Happy 2008!

What a year 2007 has been... A year ago I was feeling pretty miserable... about a lot of things. Of course I feel like my knee issues were at the root of that... but still... I was not a happy person... and I was in pain. This New Years... well... I am happy to look forward to a new year... I feel like there are going to be a lot of good things in 2008... I have spent a lot of time thinking the last few days about it all... though you wouldn't know it from the lack of blogging. (Which I apologize for...my mom said I am going to lose my audience...)

PLus I have been busy... I had my first meet on Saturday... and I am glad it is out of the way.. the kids did ok.. but I was disappointed in their performances.. I know they can do better, but.. it is a starting point. Hopefully nerves got to them and that won't happen again. Also, a friend of mine from CA is visiting and I haven't wanted to be online...for fear of being a rude hostess. Unfortunately he has been a bit under the weather and is resting right now so that he can be a good sport and still go out tonight. I am going out with some friends, there will be 6 or 7 of us. Sara and Phil invited us up to their house to party with them and Matt and Melissa to play board games AND Guitar Hero... which by the way... I should nEVER buy because I would become addicted... and quickly! I played it at my sister's house and there is no way I would be good at sharing that game... though I would quickly become a rock star...if even in my own mind.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah.. I almost forgot to tell you all...
It's a GIRL. Sheldon went to the vet last week to find out what all the howling was about... and well... HE.. is not a he... he is a SHE... and has come into heat... (will be having surgery on Thursday!) So... I need to come up with a new name... for this cat.. who is so affectionate...Today I watched the movie Little Misss Sunshine and LOVE the spirit of the little girl in that movie... her name is Olive... so I am thinking about that name... it is a bit odd... but so are the circunstances surrounding this cat. THe vet suggested calling her Shelly because it is close to Sheldon.. BUT.. I have a bad association with the name Shelly. I am not sure how I will ever name a child.. if I ever have one... maybe from being a teacher I have known so may kids with so many names.. and have associations with many names... some good associations.. some not so good. Oh well.

I will continue blogging my friends... and I know I have said it before, but I truly truly truly appreciate the support I have gotten from you all over the last year. I promise to read my emails soon...(haven't read them for about two weeks...) and I will write back.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you all a healthy and happy 2008! And for my fellow PVNS patients... sufferers... don't give up your hope... I know this time of year can be hard on its own... and coupled with physical pain... well... it can seem unbearable... but you can make it through! Reach out to people.. and you will get support!

I'm Baaaaack!

Aren't you excited? I had a good Christmas. It was nice to be with my parents, my sister, her hubby, and her sons.... the boys were SOOOOO incredibly excited about Santa... especially when they actually heard Santa's bells AND caught a glimpse of Rudolph's nose out of their skylights.... I saw them and heard them too... so... there's the proof... Santa DOES exist!

My knee was a little stiff most of the trip... especially yesterday and today...(we drve back last night and it took longer than usual because of traffic. But I am ok. I had planned on making it to the gym today... didn't happen. I went to practice this morning and am tired. very tired. I haven't gotten much sleep over the last few nights... but hoping to go to bed early tonight and get a little caught up on sleep.

Plus... one of my cats... Sheldon... has to go to the vet tomorrow... he... may be a SHE.... he has been acting like a female cat in heat.... though the shelter where I adopted him from claimed he had been fixed....that shelter promised me that they would pay for any health stuff with him because he has some physical disabilities and I was reluctant to bring him home knowing there may be additional costs... but they wanted him to have a home so badly that they said they would take care of his medical bills... not the routine stuff... but if things out of the ordinary came up... I would say this qualifies as out of the ordinary.

So... if Sheldon is a she..... there may be a name change in his/her future.... What do you think about Ru-paul?

I will write more soon, I promis, but tonight I am heading to bed early... and hopefully Rupaul will stop the crying!!! (Last night it wasn't too bad... but that's because I had him in a cat carrier in my room...)

Hibachi??

