava covering my face and neck.  On top, over my jogbra, I had a long sleeve wicking shirt, another long sleeve thicker wicking shirt over that, and a nice fleece top over that.  I actually think I could have gone with just the two top layers and been fine.  On the bottom, I had my running shorts under a pair of running pants.   Nice cushiony, thick Thorlo socks with the toe warmers

I left my iPod at my parents house on Wednesday, and when I picked it up this morning, the charge was out.  I plugged it into my car charger for 15 minutes.  When I unplugged it, it showed that it was about 2/3 charged.  Good enough.  After the first mile, it was back down to the danger red zone.  I had no idea what would happen if the iPod shut down in the middle of my workout, so I did an experiment.  First I shut off the music and only used the iPod to record the workout.  7.11 miles into the run, I ended the workout and started a new workout.  That way I would at least have a partial run recorded, rather than risk none at all.  It took a few minutes for it to let me start another workout for the remaining 6 miles, all the time letting me know that it was out of battery power.  It finally accepted the workout, and actually recorded my mileage until… about 0.72 miles before the workout was supposed to end, the iPod finally gave out.  Then I thought, I probably could have recorded my entire workout if I hadn’t wasted the energy on ending the first one and starting the second one.  But I still didn’t know if the second one would be in the iPod.

Until now.  And it is!  So I have a 7.11 mile run and a 5.28 mi run recorded, and I just missed out on recording the last 0.72 miles of the workout.  Not bad for a 15 minute charge in the car.

As a side note, I tried the Pina Colada flavor of the Clif Blok Shots I’ve been using for nutrition. Yum!

Oh! And for kicks, I tried a little bit of Chi running, and it actually made me faster – I was impressed. Now I don’t want to go and make a big change before the race at this late stage, but I am definitely going to give it a try for a few miles here and there.

HOLY CRAP.

Dear Maida,

I had hoped to write to you today with warm wishes and to share our past successes and hopes for the coming year.

Then I heard disturbing news from Colorado, where Planned Parenthood is building a new clinic.

We’ve just learned that the same kind of protesters who try to prevent Planned Parenthood from building new clinics and providing health care at existing clinics across the country have taken things an alarming step further: They are now marching and carrying signs outside the homes of the construction and security workers who are building our new clinic — now, as in during the holidays.

The people we serve count on Planned Parenthood. They count on us for affordable birth control, for accurate sex education, for health care, for so much that many of them just can’t get elsewhere. The fact that so many count on us is why I get up every day, and why I am willing to stand up to people like the anti-choice contingent in Colorado, the groups that badgered local officials to try to shut down our new health center in Aurora, Illinois, or the “40 Days for Life” protesters who picketed clinics across the country this fall.

Planned Parenthood means…

… opening doors in communities that may have no other options available for low-income families seeking health care …

… providing a place to turn when a young person needs information or health services …

… giving millions of low-income women access to affordable birth control …

Everywhere I go, I hear the stories of what Planned Parenthood’s services have meant to people. And when our clinics are the only source of family planning and reproductive health care for so many of the women and families we serve — the importance of your continued support cannot be overstated.

On behalf of our staff, our volunteers, and every person we serve — I thank you for standing with us today and every day.

Best wishes to you and yours for a healthy and safe New Year,

Cecile Richards
President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

I just got this email today and I am just appalled. Planned Parenthood was the only way I could afford annual exams and birth control when I was in my 20s. Yes, some facilities perform abortions, but they do *SO MUCH* more than that.

I’m pro-choice, and while I don’t think that abortion is the best choice, it’s not up to me to decide for someone else.

But, why would they do this to these families of the construction and security workers – during the holidays?! I mean, C’MON! Don’t they have anything better to do? Like spend time with their families, feeling the love?

Why can’t they do something constructive instead of spreading negativity and unkindness?

Okay, I need to get to bed. I did go climbing tonight – which felt pretty good, except that my bouldering wasn’t as good as it was last week. Not sure what was up with that. I kept falling off where I normally wouldn’t. I don’t know if it was because I was distracted or what?

I climbed for about 40 minutes. Then I just drove around trying to figure out what to do. I ended up at REI, and used the gift certificate that Megan C gave me for my birthday. I got some nutrition and Body Glide for the marathon. They had Pina Colada flavored Clif Blok Shots, which I am going to try out tomorrow for my half marathon run. I also picked up a bar of dark chocolate Toblerone AND some toe warmers to wear in my shoes for my run tomorrow. It’s going to be COLD! I have not been able to stay warm for the past 2 days, and I’m nervous about my run tomorrow, but I MUST do it.

Well, crap.  I didn’t run my workout yesterday.    I ran out of time before our appt with Dr. Daugherty to do the whole workout, so I told myself I would do it at 3 PM instead, and it was too cold, and I was doing other things, and I didn’t get my ass out there.

I’ve got a 11-14 miler tomorrow – I’m thinking MAYBE I’ll do a half marathon distance tomorrow 13.1 mi.  So I’m trying not to sweat the fact that I missed one run in my first taper week.

And trying not to panic that I have 17 days until the marathon.   

I’ve been eating pasta with meat sauce every night since Sunday.  And eating the desserts that my sister sent home with me.  Coconut cake – gone.  Flan – only one piece left.  I read that people often gain up to 5 lbs during the taper because we cut down running drastically to rest before the race, but still eat as though we were running longer distances.   

My focus is the marathon.  THEN I will focus on losing weight.  AFTER we get back from Disney.

I’m going to go climbing tonight, which I love, so I hope that will give me a pick me up.

So we had our 3rd NAET treatment with Dr. Daugherty today. I mentioned that I had a sinus issue, and he tested me, and sure enough, the sinusitis vial was a trigger for me. He said, “I love it when my patients are right.”

Zevan was clean today – he didn’t need to be treated for additional allergens/sensitivities. Zander only had 2 today – some obscure spores. I had the sinusitus, even more obscure spores, plus a few other items to be treated for. He also gave me an adjustment to help with the headaches, and I have to say that I feel MUCH better than I have felt since Friday.

So the boys are off the hook until spring for allergy treatments. I have one more appt in 2007 – on Monday – and it will be just me.