Looking forward

I was off yesterday and today. Yesterday I did some repair work around the house and some yard work, met Terri for lunch and then a little shopping. Last night we went and did some new running shoe shopping. Mine are on order...boo.

Today did a 8.8 mile run. It was hot but good to get out there.
Came home and finished packing for the weekend. Yours truly is honored to accompany my great nephew on his first family boy scout camping!! I am super excited. Nature and quality time with Conner.

I leave you with some pics from my run

First is a heron I think, along the river I was running

Next is my new compression sleeves. Jury still out on them.

Last but not least, I think this will be my new running fuel addiction. Honey Stinger gummies. Pink Lemonade flavor!!

Tuesday Tidbits

Had a blast this past weekend with backpacking. It was fun spending time with my brother Bryan, nephew Devon and his girlfriend Sam and my backpacking buddy Lori. The weather was great and sunny. Would have liked to hike more but my brother was new to it and not acclimated to it quite yet. Hoping for more trips this year.

 Me acting silly

 The gang around our campfire

A trail we hiked


The Friday before backpacking  Terri and I went on a bike ride. It was late but we had fun. Not many on the trail.

Missed my long run on Sunday with backpacking. Did a nice 6 miles this morning and was gifted with a beautiful sight on my route. It was at the Goodyear Metro Park that I run through the parking lot. It was so breathtaking. The picture does not even do it justice.

Dealing with some emotional junk in regards to my mother and expectations that I have and continually get disappointed. I need to not be so passive with her and be more assertive and learn to set stronger boundaries.

On a happy note, I am excited for this coming weekend. I will be taking my great nephew Conner on his first Boy Scout Family camp out. He had a choice of sleeping in the lodge or out in a tent. He chose a tent. I am excited to spend quality time with him and bond more and also share my love of camping with him.

I swear it jumped up at me

Yes, I swear the sidewalk jumped up at me this morning.
I finally bit the sidewalk this am and scraped my palms and a little road rash to right knee. All in all I came out good but my pride was hurt. I will survive. And this is why I don't like running on Akron sidewalks, such poor condition but I was on them this morning with the heavy car traffic.

I got my package from Manna Organics that I won from the giveaway from Laima from Women's endurance gear. I received 4 packages. 2 of trail mix and 2 of tropical mix. At first I was shocked with the rawness of it and it was refreshing. I am used to the sugary mix of trail mix or gorps. I really like this. In fact it is packed and ready for my backpacking trip this weekend. Thank you Laima

Preparing for a small backpacking trip this weekend to Raccoon Creek State Park. It will be a little different. Taking my brother and my nephews girlfriend for the first time. My friend Lori and my nephew have been before. So to not overwhelm them we might pack in about 2-3 miles, arrive at shelter, drop packs and daypack for the day. It will just be nice getting out into nature and it is supposed to be beautiful. High 70's and sunny with low 50's overnight

Pics to come after trip.

Happy Mother's Day to all who have children- human and fur kids!

A little about me

Felt like doing a meme post today

Stolen fromTaryn in Crazyland

The last time you felt honestly broken?  Wow I would say many eons ago when I was going through a bad depression

Would you rather have ten kids, or none? None. I don't think I was meant to have human kids. Instead I have 4 legged fur kids.

What’s on your mind right now? My massage tonight

Are you there for your friends? I try to be, sometimes I wonder if I am not so good at it.

Last person to see you cry? Terri .

What do you do when you get nervous? Putz- I clean, do things, can't sit down, oh and I lose my appetite.

Be honest, do you like people in general? Yes, but sometimes certain people can be aggravating.

How old do you think you will be when you finally have kids? I won't be having kids. No more plumbing for that.

Does anyone completely understand you? No sure if anyone can fully understand another person.

Do you have a reason to smile right now?  Yes the new kitty is sleeping with his tongue sticking out...so cute.

Has anyone told you they don’t ever wanna lose you? Yes

Would you be happier if life had a rewind button? No, there are certain things I needed to learn and go through.

Do you tell your mom or dad everything? Heck NO!.

Are you going to get hurt anytime soon by someone? I better not.

This time last year, can you remember who you liked? Yes, because I'm still with her.

Do you think more about the past, present, or future? Mostly the present and sometimes past and future.

How many hours of sleep do you get a night? Depends anywhere from 5-7hrs

Are you easy to get along with? I think I am. I think others would say that too.

Do you hate the last girl you had a conversation with? No, I love my backpacking buddy Lori!

Do you like the rain? Yes, it is refreshing

Do you think someone is thinking about you right now? I don't know, doubt it.

Have you ever done something you told yourself you wouldn’t do? Ummm yes. But I have been much last several years .