I went to a hibachi restaurant with friends tonight. I love those kinds of places... entertaining and delicious. (This was a sushi place too, but also hibachi.) There were 5 of us in our party and it was a good time. I was the only one in the crew who was comfortable with chopsticks... however I challenged my friends to use only chop sticks....as that is how I learned... on a date, the man I was with challenged me to use chopsticks. And... they all did it! They all used them- granted it was a little quiet with all the concentration, but it was fun. Our chef was a fun guy... he did the thing where he tried to flick rice up in the air and have someone catch it with their mouth... none of my other friends volunteered....so I did. I didn't catch it... but after I made a fool of myself, a couple of the other girls tried it too... none of us managed to catch the rice. I had been to this restaurant a couple years ago with Sara, Phil, and someone we shall call Mr. X. Sara and I had a few drinks and Sara was trying to convince me and Mr. X to try sushi. She tried...several times... and I tried it... I did not like it...the fish part... but I tried it. From that night, and Sara's strong encouragement to try sushi... is why my fish is named Sushi. (Sara gave me the fish...so I thought it was appropriate.) Anyway... tonight I ordered some sushi... Avo-kyu... and it was delicious. It contained no fish! it was avacado and cucumber wrapped in seaweed and rice. It was very very good. I ordered it as an appetizer and also wanted to share some sushi with friends who may not have tried it before. So tonight I was the sushi pusher and some people did like it. Yay! We had fun. (The pic is not from our adventure... but from the internet!)

Last night I was with Sara, Phil, Matt, Melissa, and Tobias. It was also fun. We had thai food for dinner and had a little mini Christmas celebration. gave Tobias a new hat that I had knit. The first one I had made for him was too small, but this one was perfect! He ran around with it on, laughing, so I think he liked it. I had planned on spending the night at their house, but around 9 last night I was thinking I wanted to sleep in my own bed.... is that a sign of getting older? I was talking to Meg just now, and she said that she prefers to be home...and attributes it to getting older... maybe that is true... or maybe I am just more a creature of habit than I like to admit. But I was glad to be home this morning because my friend Sue called to ask if I was going to the gym... and so we met up at the gym and I was glad we did. We are planning on going tomorrow morning too, as a Christmas present to ourselves. My knee felt good today, the best it has felt in a couple weeks... maybe from not shovelling in a couple of days.

I am not sure how much blogging I will do over the next few days...as I will be with my family, celebrating Christmas. I wil take some pics and will post them when I get a chance, but if you don't hear from me, know that I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas AND a happy HEALTHY new year!

Snow..... I blame Jill

Ok folks... It is only Dec. 20...not even winter yet...officially... and we got ANOTHER storm. Another SIGNIFICANT amount of snowfall... and I am blaming Jill. (Jill is my friend from high school who currently lives in California who said she is a little envious of us having a white Christmas....Take it back Jill, take it back!)

I had another snow day today... so that is two so far...and that means a shorter summer because we Will have to make up these storm days. Oh well. I had planned on getting some wrapping done, however, instead I spent the day going out and shovelling...coming in...melting...then going back out and doing more shovelling. I had to do it because I need to make sure I could get out of my driveway because I had an eye appointment. I wanted the appt. because I thought my vision had worsened and wanted a new glasses prescription. No such luck... though it isn't that bad.. my eyes have changed so slightly that there is not a change in the prescription... so.. I expressed my frustration because I am not happy with how I am seeing...granted ALL of my eye doctors have always said I am VERY picky about how I see...so to most people this change would go unnoticed... so in order to try to make me happy, we are trying a couple of different brands of contacts to see if they make a difference. I do have contacts that I have worn infrequently because historically I have seen better with my glasses...however I am willing to try the new contacts.

Anyway... when I left for my appointment nothing had been done to the driveway except for my minimal efforts. I made sure the small bank at the end of the driveway wasn't solid...by using a shovel to loosen it up... then... I drove out..through the pile of snow... and went to my appt. I was happy when I got home because people were here plowing! Yahoo.... THe problem with plowing is that it keeps the driveway more narrow, but I am hoping that the neighbor will do some touchups to the edges to keep it wide... but where can we put the snow? Good question.. the way that my driveway is...there is little room for snow storage...the snowbanks are already significant. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what it looks like around here.











I am not sure about my plans for going to the gym tomorrow... I would like to go, but am not sure I should...because I have felt stiff from all the shovelling... so I may wait until Saturday... but maybe if I wake up early tomorrow I will try to go before work. Tomorrow night I am having a family dinner... with my family to whom I am not related by blood...My friends Sara, Phil, Matt, Melissa, and Tobias.... so it should be fun. (Which may mean no blog tomorrow, Mom!)

Gotta go so I can do some wrapping......since I am done with the shovel for today!

snow.... MORE snow....

Yup... it is snowing again. I had dinner with a friend tonight and then did some shopping... and the roads were pretty bad on my way home... greasy. We have had so much snow this year...compared to the past couple of years. I am not thrilled by it....though I do like a white Christmas....but would prefer tulips blooming by January 3rd. I tried backing into my driveway tonight... and it didn't work... the incline in the driveway doesn't always agree with the rear wheel drive of my truck... so I ended up driving in... then did some shoveling... and tried again... and did get it backed in. I prefer to have it backed in when there is a storm.

I bought some wrapping paper today too, so in the case of a snow day tomorrow, I can be productive.... though I realized when I got home... I may not have any scotch tape. Oh well...

My knee is stiff tonight. I had not planned to go to the gym tonight... and didn't... but not sure I would have made it had that been my plan.

Wow... boring blog.... not even any pics to spice it up... I need to have some new adventures so I can share them with you all...

Got church?

I went to the gym tonight after coaching. That's 2 nights in a row... yay me! I did not do much either night because my knee was a little stiff after the weekend.... I think walking around a lot Saturday after the gym was a bit much... but you live and you learn, right? I did increase the resistance on the bike.. so that is a step in the right direction. I have not yet returned to the elliptical because I think it caused my other knee to be sore because I probably favored my left knee...but I will work it into the routine soon enough. I was sooooooooooo tired last night and am again tonight. But I have been sleeping well, so that's good.

As I was leaving the gym tonight a car was pulling in and the windows went down and I heard a friendly voice. It was the distinct voice of the father of some kids I have coached. This family is wonderful... they moved to the US from Africa... This family consists of 6 children, 5 boys and 1 girl. This man asked me how I was doing and where I had been... as he had not seen me in a while. After exchanging pleasantries and shaking hands he asked me something.... "When are you going to come to our church?"

I am not sure what church he attends...what denomination...and... if I want to go... so my response... "I don't know where your church is!" (Smile... start to walk away...) He told me where it was and said, I will send a pamphlet to school with one of the boys! Soooo... we'll see if that happens... and if it does... will I go? should I go?

Religion is not necessarily my cup of tea... however, I do believe in God...very strongly. Beyond that... I don't have it all figured out. I have never read the bible... don't plan on reading the bible... I pray... not on my knees...and often not out loud. There are times I have sought a church in which I felt like I belonged... as a kid I remember going to a Baptist church...then later went to the congregational church with my grandmother... my most vivid memories of going to church? People gossipping about other people....what they were wearing as they came into church... who they were sitting with...and whatever else popped into their heads and did not go through a filter. Not exactly what I thought church should be...

As an adult I have gone to a couple of local churches...and while the people made me feel welcomed... it didn't "fit." My parents have become very involved in their church recently... my mom has always had, I believe, a strong faith and belief in God. I don't think her beliefs has changed as of late, but her expression has... she talks more openly about her beliefs and enjoys talking about it. I think that the church has given my parents a better sense of community... and it is good for them. Will I go to the church to which I was invited by that gentleman tonight? Who knows...

As Christmas approaches... perhaps the most religious holiday of all... I find myself without a church.... but with a lot of faith.... which I suppose is better than with a church and without faith...