Who were you last in the car with, besides family? My girlfriend Terri .

What’s the last movie you saw in theaters and with who? The Hunger Games , and I loved it

Have you ever been hurt by someone you never thought would hurt you? Yes.

Do you regret a past relationship? I try to live with no regrets, just lessons.

Do you care too much about your appearance? Maybe, not as much as others. I tend to be more relaxed about my appearance. Not to the point of stinky or sloppy but more casual or earthy?

Are you a jealous person? No. Have I felt jealous in the past yes, but it is what you do with those feelings that count.

Do you miss anyone? Yes, my grandparents that have passed on.

 
Have you ever been cheated on? Yes, unfortunately.

Ever given your all to someone who walked away? Unfortunately yes. It hurt like hell. Many lessons learned from that.

Who was the last person you had a serious conversation with? Terri.

Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to? No

What is your current mood?  Mellow

Anything happen to you within the past month that made you really happy? Lets see, The Hunger Games, signing up for my first half marathon and being asked to take my great nephew Conner to his first Boyscout Campout

Whirlwind

The last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind , at least it feels like it.
I thought my gallbladder was acting up and the doctor sent me for an ultrasound, turned out the gallbladder was normal but an abnormality on my left kidney. Fear set in..(nurses know to much ). I was sent for an CT of my abdomen. Within 2 hrs of my CT the doctors office called and it wasn't the kidney but multiple cysts on my ovary and the set me up to see the gyn doctor..the next day. Ok now more fear has set in. I saw my gyn who was not overly concerned and we will watch and monitor. Whew.....emotional roller coaster has come to a stop.
Almost 3 weeks ago a stray cat started hanging around our patio. He looked like out CG cat but more mountain lion features. He was lovable and scared. He had been someones cat previously because he was declawed and neutered. He was hungry and looked dehydrated. We started to water and feed him but ultimately he needed a home. Have cats already we were leery of bringing in another, so my friend offered to take him. Short story short he is back with us due to allergies with my friend. He is now inside with us and the house of cats is in a little adjustment period with the hierarchy of cats taking place.
We have a trip to the vet to have him checked out.
Here is a cute pic of him

Running was on a back burner for a bit during my medical scares, even though I did some runs to clear my head. Need to get back into my groove.

It's official!

I have signed up for my first Half Marathon!!!
I was going to run the Akron Half Marathon this coming Sept, but after looking at the course map, I decided against it. Akron is not a small city, so I am not sure why the 1/2 course takes you over the same area 4 times. It just was not sitting right with me. Terri told me if it is not going to be fun for my first one, don't do it.
So the search began for another half to run. I was sure I didn't want to do one real soon and May and we have a cruise in Oct to work around. I found the Air Force Marathon in Dayton , but I saw how big it was and just did not want to get swallowed up in the crowd on my first half.
I decided on Erie Marathon in Presque Isle Pa. It is a very scenic course on the island and with Lake Erie as the backdrop. It is not a large race so that is nice for me(calms my anxiety). I made it official last night and signed up!!
I am excited, nervous, excited and nervous.
We are going to make it a weekend getaway . Terri and a friend Moni will be along as my support and my cheerleaders!!!
We found a quaint little motel to stay at. A mom and pop run place. Looks unique.

Last weekend , I think I overdid it. On Friday I ran 5 miles, Sat we took the bikes out for their first trip and did 10 miles. Sunday I ran 10 miles and then we biked later for 7 miles.
Needless to say I have not run yet again this week. Besides feeling like I overdid it, I am either having gallbladder issues or intestinal issues. Ultrasound done yesterday to see if it is gallbladder. Doc says I am at that age and with the weight loss, puts me at risk.

Here are some pics from last weekend biking

Terri, Dave and I

The Towpath we biked

 The Cuyahoga River along the towpath.

Me- just Jen

Tidbits

-OMG,  I am in heaven. I won the Larabar giveaway hosted by Holly at http://thepioneerapron.blogspot.com/
I won the flavors Cherry pie and Peanut butter cookie. I have only tried the Cherry pie and I am in love already . It was  so good and tasted like a real tart cherry pie. Thank you again Holly and Larabar.

-I did the Jelly Bean Virtual 10k and 5k. This was the first time I have done virtual races and I must say it was fun. I did my 10k on Sunday 4/1 and ended up with a new PR of 57:48. The weather was perfect and it just felt like a good run. I ended up running the 5k this am with another PR of 27:42.  I am so proud of myself and the progress that I have made. Thank you Jess for the Jelly Bean race!

-Just wanted to share some wonderful pictures of our fur babies. Are they not the cutest!

Pitter Cat

CG(curious George)

CG

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