Oh yeah... my Christmas travel plans have been finalized... I am heading out to my sister's house... with my parents... It will be nice.

It feels like Christmas

Craig and I went shopping last night. We left my house at about 11:30p.m. and arrived at our destination - Freeport - LLBean at about midnight. (I had been there earlier in the day with another friend, it wasn't about what we were doing, it was about spending some time with my friends.)




The parking at midnight was much better than the parking during the day even though we were not the only late night..err... early morning shoppers. LLBean is a Maine landmark. They have been very busy decorating. The huge tree was beautiful. The colors of the lights changed and hanging from the tree were things like fish, LLBean boots, and fishing creels. It was beautiful.



One of the trademark's of the factory store at LLBean's is the indoor trout pond. There are live trout that swim around in a pond and it has been that way as long as I can remember. LLBean has recently added on to the main building...and they have a couple of separate buildings in the area too. In their addition they have added another fish display, a large aquarium.

The aquarium includes a bubble in which you can go inside the world of the fish. This is my friend, Craig. I know it is hard to see him because of the reflection, but it's kind of cool. I am sure the display is designed for kids, but we thought it was pretty cool. We did some shopping and then walked around outside to look at the lights more closely. They really were beautiful.

This is an ice sculpture of a squirrel. There were other ice sculptures too, and all were contained in these little log cabins with a big window in the front. Some of the windows were covered with frost, so conditions were not conducive to taking pictures, but there was an ice bear riding an ice snowmobile.

We had a great time... I got home around 2 a.m. - the latest I have been up in a LONG time. I really felt the Christmas spirit... more because of feeling relaxed and enjoyed the lights. My knee was hurting by the end of our adventure. Climbing up and down the stairs all day at Beans was a little much... plus the gym in the morning, but... it feels great to know how much I was able to do in a day.

Today I am getting snowed in. It is coming down pretty hard out there. It is a fine snow, not the huge fluffy flakes that are my favorite. I will go out later and do a bit of shovelling. My neighbor is responsible for snow blowing...but...well.. we'll see.

Midnight Shopping?

I went to the gym this morning... did about 4.5 miles on the bike and then walked a mile. IT felt good. Then I went shopping with a friend/coworker and walked around a lot. Tonight I am going shopping again... not leaving my house until 11:00 p.m.... to go to some stores that are open 24 hours a day. I may or may not take some pictures... My knee is a little stiff tonight, so either walking around tonight will loosen it up and help...or make it worse... I am hoping for the first of course.

Anyway... I am having a hard time with Christmas shopping... not so much because of what I want to do for whom...but because I am not sure where I will be for Christmas... and that determines what I do for people.... If I go to see my nephews I would buy things that I could take with me, but if I am not with them I will send them a package with other things in them... but I am formulating a plan for what I could do in either scenario. So it will work out.

We are supposed to get hit with a big snowstorm tomorrow. I am sure it will be pretty...and may insure a white Christmas!

Spicing things up...

Ahhh... it's midweek already. Sorry I haven't blogged much this week...
Mom let me know that my lack of blogging has made her online surfing a little boring, so I figured I would blog tonight to spice things up... also... I had Thai food for dinner, so spicing it up seems appropriate. I am still trying to get into my routine with coaching... which has included not sleeping well at night...being a little stiff from standing at practice and lengthening my day...so blogging has not been a priority... sorry! Things are going well though.

My knee is feeling good... though we have had some messy weather that has made me very nervous. The last thing I want to do is slip and fall on my BFA...(BFA is a term created by my friend Meg...to refer to an ample hind end...big...fat...well you figure it out.) I am not sure if I fear the falling more or the having to get up part.

I am still excited about my victory over the elliptical machine... however I did pay for it... but not in my left knee. My right knee bothered me for a few days after... so while I have been so focused on the left knee, I have forgotten that my right knee has been working pretty hard for a long time... and putting more activity on my right knee has to be done smartly too. So While I know I can beat the elliptical... I am not yet going to incorporate it into my regular routine. I will get it in again soon, but one thing at a time. I have not done great at going to the gym...partly because of the not sleeping well and partly because of the coaching...and partly because I have been LAZY... so I need to kick myself in the BFA and get myself going! Coaching is GREAT... there is a kid that just signed up... a kid that I worked with about 4 years ago when he did track as an 8th grader... and he was a sweet sweet kid... he has changed sooo much! I did not recognize him and had to ask another kid who he was. He was one of those kids who...in 8th grade....had...well grown up. I never knew the details of his life, and I am ok with that. But I think he is a person who has taken life pretty seriously. He was one of those kids when he laughed... a strong laugh... it made me happy... because he was enjoying something... not stressing out about something. He is excited to be back...and I hope to regain the trust I think he had with me in middle school... and also hope to hear that laugh...

Track is such a cool sport... to coach... and to participate in... a lot of people assume that I would coach basketball...which maybe someday I will... but track... it's a different kind of kid that does track... who sticks with track. There are cliques within any team...and there are some with track...but... they are less in track... track is a team sport, but is also very very much an independent sport... athletes try to beat their own times or distances... and there is comradery between kids on the team...between events...and between kids from other schools. There are rivals in track...during the events... but in between throws or between heats/events kids from opposing teams encourage each other and mean it.

It's pretty nice to have a group of kids that I have been coaching since they started track in 7th grade. Not just to know the kids, but to know their parents. Not all of the parents have always agreed with my persoectives on things and there have been some ... clashes... but I think for the most part he amount of respect is pretty high. Kids are very different between 7th grade and seniors... There are some parents with whim I have had a great rapport every year and it's great to see them each season.

There is a meet this weekend... kind of a pre-season thing... teams can go to participate in specific events... and only a few kids from the team compete. (because we haven't had enough practice for all the kids to be at a level to compete.) We have 4 boys going and 8 girls. I can go or not... so I will have to decide if I go.... we'll see.

Anyway... I hope you are all having a great week... stay warm... the temps are supposed to drop.... at least around here!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday... I called him this morning to wish him a happy day and he sounded pretty good... didn't sound like an old man... ha ha ha...

My day... was spent being lazy... lazy... lazy. I did nothing... knitted a little... watched Christmas shows on tv....enjoyed my cats and the tree... How's that for a day? Not very productive, but a good day.

The Ocean...

Two blogs in one day???!!! Yep... This is me at the beach today. After beating the elliptical machine I wanted to get outside and enjoy this gorgeous day. It was amazing... to be on the beach and not be freezing today. Not long after I left the beach it got cloudy and precipitated a little... but while I was there it was AMAZING.



Great day... exercise... walking the beach.... ahhhhhh.... I love Maine... love living in a place that I can get to the ocean in a reasonable amount of time. Life really is good... I made sure to take time to celebrate it today... just by doing something just for me... the fresh air and sunshine was something I really needed!





Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Victory!

Oh Yeah!!! I did it! I kicked the elliptical machine's butt! Oh yeah... oh yeah!!! I did FIVE minutes.... FIVE WHOLE MINUTES... without the machine thinking I was pausing at all!!! ZERO pauses!!! ya ya ya ya yay ya ya yaaaaaa!

I am VERY excited. Granted... 5 minutes is not a lot compared to what I used to do....BUT... it is a new beginning, and that is the most I have done on that machine in a LONNNNGGGGG time! I am relieved too, because there was that possibility that I may not be able to get back to the elliptical, that maybe after surgery that machine and I would not be a match.... but... I can tell we are going to be spending time together. YAY! I am sooooooo lucky to be able to do that. So lucky...

My friend Sue was at the gym today to cheer me on... she clapped and everything! I think other people may have wondered why there was clapping... but...there was a good reason. Thanks Sue for going with me!

Tomorrow... the elliptical will be mine.....

(Insert evil laugh here...) Yep.. that's right. Tomorrow is the day that the elliptical machine and I have our showdown. I WILL win... 5 minutes... with it only thinking I pause twice... (Even though I won't pause even once!)

I went to the gym today, but didn't do much in anticipation of tomorrow. I did not go to the gym as much as I had intended this week... but I was really tired after starting to coach, really made me worn out this week... so I consider that an increase in my activity level.

Tonight was a lot of fun. My friend Sue and I went to the gym together, then went to this cool Thai place, went to an art museum, then went to a little bar to have a drink and listen to some jazz... it was fun. Howeve,r we were noth pretty tired by 8:45 ish... and decided to call it a night... She is going to meet me at the gym tomorrow to cheer me on as I BEAT the elliptical machine's behind... by the way... I stared the elliptical down today as I waked on the treadmill... it was scared... I could tell!

Jill, thanks for the comment about the yarn guy... at first I wondered if he was hitting on me... but I don't think so.... and even if he was... he mentioned something about his daughter being a teacher... so that means he is too old for me....you know... cuz i am soooo young.

I will let you know how the showdown goes tomorrow. (Though we all know the outcome... Kim 1... elliptical 0!!!)

Insert showdown western whistle sound/music here...

"You don't look like the knitting type..."

That's what a man said to me tonight when I was buying some yarn. Is that a compliment or an insult? When I think of someone who knits I think of an older lady in a rocking chair, her lap covered by a quilt, with white hair and glasses. I am glad I don't look like that kind of knitter.... yet anyway... I also think of someone who knits as someone who has people to knit for... family... kids... making something with love to keep someone warm... maybe that is the kind of knitter I want to be thought of as being...

Anyway.... I was so tired last night... I had our first track practice after a long day of teaching and a morning workout. I went to bed last night, my knee feeling stiff, and worrying that I was going to wake up and barely able to walk. So I made a conscious decision to not get up to go to the gym this morning. Surprisingly I woke up and didn't feel overly stiff... so, that's good. I made it through the day and coached again tonight, and feel much more energetic than last night. Coaching was awesome tonight. I have a group of kids who are very coachable... some of the kids are new to the sport and do not know what to expect. We did a lot of conditioning drills and the kids were into it. It's going to be a great season... I may not have as many star throwers as I had last year, BUT... their attitudes are awesome and they are young... so... it is a building year... but I may have a couple of kids who surprise the heck out of people! Fun.

The news about my knee is still settling in... and more and more I am believing that PVNS may be in my past. Though I found myself hesitating to say so yesterday, when a parent of one of my track kids asked something about my knee...remembering I had surgery (the biopsy/arthroscopy) last March... I told him I had gone through a major surgery this summer and said that I "have" a rare condition.... I started to say had when I was talking to him... and couldn't... even though I know that once the lining of my knee was removed, technically I no longer had PVNS... I still have felt like I have it... so...my brain is starting to wrap itself around this... and... I catch myself doing things... being happy... or silly... in ways I haven't been for a while.... I have been worried about how to return to my life... how I would re-enter myself... if that makes sense... and I guess it will just happen...naturally... the tentativeness to engage in physical activities is lessening... and I think that my confidence is resurfacing... I don't think it has been gone...my confidence...but I do think that I felt so bad with my knee stuff, that I felt bad in a lot of ways.

Life is looking good....I gotta go for now... gotta put some of that yarn to use.

I'm beat...

I worked out this morning... Got to the gym around 5:40... I did 10 minutes on the bike (2 miles) then walked a mile on the treadmill! I felt great throughout the day. Tonight I had my first track practice of the season and it was fun... but my knee is not used to being up on it for two straight hours... and I think I am going to be sore from it. I may or may not go to the gym in the morning... depending on how it feels. We'll see. I am tired though... and am going to call it a night.

Let is Snow...

The storm that was predicted arrived today... and I got a day off out of it. Yippee! I was going to go to the gym this morning, but got the call early that there was no school, so I decided to stay in bed and go tomorrow morning instead. So I slept in. Throughout the day I got some more Christmas decorations up, including my tree ornaments. I also made some chicken salad. I ate well all day and feel good about that, but I was hungry a lot... but I made good choices. I also knit myself a hat today... I went outside to clean off my truck so that I would be ready for work tomorrow and realized I do not know where my hat is... I only had one winter hat...I don't look good in hats, but the one I had was made for me by a former student and I actually liked it. So...since I couldn't find that hat.. I decided to make one for myself... so I knitted myself a hat. It isn't one that I will necesarily wear in public, but it will serve its purpose when I go outside to shovel when it snows.

My knee made me very nervous today... as I was descending my stairs outside I was nervous about slipping and falling... but I did ok. I was glad I had gotten some sand yesterday...not sure it will help, but it made me feel less likely to fall. I will try to take some pictures of the snow, because I did not think to do that today. It definitely feels like winter...and is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The tree smells GREAT!!!

'Tis the Season

Today was a busy day, a productive day. We are supposed to get walloped with snow tonight into tomorrow. So, I wanted to get some things done... I took my recycling to the recycling place, got some sand to have on hand this winter for my walkway and driveway, cleaned the refrigerator, grocery shopped, did laundry, bought a tree, brought up all my decorations from the basement... put the tree up... put lights on it... and cooked dinner and am finally relaxing. Needless to say, I did not get to the gym today, but I think I did enough to compensate. I am planning on packing my things to go to the gym tomorrow morning, however, if school is cancelled I am planning on going back to bed and going to the gym after they get the roads cleared.

The picture above is the start of my Christmas decorating. It came out kind of fuzzy and I like it like that... I remember as a kid squinting my eyes as I looked at the lights and it looked pretty.

My knee is a little tired today...but I feel good. I feel good...

The showdown is next weekend.... Saturday. Remember? With the elliptical, 5 minutes... with it only pausing twice... hopefully less, but... I gotta give myself a little leeway... This is a big week, coaching starts and I am excited. I will keep you all posted... my fitness goal this week is to go to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings...

On another note... the scarf I made for Tobes was great... the hat was too small... so I am trying to figure out how to make it bigger or I might start over. I gave Sara and Melissa each a scarf and they were pleased with them... so that's good.

That's all for now....

a MILEstone

I went to the gym today... and walked a MILE on the treadmill... a MILE... one mile... an entire mile...without stopping... AND I did it at a speed of 2.2 miles per hour... my fastest speed yet. I had set this goal for myself for the weekend, that I would walk a mile at the gym. and I did it... in order to be careful and not verdue, I did not do my usual bike routine before the treadmill...but I did do 5 minutes on the bike after walking as a cool down...and so far I feel good. Plus today I went up to Sara and Phil's...with Matt, Melissa, and Tobes... and we got a Christmas tree... which involved walking on uneven ground up and down which did not seem to bother me either. I am stil at their house.. we enjoyed some holiday cheer...and I am crashing on their couch... what great friends I have... I gave Sara and Melissa their scarfs that I had knit for them... and brougt te hat and scarf to Tobes... the hat was too small, but I think I can make it bigger if I put my mind to it.

Yesterday's news is still setting in... and I think psychologicaly I feel like my body is stronger...just having the knowledge that PVNS is ... well...most likely gone.... [yes I have to add the most likely part]... makes me feel like I can take more risks... that someting I do isn't going to cause the PVNS to return... I walked less tentatively today... I noticed that as I was leaving the gym... or maybe it is because I am feeling more confident... just knowing I am doing things to take care of myself. I feel good. I did go to the other branch of my gym today... and it was set up differently than the one I usually go to...and it was a little overwhelming, but good... it was very busy and it felt good to be a part of that... there were a lot of very fit people working out.. and I was motivted by that. I thought less about my scars than I have in a while when my legs have been bare at the gym... it feels like things are coming together for me in a lot of ways... I feel fortunate. Soooooooooo fortunate.